If the Government suppresses our internet usage -READ THIS!!!

[BigBearJohn]

"The growing influence of blogs such as his is raising questions about whether they are becoming a new form of journalism and in need of more formal ethical guidelines or codes of conduct."

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050121/ap_on_hi_te/blogger_ethics

A very astute posting by MIRRERA got me to thinking about
what would happen if the government figured out a way to
suppress our use of the internet. Do we have a “Plan B”????

I think we should all work on developing a backup collection
of BBS's across the country. Remember those? Before I ever got
onto the internet, they had Computer Bulletin Boards that people could call
up with their modems. People ran the BBS's on their home computers.
Some BBS's had between 10 and 30 modems.
You could call and load messages, and download messages, and some
of the more advanced ones gave you the ability to chat. It could
be a backup alternative to get us all talking and organized if the
need should arise.

I would be very interested in hearing what y'all think of this idea.

Mirrera posted:

I think we need to understand how SCARED the congress and the Senate must be. Take a look at who was outspoken in the 107th and 108th congress. Take a look at who is no longer there in the 109th. Look at who got the Anthrax letters...look at the timing of when they arrived. Look at where that Anthrax came from...US government labs... this is really like the fall of the Roman Senate.

They ALL know! The real Democrats, not the moles like Zell. They all know, but if they fight it wrong they end up discredited by the media, or their plane crashes. Kerry knows way more then we do. Time will tell.

The two weak areas of Fascism are the vote, and information systems. Taking back our vote from these corporations is as much of a life threatening endeavor at this point as being a soldier.

The media is locked up except for the internet, and they monitor that, and will soon find a reason to protect us from the web.

This is like Germany in the 30s, don't let anyone say different!
A friend sent an email today with a quote that pertains to what Rumsfeld is trying to spin about the torture:

"This so-called ill treatment and torture in detention centers, stories of which were spread everywhere among the people, and later by the prisoners who were freed … were not, as some assumed, inflicted methodically, but were excesses committed by individual prison guards, their deputies, and men who laid violent hands on the detainees.": Rudolf Hess, the SS commandant at Auschwitz.

[Fescue4u]

1. LOL

If the government can get away with shuting down the Internet, then it'll be even easier to shutdown BBS's.

Its all based on the same telecommunications system.

Think of the Internet as BBS's with leased lines.

[crispini]

11. Not if you put a BBS with MODEMS in your house.

Someone would have to actually be tapping the phone lines to tell whether or not you were using the phone lines for voice or data.

You own the server, you give the phone number out to only those trusted folks you want to have it, it makes its way out virally. The users dial up directly with their modem software. My brother ran one in the 80s. Tres old school.

[Fescue4u]

13. doesnt matter

Im quite familiar with the technology. I've been in the data comm business long before the Internet became popular.

If the government gets ability to shutdown the internet, what makes you think they couldnt detect a modem on your line?

A wiretap wouldnt even be required. Let alone a warrant for one.

Think about this. What authority does the government need to call you on the phone? NONE..ZIP right now.

Now if the tin hat idea of shutting down the Internet comes true..this is what happens:

1) A war dialer is assigned to each exchange. Periodically and at non-deterministic times, it calls all the numbers in an exchange.

2) If a modem answers, and the owner hasnt applied for the "proper permits"..the line is shutdown, a warrant is issued and thugs show up at the door to confiscate the nefarious modem and imprison its owner.


Shutting down the Internet won't happen anyway. Its already considered National Infrastructure and would cripple the economy if shutdown.

btw, rumors of shutting down the Internet, and BBS's prior to that have been around since the first 110 baud acoustic modems were sold.

[mirrera]

15. I agree it won't "shut down"

It really is what keeps our freedom, the profits corporations make on line. I believe that it will be more subtle in the way TV has slowly through ommission managed our perceptions. I believe the small ISPs will get eaten by Verizon and co. You will then have different layers of access and only the Nerds will have the ability to find the back doors, like the way only people who read books or go on line have any clue about what is going on compared to TV news watchers. Once the average email and web surfer can't go anywhere on line except to shop...then they will stop the nerds...or hire them? All just thoughts and observations. I sure hope you are right and the economy keeps it free. It is my only sanity.

[Democrat Dragon]

2. What's a BSS?

[vpigrad]

12. It's a BBS...

that's full of BS!

[icehenge]

21. Bulletin Board System

You connect your modem with another modem just like you
do to connect to the internet. Except the computer you
connect to has a bulletin board similar in type to this
board. You can read and post messages. It was widely used
before the internet.

[jdog]

3. Something similar came up a while back

and someone gave me this link

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DUPanicRoom/?yguid=76214637

which still works. I've never had to go there though. : )

[MelissaB]

5. I have that bookmarked

"just in case". I always thought it couldn't/wouldn't happen, but you never know.

