Right Wing attack on "Internet Anonymity" has begun...About to see assault on internet free speech?

[Faryn Balyncd]

Is Internet Privacy (aka "Internet Anonymity") in the sites of the authoritarian right?





We're hearing more of a new right wing bogey man - "Anonymous Blogging".

Karl Rove attached it in a speech Friday . . .
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/11/9/05834/0171
http://www.washingtonian.com/blogarticles/people/capitalcomment/5720.html

Dennis Prager says Internet Anonymity Is as Destructive as Internet Porn

I heard Hugh Hewitt picking up the "anonymous blogging must end" talking point Thursday while he was interviewing a fellow right wing radio propagandist.

Now Donald Kerr, the "principal deputy director of national intelligence", tell Congress that the DEFINITION OF PRIVACY needs to be changed.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071111/ap_on_go_ot/terrorist_surveillance

Expect to hear more and more about "anonymous bloggers" from Rush, Sean, Bill O, John Gibson, Hewitt, et al.





The word has apparently come down that an assault on internet privacy (aka "internet anonymity") is imminent, and the public must be made to fear all those nefarious "anonymous bloggers" so that the government must protect them.

Do you suppose GOP linguistics guru Frank Luntz (the one who banned "private accounts" in favor of the softer "personal acounts", and who famously advised GOP politicians to "Never discuss Iraq without beginning with 9/11" http://www.zephoria.org/lakoff/files/Luntz.pdf ) may have been consulted for advice on the specific words to use to frame the issue?

And do you doubt the Federalist Society (those so-called "strict constructionist conservatives" who have gutted the constitution with their "unitary executive" theory of unrestrained executive power) is up their neck in this?

(Too bad they don't consider the significance of Madison, Hamilton and Jay using the pseudonym "Publius" for publishing, during the brawling debate on ratification of the Constitution, the Federalist Papers.





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federalist_Papers




The internet may be the last remaining media outlet not under corporatist/right wing control.

We aren't hearing a peep from the Pragers and Hewitts of talk radio about the ill effects of the ANONYMITY of right wing callers (whether shills or legitimate callers) to their talk shows.

To the contrary, they seem to believe that the 24/7/365 saturation of the public airwaves, controlled by a few corporations, with GOP propaganda, paid for by GOP partisans whose clear value is to influence elections and remain unregulated by either election laws or FCC regulations, is their God-given right, and fathom themselves as champions of free speech.

But, to the right's chagrin, the internet is not under their monopoly.

A portion of it, in fact, is written by people who have different views, sometimes political views which they, perhaps fearing repercussions from their employer or for other reasons, choose to publish in the same fashion that James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and later Chief Justice John Jay chose to publish their views in favor of ratification of our constitution . . . . . ANONYMOUSLY.








Will we let the authoritarians control the language to frame this issues?

Will our Congressional leaders remain invertebrate as they did regarding the Military Commissions Act, posse comitatus, and habeas corpus?

Will they cave in, once again, becoming complicit in this attact, not only on internet privacy, but on free speech, independent journalism, and our democracy?






Will we let them?

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

1. I agree that Internet Anonymity Is as Destructive as Internet Porn

But not in the way Dennis Prager thinks... I'm not losing sleep over either one.

[bleever]

2. And privacy now means not anonymity, but

that the government will take good care -- VERY good care -- of everyone's every move, wherever and however it might be recorded.

[killbotfactory]

3. What's the matter? Does it make illegal surveillence more difficult?

[hootinholler]

4. Hmmm. Bears watching.

Perhaps it's part of the redefinition of privacy efforts underway.

-Hoot

[Evergreen Emerald]

5. they have to attact the internet--that is what is keeping the coup in check

The neo-cons underestimated the internet. They had the media, most of the judges, the Congress, they did not count on the internet. Imagine if they control the internet too.