Internet Censorship........ How far will it go and should people stand for it?

[Aryan]

I have just tried accessing a forum which I have browsed in the past and it appears to have been taken down.  There is just a message saying the forum has been pulled because it breached the rules of it's provider!



It was a Conspiracy themed forum which touched on many different subjects, including the Jewish question, however it was by no means the main topic of the board.  I think it's safe to say it was the spotlight being shined on the hooks and their subsequent (over)reaction which has resulted in the forum coming down.



My question is do you think this blatant censorship, which I have been seeing more and more in the last couple of years, is right?  Also how far will it go? Will we be left with an internet similar to that of North Korea? So much for freedom of speech, it seems a distant memory these days.

[kiebers]

You have to remember that freedom of speech really only applies to the government. Providers are privately owned just like forums are. If the owner or even a mod decides something goes against policy then too bad so sad.

[Aryan]

True, but it seems that all these big companies and corporations sing from the same Politically Correct hymn sheet.....

[Bricktop]

There is no evidence that it was "taken down". Just that it is down.



Forums don't sink overnight as a rule. If a post or even a thread crosses a line, forum owners usually just pull it.



One exception to that is if the American FBI pulls a forum. They put up a notice advising that the forum has been closed down for a breach of some US law.



I think the pommy cops do the same.



However, by whose laws are forums and their content deemed inappropriate. What statutes apply where? In reality, a forum accessed by people living in Australia, managed by someone in Canada and hosted in India would be hard to prosecute. I suspect that is why there appears to be no known prosecutions of forum managers. Forum posters have been prosecuted for posting illegal posts to another person in the same country, but these are rare.



I've posted a couple of hilarious scouser jokes in the last few days, which you may find contradict British laws on discrimination (although I believe scousers aren't covered by racial vilification statutes because nobody gives a toss what they think).



What would you do? Write a letter to plod in Scotland Yard? Would they send me a threatening warning? Doesn't work.

[Oriental Noodle]

The service provider (host) can, and will, pull a forum if they determine there is a breach in the TOS.  I suppose a private entity does have this right, whether it's right or wrong.  It's the old "guilt by association" problem.



Now, nothing does stop a person from being their own host, other than time and money, of course.  In the "olden days,"  BBS boards were just like that...  One dude 'hosted' it on his Commodore 64 from home.



Things are a little different today, though, and most people simply need to pay a middle man (host) to get forum online.  Whenever you have a middle man, you are always subjected now to their own personal rules also.

[Anonymous]

I have just tried accessing a forum which I have browsed in the past and it appears to have been taken down.  There is just a message saying the forum has been pulled because it breached the rules of it's provider!



It was a Conspiracy themed forum which touched on many different subjects, including the Jewish question, however it was by no means the main topic of the board.  I think it's safe to say it was the spotlight being shined on the hooks and their subsequent (over)reaction which has resulted in the forum coming down.



My question is do you think this blatant censorship, which I have been seeing more and more in the last couple of years, is right?  Also how far will it go? Will we be left with an internet similar to that of North Korea? So much for freedom of speech, it seems a distant memory these days.

There could have been some content that you  are unaware of that crossed a line..



I heard a Taiwanese independence forum that I used to read got something like because of content advocating violence against KMT supporters.