[BigBearJohn]

4. If you think suppression of BLOGS is unlikely -- READ THIS

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050121/ap_on_hi_te/blogger_ethics

"The growing influence of blogs such as his is raising questions about whether they are becoming a new form of journalism and in need of more formal ethical guidelines or codes of conduct."

[mirrera]

9. Oh man you put me out there...

What ever the nay sayers say, it is a when and how situation, not an if...

http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/1204/120104c1.htm

George Tenet:
<<<snip>>>
"I know that these actions would be controversial in this age where we still think the Internet is a free and open society with no control or accountability," he added. "But, ultimately, the Wild West must give way to governance and control."

Many national media outlets were not allowed to attend Tenet's speech. The Associated Press reported that Tenet insisted that natoinal media be kept out, only allowing in reporters for trade publications that cover the government.

Tenet was also critical of the direction that intelligence reform is taking in Washington. "There's a big focus on structural change at the top. My perspective is, this is all about data," he said.
The U.S. government has "an enormous amount of knowledge" on terrorist activities that should be disseminated to state and local officials, Tenet continued. "We have to start treating them as equals with regard to data and teach them as much as we possibly can by pushing data to them at the lowest levels of classification. even begin a very serious process of learning how to write at the unclassified level so we can educate everybody about what we see going on in the world."



"I really believe data sharing and the movement of data is the most critical feature of reform. I think that's where this game gets won and lost," he said. "We're having discussions about power relationships between people in Washington. At the end of day, I don't think that's the right conversation."

[elehhhhna]

33. Bwahahaha! Right after the MSM adopts ethical guidlines etc. Ha!

[MarkusQ]

6. P2P. Freenet. BitTorernt. Google for terms like these and learn...(n/t)

[mirrera]

10. I will do that...

[glitch]

14. Good stuff. People should be aware and prepared. nt

[beam me up scottie]

7. I'm not laughing.

I've been worried about this for quite awhile.

[Hello_Kitty]

8. Umm...how about ethical guidelines and a code of conduct

For the mainstream media whores. :evilfrown:

[theresistance]

16. There is definetely a move by governments

to control the Internet and restrict access. For example, former CIA chief George Tenet made a speech in December 2004 were he suggested this: http://www.washingtontimes.com/functions/print.php?StoryID=20041201-114750-6381r

[tommcintyre]

19. This line is definitely troubling... but unrealistic?

"Access to networks like the World Wide Web might need to be limited to those who can show they take security seriously, he said."

I don't think this is likely to be enforceable, given the architecture of the WWW (but I would like to see one of our IT experts here comment on this.)

Thanks for the link.

[icehenge]

23. Anything is possible.......

with Bush as president he has proved that.

I think this is very unlikely to happen though, I hope...

The internet can be thought of as the road system. There
are interstates and highways. To get on a highway or
interstate you'd most often take a side road to get to
get on these main arteries of road way (Internet).

Your Internet service provider could be thought of as
the side roads. They give you access to the interstate
(Internet).

Access can be controlled to the interstate by controlling
who gets on at the on ramps. Similar to the internet
possibly access control to the customers getting internet
access.

I don't think that senerio would well though in the case
of the government controlling access through on ramps
(internet providers). In most cases people working in
telecommunications buildings might rig up a secret 'on ramp'
and others would jump on with the spread of the word.

I'd never dismiss the possibility of the Internet being
controlled though. Its one of the links that keeps us
all tied together, and although scary to think we might
not always have it. It is a possiblitiy of some sort.

[kster]

17. Then it is time

to fight!!!!!!!! All they have is a bunch of guys who where afraid to go to war and fight. As for now I will fight for paper ballots. When we decide to fight the chickenhawks, they will scatter, like they did for viet nam.

[theresistance]

35. In some other countries

people have literally started to "fight" against government tyranny and oppression. I'm wondering what the government in America has to do before...

[tommcintyre]

18. Regulation may be needed... Read in...

I generally don't support gov't regulation, but it may be necessary in this case. <FEC will most likely regulate "political speech" in this regard next year. Assuming it doesn't go any further (and, realistically, its not likely to) I think its needed.>

<I recommend reading this whole article; and doing a Google search on "FEC political speech" (no quotes) if you want even more info.>
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/12/08/politics/main659955.shtml
"Little over a month ago, the first Senate party leader in 52 years was ousted when South Dakota Republican John Thune defeated top Senate Democrat Tom Daschle. While more than $40 million was spent in the race, saturating the airwaves with advertising, a potentially more intriguing front was also opened.

The two leading South Dakota blogs – websites full of informal analysis, opinions and links – were authored by paid advisers to Thune’s campaign.

