Anonymous - CloudFlare - ISIS - Internet Censorship

Posted: April 29, 2015 Anonymous Charge CloudFlare: Justice or Hypocrisy? Activists Protest ACTA Proposal Anonymous — the group of hacktivists — has launched a campaign called Operation Isis several months ago. The members of the group did not just identify and attack websites that are somehow connected with the Islamic State, they also searched for the companies in U.S. and in U.K. that host such websites and published their lists on the Internet. The cause for such attention from Anonymous is terrorism promotion. Recently, Anonymous focused on CloudFlare, which is not even a proper hosting company, because it protects over 50 Isis related websites against DDoS attacks. The hacktivists launched a petition to the U.S. government so that the company would be criminally charged for supporting terrorism. According to the comment, given to the International Business Times by company’s CEO Matthew Prince, CloudFlare is not going to fulfill Anonymous’ request and block its services to the Isis websites, because, firstly, it would not make a difference anyways, for the content would not be removed, and secondly, such actions could be evaluated as censorship.     “We’re the plumbers of the internet… We make the pipes work but it’s not right for us to inspect what is or isn’t going through the pipes. If companies like ours or ISPs (internet service providers) start censoring there would be an uproar. It would lead us down a path of internet censors and controls akin to a country like China.” Discrimination and censorship is something CloudFlare couldn’t be blamed for — just a few weeks ago, while analyzing the causes of Pirate Bay going down, the Inquisitr mentioned that this website also uses CloudFlare’s services.     “It is quite possible, and what is worse is that Pirate Bay’s CloudFlare service is not working, either.     CloudFlare is the website caching service Pirate Bay uses to keep visitors on their site even when it experiences downtime.” Basically, the fact that CloudFlare provides services to such controversial websites, as Pirate Bay is, should have been sufficient to certify that the company is not going to deny any of its customers. The petition, however, is unlikely to be a success — till the present moment, it got 185 signatures and needs to get 99 815 more before May 25 to actually make the government take action against the company. And perhaps it is for the best, because in this case hacktivists seem to act hypocritically. After all, it was Anonymous who waged a huge Operation Payback campaign against PayPal and Amazon for cutting off services to Wikileaks without a legal decision — and that’s exactly what they request from CloudFlare. http://www.inquisitr.com/2053153/anonymous-charge-cloudflare-justice-or-hypocrisy/ COMMENT Censorship always freaks me out, so this caught my attention.  Censorship of ISIS doesn't freak me out as much the implications for everyone else.  If censorship of one group can lead to a 'path' of censorship by providers of internet 'pipes' or whatever, it doesn't sound too good overall. Not sure why material that various groups broadcast on the internet is seen as such a threat that it cannot be countered by alternate broadcasts (ie alternate ideas, arguments, ridicule, other responses etc), rather than by censorship that eliminates the opposing/undesirable message in its entirety. Anyway, this is just something I found interesting.

RUSSIA - Internet | Oligarchs

RUSSIA INTERNET ----------------------------------------  #Internet - Security officials & IT giants may make #Russia sector of net independent http://on.rt.com/v8synu  - [as counter to]     #USA     internet kill-switch #USA - NSA whistleblower Edward #Snowden says NSA unintentionally caused the November 2012 internet blackout in #Syria Obama gives himself control of all communication systems in USA - July 2012 http://on.rt.com/jko4gg  - WH / EO Press http://goo.gl/S15En5  #Russia govt may take over functions of ru + .рф .. b/c negotiations 2 make ICANN body less dependent on #USA going nowhere / #Internet #Russia / runet organically grew from foreign parts of infrastructure >> #China developed own segment of #internet & keeps tight control #NorthKorea -- Wow, Nth Korea has its own internet!!! OLIGARCHS   ----------------------------------------  #Russia Sept 19. /ITAR-TASS/. AFK Sistema chairman Vladimir Yevtushenkov remains under house arrest - http://en.itar-tass.com/russia/750354 ----------------------------------------

Edward Snoweden's statement - RESET THE NET

Snowden's Statement  RESET THE NET - here

See also -  https://www.resetthenet.org/

RESET THE NET

See also - https://www.resetthenet.org/

Good luck blogging anything interesting from Russia - and mind your language!

