Kiss Your Internet Goodbye!

Controlling the internet would be one step shy of impossible. Our government would love to do it, but the internet is world wide. I think that fact alone makes it extremely difficult to control. The only thing I can see they trying is like in the movie "The Core" when they hired that hacker kid to put out viruses that would attack anything that had certain words in it that refered to the top secret mission they were on. Other than that I dont see how they could control it, can you imagine how many people that would take? or how much equipment they would need? That would cost as much as the Iraq war.

I don't think controlling the internet would be impossible. Take a look at the Fritz Hollings bill. TCP technology would be compulsory in every computer in the US (proposed sentence for disobeying: 5 years in jail or $500,000 fine). There is also talk of allowing segmenting of the networks by ISPs. This would mean, for example, only AOL customers on the AOL network (and of course, only AOL approved websites on the AOL network). This is backed up by Micheal J Copps, a federal communications commisioner for the US government in the link provided below.

hraunfoss.fcc.gov...

A short quote from the article:

'Until now the big companies that control the bottlenecks have been unable to convert their reach into controlling power over the Internet. But now we face scenarios wherein those with bottleneck control may be able to discriminate against both users and content providers � users and content providers that they don�t have commercial relationships with, don�t share the same politics with, or just don�t want to offer access to for any reason at all.'

kogigaiden nailed it accurately, down at the bottom of page two by saying "the terrorist can not attack us through our computers". S/he is the only person I found in 7 pages to say this.

I agree with many here that the US government certainly has the power and ability to limit where we can, and certainly to monitor where we can and do go on the internet. And loss of electrical power would definitely mess up getting an internet connection, as would destruction of the telephone infrastructure. But we would lose a whole lot more than the internet at that point. The entire basis of our way of life and our economy would be devastated, to put it mildly.

My computer, especially the internet is one of my very closest friends. It is my primary link to social connection and to sanity.

This is the longest ATS thread I have read to date, and one of the very best. We've got a lot of good thinkers here. I like it a lot.

And, whoever mentioned emigration has the right idea if things were to get really ugly.

i foresee an extension of the "free speech zone" concept in the wake of a horrible terrorist attack....and i feel that's all it will take to do away with online anti-government sentiments, and to bring the internet into subjection under the PTB.

i for one think it will be fairly easy for homeland security to point an accusing finger at the web...look how we take for granted NOW that terrorists use it to exchange info and plans. the rest is easy after the next 9/11...... putting all the message boards and personal sites in one place, the commerce and information sites in another. goodbye to alternative news sites!

free speech will be an "at-your-own-risk" affair with daily reports of people being shipped off to camps serving as a stern reminder to would-be dissidents.... i wish i could lighten up about this but i can't.

oy vey.




[edit on 23-8-2004 by victor was right]

Unless you rip out and destroy every PC, cable line, phone line, cell phone tower, and communications satellite on the planet -- or, shut down electrical power to the entire planet -- there's no way to shut down the Internet completely at this point. The Internet has a fractal growth pattern; you can cut out any portion of the Internet you like, but it'll just regrow, and keep growing, in all directions.

Also, the Internet in countries like China isn't as controlled as the Chinese would like you to believe (or as controlled as they wish it was). It's just that all the Chinese tech gurus who have figured out how to get through China's firewalls and access the whole Internet are keeping their mouths shut, so they don't get put in jail or shot...

Originally posted by DragonFly5
I don't think they could ever take away the internet for the simple rule of supply and demand! Plus it would fall under the freedom of speech here in the states.

i was under the impression that the patriot act kinda cancelled out the first amendment(at least in some cases)...am i right any1?

Originally posted by Kriz_4
A little off topic but still internet related.

In the UK we have to pay for a TV lisence in order to legally watch TV, I dont know if other countries have similr things.

I can imagine in the near future that we will have to pay for lisences to use the Internet. This could be inforced by the monitoring technolgy.

i am in the uk as well kriz...and i dont own a tv..coz i got a tv card...but i still gotta own a tv license(they checked my equipment and found my tv card when i got caught)so they kinda can make u pay for internet depending on your equipment

Originally posted by Whodathunkit

My computer, especially the internet is one of my very closest friends. It is my primary link to social connection and to sanity.

This is the longest ATS thread I have read to date, and one of the very best. We've got a lot of good thinkers here. I like it a lot.

I agree! That's because of all the excellent contributions. Thanks all!

Chris McGee your thoughts and tech. knowledge is greatly appreciated. For those of us who don't know a whole lot about the technical side of it, it's good to be able to get a breakdown of particulars. You helped me to see something I didn't see before.

No matter what your political persuasion, this is one subject that I think we can all come together on. The internet is probably the most powerful tool ever created and it is valuable for many reasons. One of these days, it might not be the same internet we once knew; or may be out of some or all of our reach. We need to keep talking about this, and make people aware of the what-ifs. Being informed and discussing it means finding solutions to those what-if scenarios. In the event of the unthinkable, if it's somehow eliminated, we've got to be able to take it to the underground and keep it going.

Here's something interesting from Voxfux.

