Many in
These questions came to mind after reading a post on my own FaceBook page concerning a petition drive entitled, Tell the ITU: The Internet Belongs to Us . The petition asks that we all stand against the International Telecommunications Union's plan to control the internet. These plans reportedly include "giving countries full control over the information and communication infrastructure within their state" and "license to inspect private e-mail". Fees have also been suggested which "would limit our ability to access sites like Google and FaceBook." The site asks readers to sign the petition to stop the
The first reaction most freedom loving people have to this reality is one of frustration. They are not terrorists so why are they being "watched" and why is information being controlled or kept from them? To members of a nation concerned about their government's leaning toward an ever increasing Police State, moves to control and contain our increasing dissatisfaction with their form of "representation", causes great concern. After all, we are supposed to be a free nation, right? We are supposed to be a Democratic Republic, represented by a government for the people; not against them.
The powers that be though, have taken notice of how the Libyan riots and other, "Arab Spring" protests were orchestrated by FaceBook interaction so it would reasonably stand they would want to control that interaction to avoid any further rebellion. To this end, many nations including the
In places like
Welcome to Reality
Try as you might to convince yourself that the Internet is "ours", the reality is quite the opposite. The internet is wholly owned by corporations through which our ability to search topics, interact with each other electronically and perform our jobs, is channeled. It is not a private entity where if our messages are read we have somehow become victims of intrusion into our private lives. Comments and activities within this corporate arena are essentially owned and therefore, open to sharing and censorship by those who control the site. Though it is discomforting to think postings are being used to profile users, the reality is that we have no right to privacy within a "public" forum. Posting words or articles on social media and expecting them to stay private is akin to standing in a public square, yelling out obscenities but thinking only your friends across the way can hear you.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).