The Moscow Times Jul. 23 2014 19:50 Last edited 19:51 The law, which comes into effect on Aug. 1, obliges bloggers with a daily audience upward of 3,000 unique visitors to register with the state and disclose their identities. Popular bloggers will also have to follow the state laws governing mass media — i.e. avoid false information and expletives, and post no porn or extremist materials — though they get none of the media's rights. Disobedient bloggers could face blacklisting by the Federal Mass Media Inspection Service. [...] The law's numerous critics have claimed it could be used for political persecution.

In March, Ksenzov's agency blacklisted access to the highly popular LiveJournal blog of anti-corruption crusader and opposition leader Alexei Navalny, accusing him of promoting mass riots. Russia has radically tightened Internet regulations since the outbreak of grassroots anti-Kremlin protests in 2011 to 2013, which were coordinated online, including by Navalny. Ksenzov also spoke in May of a possible ban in Russia on Twitter and Facebook, though that earned him a rebuke from Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev. Source - The Moscow Times - July 2014 - here. Owner: Sanoma Oyj - Finland

Well, that's a bit crap for Russian bloggers.  But it's old news from a couple of months ago.

On the bright side, looks like LiveJournal's head has found a way to bypass impediments to blogging:

LiveJournal head Dmitry Pilipenko announced that all LiveJournal subscription counts would stop at 2,500, with only bloggers and moderators able to see the real number. Page view-based rankings will also stop. "The above changes are based on plans to take measures to optimize the service," Pilipenko insisted. "All coincidences are accidental." Source - The Verge - May 2014 - here.

However, there's a few other  communications blocks:

Russia passed a sweeping internet-filtering bill in 2012, and the Kremlin has increasingly used its power to pressure critical media outlets.  In December of last year, Putin dissolved the venerable RIA Novosti news service, putting its remains under the control of a supporter.  A month later, Pavel Durov, founder of "Russian Facebook" VKontakte, sold his stake to an ally of Putin.  Popular opposition blogger Alexei Navalny saw his blog blocked by ISPs in March; the news site of chess champion Garry Kasparov, among others, was also caught up in the crackdown.  Along with the "blogger law," Putin also signed a bill barring profanity in films, theater, and other media, though its full scope is unclear. Source - The Verge - May 2014  - here.

Why the war on profanity, for fuck's sake?  That's just plain weird.

Probably after the churchy votes?

UK - SILENCES POLITICAL DISSENT

DAVID WARD:   Careful ... That mug he's holding may be a 'weapon of mass destruction'!

David Ward, a Liberal Democrat MP  TWITTER The big question is - if I lived in #Gaza would I fire a rocket? - probably yes — David Ward (@DavidWardMP) July 22, 2014 [HERE]

Some old guy in UK politics tweets, expressing his opinion or his emotions on some trivial communications medium -- and political opportunists immediately jump on this to grandstand about a supposed 'incitement to violence'.

Oh, let's behave as if this puny old man or his twitter followers are armed to the teeth and represent a 'terrorist' threat, while we all deny who is being terrorised at present.

Conservative MP Nadhim Zahawi has written to Metropolitan Police, calling for an investigation into Mr Ward’s actions “as a matter of urgency.”   The remarks were immediately condemned by other MPs, including the Conservative party chairman Grant Shapps, who referred to it as an “incitement to violence” and “completely irresponsible.”   The Labour Party also hit out, saying Ward’s comments were counterproductive to achieving peace in the region. [HERE]

Counterproductive to achieving peace in the region?  Are you kidding me?

Like anything this guy has to say is going to make a difference to Israel or to Palestine one way or the other.

What are these people on?

And check this out:

This will be the second disciplinary probe that Mr. Ward faces. He was temporarily suspended by the party in July last year after he called Israel an ‘apartheid state’ and refused to apologize. [HERE]

Hello?  Doesn't this give anybody the creeps?

Ward is being attacked, punished and silenced for expressing his dissenting political opinion.

GAZA - French Internet Censorship

GAZA - FRANCE - INTERNET CENSORSHIP

Published time: July 21, 2014 Moderators of French websites have been overwhelmed by a storm of hatred over the Israeli incursion into Gaza. The latest conflict has triggered outbreaks of violence in France between the country’s Jewish and Muslim populations. While Parisian protests over Israel’s operation in Gaza descend into violence and clashes, the internet has seen an explosion of hate speech related to the conflict. French law bans racist, anti-Semitic or discriminatory messages, but moderators have been hard-pressed to keep up with the rise in hateful comments. Representatives from companies that monitor online content told AFP that they normally block 25 to 40 percent of comments, but since the Israeli incursion this statistic has shot up to up to 95 percent. They say the nature of the online hate comments is very specific to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as both parties seek to monopolize websites with their hate messages. "On the pro-Palestinian side, identical messages are posted on dozens of sites. On the pro-Israeli side, there are fewer messages but they are better organized," said Jeremie Mani, head of Madagascar-based company Netino that trawls through millions of comments every month. "This sickening content is peculiar to this conflict. The war in Syria does not trigger these kinds of comments.” ... SOURCE - RT News - here.