The Sioux Falls Argus Leader and the National Journal first cited Federal Election Commission documents showing that Jon Lauck, of Daschle v Thune, and Jason Van Beek, of South Dakota Politics, were advisers to the Thune campaign. The documents, also obtained by CBS News, show that in June and October the Thune campaign paid Lauck $27,000 and Van Beek $8,000. Lauck had also worked on Thune’s 2002 congressional race. Both blogs favored Thune, but neither gave any disclaimer during the election that the authors were on the payroll of the Republican candidate."
--------

At minimum, the role of blogs in the Daschle-Thune race is a telling harbinger for 2006 and 2008. Some blogs could become new vehicles for the old political dirty tricks.


------------------------------------------------------------------

On a related issue, something that should be of interest to us here at DU: <From the article posted in the original post of this thread.>

"Beyond politics, marketers have turned to blogs as well.

A company called Marqui is paying about 20 bloggers $800 a month to write about the company and its products for managing marketing campaigns."

How this relates to us here:
Do you think "GOP-related money" finds us important enough to "invest" in trying to "guide" us with paid "plants" on our boards? Count on it - they do. They're called "deep trolls". Wouldn't it be nice if any such person was required by law to reveal they were being compensated to post here? <On the flip-side, I would have no problem disclaiming I was paid by the Dems, Greens, etc. here (I'm not btw).>

It's something to think about. I think we should be actually pushing for it (if its possible).

[Needtodosomething]

20. Not to burst the bubble of naysayers

But this CAN be accomplished. It is already done in China.

[passy]

22. Yeah my brother who lives there, can't even access my non-political blog.

I think they block Blogger pages as a whole.

[newyawker99]

31. Hi Needtodosomething!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[bluedonkey]

24. Built 'cells' in real life

like the german and french resistance had.This is how kept the resistance going,even when some people got arrested.
Just a thought!

[BigBearJohn]

25. Well, now is the time for planning, not after the shit has hit the fan

[bluedonkey]

26. I've been trying to convince people for quite some time

to organize in RL,in case something happens to the Net.Locally,to start,to get to know people.Most think I'm crazy!
Some in my family were part of the resistance in Germany.I know it happens fast...

[LiberalPersona]

27. The internet is a decentralized system

No one owns it and I don't see how anyone can suppress it save by taking over all access providers worldwide.

[lectrobyte]

29. You need to read up on what the internet is like in China.

It could happen here, and much easier than you think.

[Hugin]

28. Capital Idea!

Way to think ahead BigBear.

I'd think someone needs to scrounge up some old copies
of the peer-peer music sharing software. (Was it called
Gnutella?) But, they can share any type of files.

If I remember correctly they didn't rely on the established
I-net. They were based on the old ARPANet (Ironic isn't it?)
where each node is independent.

It was designed to thwart massive attack because only
the nodes which were attacked directly were knocked out.
The rest would function. It required each node to be
knocked out independently.

Anyway, does anyone have any of what I'm talking of here?

[NationalEnquirer]

30. No way. They could never get away with this.

I'm not as whatever about Big Brother, there are just some things that even republicans won't tolerate.
They love their blogs way too much.

[emcguffie]

32. Yes, I know a journalist --

Who it seems cannot keep an e-mail account. She did or said something critical of the you-know-whos, and when she came home her e-mail account was shut down.

She's opened numerous ones since, had technical assistance many times, and the same thing happened to all of them. Shut down.

She's an older radio journalist. I should find her and ask if she still has that problem. When I talked to her, it had been 6 months.

[Solon]

34. Its certainly physically possible...

People talk about the Internet being decentralized and whatnot, however, the government doesn't have to regulate content, just access to that content. How hard would it be for the government to force ISPs to have filters installed? How hard would it be for the government to force ISPs to kick off undesirables like us. The only thing we can be assured of at the moment is the courts and ISPs themselves. Both are very protective of our privacy as to what information they give out and to whom, but who knows how long that will last.

[hector459]

36. Great post. The bloggers need to spread it around.

I hope some liberal techie is out there working on an alternate internet!

[McCamy Taylor]

37. They hacked internet sites like crazy in the early days of Iraq Invasion

Kept some of them down completeley in order to keep all news that might negatively influence public opinion at home from getting on the internet. So they can do it. Problem is when there are lots of sites set up by people who are very sophisticated, especially when those sites are maintained by US citizens who are paying good money to American companies. Lots of toes to be stepped upon, lots of negative publicity to be generated. The last thing the feds want to do is to hack a site, get caught doing it and then have it turn out to be some WASP high school validictorian who is president of her class government club and heavy into global charity work.

I predict they will plant a Hinkley type over at the Freepers, plant some other "Freepers" to egg him on to some terrorist act for which he will be framed. The public will be outraged that "Hate Forums" are promoting terrorism, and the feds will use this to limit access and censor content of all political boards. Will go after a Right Wing site first so that no one will suspect that it is political.

:tinfoilhat: