I humbly thank you
Now back to the business of undermining the inhumane regime ...
Just joking! I just wanted to throw in a couple of buzzwords to enhance my readership with government watchdogs!
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| Attribute unknown (perpetrator chose not to be identified) |
(Removes tin - foil helmet, combs hair, adjusts tie, adopts 'serious' expression and faces camera 1.)
In news just in, we wonder why people insist :
"If you have nothing to hide, then you have nothing to fear".
That is a knee - jerk response to the continued, ongoing, unjustified erosion of personal rights.
What began as a 'security measure' conveniently hiding behind a threat labelled 'Terrorism' and 'National Security', is now a corporate smörgasbord, with our personal likes and wants offered for sale to the lowest bidder, and on a darker level, certain words and phrases in our online searches bringing us to the attention of agencies of government.
So far so good, we're being monitored for security reasons.
Except it doesn't stop there.
Here in the UK the tabloid media is constantly crying 'wolf ' - the dangers of online chatrooms , the nasty men on Pirate Bay - and don't even mention the foul perverts and junkies using Tor.
Remove the sense of righteous indignation however, and what would the next target be ?
After all, the scaremongering tabloids must have an enemy in their midst - otherwise no-one would believe their deceptions and lies - God forbid, people might educate themselves and then where would we be ?
The noise reaches the ears of the lawmakers who promptly legislate new 'safety measures' into online interactions -
'think of the children' is a popular cry, guaranteed to result in wholesale agreement to most new measures.
So hurrah for those fighting for Net Neutrality* and online freedoms.
And yes, that includes those who work to improve open source software that stands free of commercial influence.
On the other hand, I'm writing this blog on Google, right in the belly of the beast.
Best place really.
Nothing to hide, you see.
So there you go - in one fell swoop I've defused my own argument.
The reason is that I don't want to cry 'wolf ' myself.
I could paste links to surveillance news and oppressive governments all over this piece, but that's not my reason for doing this.
I just want to perhaps stimulate the odd thought, and re-ignite the realisation that the internet is controlled by and open to all people.
That's why I'm here, doing this.
Because I can.
The internet is not , and never should be driven by commercial interests.
* Update : Feb 26 2015, the FCC approves Net Neutrality, so well done to friends in the U.S.A.!
(and bad luck to the greedy corporates )