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COMMENT

Not a lot in the way of freedom of speech or freedom of press in France.

LIBERAL PARTY (AUST) - INTERNET CRACKDOWN

Liberal Party  (Australia)
When Liberals aren't rewriting Middle-eastern history, 
they're policing the internet

June 20, 2014 10:47A

PIRATES IN GOVERNMENT’S SIGHTS
The government is considering ways to deter illegal downloaders as part of a review of the Copyright Act. Although it is yet to detail specific measures, earlier comments by Senator Brandis reveal the methods under consideration:

● The big stick: Speaking to the Australian Digital Alliance copyright forum in February, Mr Brandis floated the idea of a three-strikes policy or a graduated response scheme. This means customers are warned each time they are caught downloading illegally — and could be fined or disconnected from the internet altogether after three strikes

● Hitting ISPs: One option is to compel internet service provides such as Bigpond or iiNet to issue warnings to its customers. However, a landmark High Court ruling in 2012 found that iiNet was not responsible for its customers’ illegal activities

● Block sites: The government could force ISPs to block offending peer-to-peer file-sharing sites, such as BitTorrent or The Pirate Bay. The problem with this is that savvy internet user can bypass these filters with ease.

“The illegal downloading of Australian films online is a form of theft. I say Australian films, but of course, the illegal downloading of any protected content is a form of theft,” Senator Brandis told the Australian Digital Alliance forum.

“The government will be considering possible mechanisms to provide a legal incentive for an internet service provider to co-operate with copyright owners in preventing infringement on their systems and networks.

“This may include looking carefully at the merits of a scheme whereby ISPs are required to issue graduated warnings to consumers who are using websites to facilitate piracy.”

SOURCE - news.com.au - here.

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COMMENT

Bet federal elections can't come fast enough for Australians.

UK Nanny-State - Internet Porn Filters & Censorship

Daily Mail Article

PM's policy adviser 'had 59 child porn images on an iPad': Cameron confidant assigned welfare officer by Downing Street as he appears at court

By Chris Greenwood

Published: 09:29 AEST, 4 July 2014 | Updated: 09:29 AEST, 4 July 2014

A former adviser to David Cameron accused of possessing indecent images of children is still being supported by Downing Street, a court heard yesterday.

Patrick Rock, 63, was assigned a welfare officer by No 10 when his arrest led to his resignation from a role at the heart of Government four months ago.

He appeared at Westminster magistrates’ court in London even though no evidence against him was found on British soil.

He was held at his sister’s home in the US state of North Carolina. 

The court was told he had 59 indecent images of children on an iPad. District Judge John Zani ordered Rock, from Fulham, West London, to stand trial at Southwark Crown Court later this month.

He was released on bail with a number of conditions, including that he maintain contact with the Downing Street-appointed welfare officer. 

He was also told to surrender his passport.

Rock was arrested in February by the National Crime Agency, but the investigation was made public only when it was revealed by this newspaper. 

The secrecy remains unexplained.

Rock, ex-deputy director of the Downing Street policy unit and a protege of Margaret Thatcher, was one of Mr Cameron’s closest confidants. 

He worked for Michael Howard when he was Home Secretary in the 1990s and was involved in drawing up government policy on filters designed to block images of child abuse.

The crimes are alleged to have taken place between July 31 and August 31 last year.

Mr Rock, deputy director of the Downing Street policy unit and a protege of Margaret Thatcher, was one of Mr Cameron’s closest confidantes.

...

... story continued...

SOURCE - Daily Mail - here.

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COMMENT

The above article relates to an appearance in court back in February of this year.

The particulars aren't that interesting to me, apart from the NCA involvement and alleged secrecy.

What is of interest to me is this:

... Rock was an adviser ... on internet porn filters, introduced last year to curb children’s ability to access adult content online.

