USA takes break from wikileaks to announce that it's hosting World Press Freedom Day

[Jerry_111]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxSWp5n1eh8

(not from The Onion)

 

[YROC]

There was atleast 30 seconds of him going "uhhhhh".

 

[Ridge]

I said this in the almost identical Facepunch thread...

What proof do you have that the US government is even suggesting, let alone actually being the group DDOS'ing Wikileaks or convincing the entirety of private industry to cut all ties with the group?

 

[Warped]

I don't even want to understand all of this. On one end you have these giant corporations monopolizing the information/entertainment industries: radio, newspaper, tv and now almost complete: the internet. and then on the other hand you have these bill of rights and shit that get thrown out the window during times of war. then here you have a guy announcing something we should have had all along....so confused right now.

 

[VirusType2]

I said this in the almost identical Facepunch thread...

What proof do you have that the US government is even suggesting, let alone actually being the group DDOS'ing Wikileaks or convincing the entirety of private industry to cut all ties with the group?

Reportedly, a lone hacker named Jester was DOSing Wikileaks before the mirrors. But I'm not sure if there has been any conclusive evidence, he just claimed to have done it, and 'experts' found his claim to hold water.

As for PayPal, Visa, and Mastercard: I wouldn't be surprised either way, if they were pressured or if they made those decisions on their own to keep from being complicit. Same difference anyway, if you think about it. (vocal pressure from the government or suddenly realizing they were standing in shit and deciding to get out)

On one end you have these giant corporations monopolizing the information/entertainment industries: radio, newspaper, tv and now almost complete: the internet.

Well, you have to remember that the internet (although using privately owned computers) operates over corporation owned landlines and satellites. And of course they have sprung up web based business across the globe. But ultimately, they own the infrastructure; we pay to access it.

The internet just happens to be a safe haven for free speech because:
1) They allow it
2) Our identity is obscured
3) We are physically out of reach

I don't even want to understand all of this.

and then on the other hand you have these bill of rights and shit that get thrown out the window during times of war.

It's individuals that error, and they need to be dealt with. Nothing was thrown out the window, individuals were just breaking the law.

However, I will agree to some extent, because they have - in some cases - written new laws to deal with new problems, some that many argue are unconstitutional.

We have to fight to keep our rights. That's why we have to try to understand all of this, whether we find it interesting or not. We need to be active and be able to make informed decisions about who and what to support.

If I wasn't concerned about the world we live in and our individual rights, I wouldn't even pay attention to politics - I can't stand it.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the perfect place to support, since they are completely devoted to protecting our rights in the information age.

From the Internet to the iPod, technologies are transforming our society and empowering us as speakers, citizens, creators, and consumers. When our freedoms in the networked world come under attack, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is the first line of defense. EFF broke new ground when it was founded in 1990 — well before the Internet was on most people's radar — and continues to confront cutting-edge issues defending free speech, privacy, innovation, and consumer rights today. From the beginning, EFF has championed the public interest in every critical battle affecting digital rights.

Blending the expertise of lawyers, policy analysts, activists, and technologists, EFF achieves significant victories on behalf of consumers and the general public. EFF fights for freedom primarily in the courts, bringing and defending lawsuits even when that means taking on the US government or large corporations. By mobilizing more than 61,000 concerned citizens through our Action Center, EFF beats back bad legislation. In addition to advising policymakers, EFF educates the press and public.

EFF is a donor-funded nonprofit and depends on your support to continue successfully defending your digital rights. Litigation is particularly expensive; because two-thirds of our budget comes from individual donors, every contribution is critical to helping EFF fight — and win — more cases.

http://www.eff.org/

then here you have a guy announcing something we should have had all along....so confused right now.

We have had the right to free press all along. You know in China right now, a Nobel Peace Prize winner is in prison for 11 years for speaking badly about the government. What does that have to do with us? Well, obviously, we have it a lot better than that. We have a good foundation in the US, but we will never be able to rest - we will always be vulnerable to censorship.

World Press Freedom Day is just a celebration of free press, to give it some attention. To claim that we don't have free press because there are exceptions is taking it for granted. You cannot publish classified information, you can't out undercovers operatives or undercover operations in the press. This is not anything new. It can put their life and their work in jeopardy.