Category Archives: internet

Obama ends “leave internet alone” policy

“The US government’s policy of leaving the Internet alone is over, according to Obama’s top official at the Department of Commerce.” Assistant Secretary Larry Strickling, The Register and see the NTIA presentation.

The internet is too powerful for governments that want to control the thoughts of their population to leave alone.  Along with the extension of the Patriot Act (WashingtonPost.com), the Obama Administration arguing in Federal Court that there is no “reasonable expectation of privacy” on cell phones – funny, we missed the ACLU, EFF, and the press having conniptions about the Democrat controlled Congress and Democrat President signing the extension – Washington has a nice tight grip on the communications of the country.

But, it is nice to have “government oversight” over everything – you wouldn’t want to do something without permission would you?

The Democratic Senate Puts Heavy Restrictions on the Internet

The Democrat controlled Senate is working on a Bill that would give President Obama the authority to shut down the Internet.  This is the so-called Cybersecurity Act of 2009,  S.773 was introduced by Senators Rockefeller, Bayh, Nelson, and Snowe.

The Bill would also give the government access to the digital records from many industries including telecommunications, banking and energy.  All would be under the authority of a cybersecurity czar.

Clamp down on the free speech on the Internet in the event of a need to “protect national security” and there goes the ability to dissent.

Nice.

Yahoo Publisher Network (YPN) Problems

Yahoo’s current problems are of their own making and consequently Yahoo can fix them. While Google has been building a network of advertisers and publishers, Yahoo Publisher Network/YPN has been in an endless beta while turning away publishers and then wondering why advertisers are going to Google’s Adsense. Advertisers are following the publishers to reach their audience. Let’s look at some of the problems, Continue reading Yahoo Publisher Network (YPN) Problems

Spying Upon Ourselves

United States Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell, is drafting a plan that is supposed to protect America?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s cyberspace. The plan, according to The New Yorker (January 14, 2008) is that “the government must have the ability to read all the information crossing the Internet in the United States.” Yes, you read it right, in order to protect us, we must give up all our rights to privacy. Prisoners in jail have given up their right to privacy, not voluntarily of course, as we are asked to do. Prisoners can be moved, strip searched, cavity searched, and have their mail search at the whim of their jailers. But they are safe. Oh yes, very, very safe. As will be the people of the United States with the Federal Government as our Jailer, at least that is the plan. The prisoners who are following the rules of the jail have nothing to fear, they are told. And yet they still must submit whenever they are ordered. The United States can be both free and safe. A false choice is being created in order to increase the power of the Federal Government. Do we want to be a nation of prisoners? Do we want to be a nation that must watch every word or spend months explaining what was meant by a particular sentence. When all dissent is monitored, dissent becomes impossible.

People act is if there is a difference between civil liberties and liberty. There isn’t. We will be free in all areas or will be in none. There is no difference between those who wish to limit our economic liberty that those who wish to limit or “civil” liberty. Limiting our liberty in one area necessitates its loss in all other areas. The ramifications of one small loss of liberty multiplies across all others. We will be free or not. Half-free and half-slave is a contradiction in terms and impossible in reality. Continue reading Spying Upon Ourselves