According to the Open Rights Group, the government-backed ISP filters have been overzealous in blocking completely innocuous websites, raising concerns over web censorship. The percentage of sites hosting legal pornographic material online is thought to be close to 4 percent.  [rt.com]

How a democratic government even managed to push through restrictive censorship of the internet in the first place is a mystery.

Surely the onus of responsibility should fall entirely on parents, when it comes to blocking access to pornography, and the government should keep their noses right out of it.

On a quick check of Open Rights Group, it looks as though they're not averse to laws -- they want regulation.  So if this is an example of a protector of digital freedoms, maybe this is where it has gone pear shaped in the first place.

Why support regulation at all?  

The internet shouldn't be a regulated medium -- why kill the beauty of the internet.

 

AUSSIES - SAY HELLO TO NSA & GOODBYE TO CIVIL LIBERTIES

George Brandis set to require internet, phone companies hold customer data for two years

Date     July 15, 2014 - 3:17PM

Attorney-General George Brandis has signalled the government could move to introduce laws forcing internet and phone companies to keep customers records for up to two years.

But the so-called data retention laws will not be part of legislation the government is planning to introduce on Wednesday that will grant new surveillance powers to Australia's spy agencies.

Under those changes, ASIO and other intelligence agencies would be able to hack into a third party's computer to access a target computer and infiltrate entire computer networks on a single warrant.

The government is planning further security reforms later this year that will, in part, seek to address concerns about the threat posed by up to 150 Australians who are currently involved with extremist groups in Iraq and Syria.

Senator Brandis told colleagues at Tuesday's meeting of Coalition MPs that while the first tranche of reforms contained no data retention provisions, "this is the way the west is moving". He pointed out Britain had recently introduced a data retention bill, to deal with the fact that the European Court of Justice had struck down a European data retention directive.

Most of the changes to be introduced to Parliament on Wednesday are based on a bipartisan report last year produced by the high-powered Joint Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence and Security.

But Senator Brandis said on Tuesday that one additional measure would be included - a new penalty for security agency officers who take information without authority.

At present it is an offence to pass that information on to a third party, but this can at times be difficult to prove.

Senator Brandis also moved to reassure colleagues in Tuesday's party room meeting that the first tranche of reforms would contain sufficient safeguards for civil liberties.

He said the first tranche of changes took into account the government's primary obligation to keep the community safe and had been approached in a "careful, thorough and considered way rather than in a hasty and reactive way".

SOURCE - SMH - here.

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COMMENT



Here we go.

In the name of national security, the Aussies are going to introduce legislation that enables them to share information with US and other agencies, copying the UK (who seem to work for the US NSA), where the UK's introduced data retention laws to bypass the European Court of Justice decision.


Is it the way the west is going -- or just the way the west wants to go?

Is there sufficient justification to encroach on civil liberties, when were are talking 150 Syrian &; Iraq patriots (presumably) doing their patriotic thing?  How is this a threat to an entire nation - of the kind that requires far-reaching incursions on civil liberties?


So the powers that be are going to band together and spy on everyone collectively, sharing information and violating their citizens' privacy and freedoms in the name of 'security'?


Sounds like some kind of worldwide totalitarian secret police thing happening.


Good luck protecting freedom of press, freedom of information or any other freedoms in the west.

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EDIT - see also:

Australian govt says data retention won't be like failed EU directive

Summary: Talking points obtained under Freedom of Information state that any mandatory data retention regime in Australia would be different to the European directive that was thrown out by the European Court of Justice.

...

Labor MP calls for data retention

In a speech to Parliament yesterday, the chair of the committee at the time of the report, Labor MP Anthony Byrne, called on the government to implement a mandatory data retention regime.

"If a government is concerned and is making the right noises about being concerned about this nation's security, it must give its agencies all of the suite of the powers that it needs to deal with the terrorist threat. And it has not done so," he said.

"I would urge the attorney-general... to bring all of the suites of the powers that the intelligence agencies have been asking for for some period of time...to the parliament at its earliest opportunity."

He said that the powers should be brought before the parliament so the public can debate the need for data retention."I don't want to see data retention debated in this chamber, and the chamber below, after an event has occurred on Australian soil."

The news comes as last week the UK Prime Minister David Cameron announced sweeping new emergency surveillance legislation that would force telecommunications companies in the country to retain customer data for up to 12 months.


SOURCE - ZDNET - here.

Go Labour!