VOXFUX SITE BEING SYSTEMATICALLY REMOVED FROM GOOGLE
THE FASCISTS NOW CONTROL GOOGLE
voxfux


It was inevitable, it was bound to happen. The voxfux site had over the years steadily increased the number of hits when the name voxfux was typed into Google. Last month it had reached 8000 hits on a Google search. Then suddenly something strange started happening. Just after the public offering and purchase of Google, the numbers of hits in a Google query of the word voxfux started to decline - For the first time in 3 years. This is occuring at the same time as my logs reflect a steady increase in traffic. There is nothing to explain to explain this anomaly, beside the possibility that what I had predicted a long time has come to fruition a lot sooner than I expected. It appears that as they have taken over all other media measurement tools such as the Neilson rating system and the Gallup and other major polling systems, that the illuminati simply could no longer allow the Google juggernaut remain outside their grip of control. And so it appears that Google may no longer be a trustworthy source of information search and that it may have fallen into the hands of the fascists ahead of schedule. Google has replaced all other means of information exchange, it has replaced the dictionary and the encyclopedia and the library and books as the primary tool for the searching of Information on the planet earth.
www.voxfux.com...

And this.. from someone wanting us to believe the al-CIAda's are gonna jihad our aZZes online. What an excellent excuse to tighten controls...

'Electronic Jihad' fails to materialise
By John Leyden
Published Thursday 26th August 2004 11:06 GMT
Rumours that the Internet would witness a sustained and devastating cyber-attack by Islamic "cyber-terrorists" today have turned out to be completely baseless.
www.theregister.co.uk...

The general view of the internet is one of a great big ocean of informattion in which each of us swims freely, this is not the case. A more appropriate view (as i understand it) would be of a number of vast lakes, connected to each other by canals. The ISPs control who can boat on the lakes and the government cotrols what canals are open to them to travel on. Taking the analogy further, The ISPs control who can open a port (website) on their lake. Close the lock gates on the canals and restrict port licenses and it's bye bye freedom of speech on the net.

Communications across the atlantic are made by seven cables, it would be very very easy to disable internet access to these cables. People say that there would be a workaround, from who? Are you going to write the code to hack an ISP hub? Just don't forget, when you 'connect' to someone on the net, you're not connecting to them, you're connecting to your ISP who is connecting to their ISP who is connecting to them.

My friend's mom is a biggie at Microsoft. She's a network whiz. All last week her internet connection at home was out. There was nothing she could do about it. But wait. That tells me that we could definitely be cut off.

Again Chris McGee, great analysis.

again, I still don't believe its remotely possible to shut it down for everyone. With WiFi on the forefront of becoming the next big thing. I just don't make sense. It will be more likely for the govt. to monitor the traffic and arrest people who they deem its a hostile threat to the country.

Yes, I can see that happening. It probably already is happening. Of course, the big daddy government ain't gonna be telling us about it. Like cell phones, too, loggin on's a good way to be physically located. That's why I don't have a rig at home.

Well when I worked for a Back Bone ISP the govt. didnt have ANYTHING like that in our facilities. I ran a couple of our Points of Presence (POPs) so I would have known cause I would have had to install it or at least supervise it. I know they were definately trying to install some monitoring systems but it fell through and did test it in some of our other facilities but it never went out into full scale out to every facility. Unfortunatly its inevitable and that worries me. Since this so called "Cyber-Terror Threat" is a current concern for our govt. and getting more media attention they are going to try and use that to take away more freedoms.

Also, the internet is a very very easy way to track someone if you need. Unless you REALLY know how to do create your own packets and change vital information, they can find you. Luckily though not alot of people take the proper precautions to monitor the traffic out there. But for the eveyday user, they have no idea how easily someone can find you.

Yeah, like I said, I don't have a computer at home. Anyone remember that Sandra Bullock movie "The Net?" I decided long ago, it's one thing I can do w/out at home. As a writer I'm well aware that if someone doesn't like something I'm researching and gonna write about, they can track me down and try to take me out. So, I conduct biz elsewhere.

Think you're always gonna have this freedom on the internet? Not if cretins like Dep. Secretery of Defense Paul Wolfowitz has anything to say about it. He will have complete control over it if he gets his way.

He and his ilk have got to go. Otherwise, our country's in big trouble.

They're gonna start labeling dissidents (anyone who disagrees w/them) as terrorists. They already are, to an extent, but it's only gonna get much worse. All it takes is for you to disagree. This is pure fascism.

US hopes to establish "friendly militias" for the world's "ungoverned areas"
Wolfowitz calls for "tightening control" over the internet

In his testimony, Wolfowitz also suggested expanding the scope of the war on terror by including into the list of its possible targets radical Islamic clerics, who, in his words, provide "ideological sanctuary" to terrorism.

In addition, he called for tightening control over international communication networks, including the Internet.
www.unknownnews.net...

well i dont think its possible to shut the internet but i believe as the yrs go on the rules governing the internet in the U.S will get tighter and tighter , that much so the internet will be narrow minded in the sense the content u can look up is only for education , entertainment purpose's and consumer related issues such as buying and selling and that i feel this ideal will be passed in the uk as well, and this could in my own opinion gear speculation to as whether there realy is a new world order as i feel on a planetery scale of things everything is beeing shaped but for what purpose i have no idea, any opinions

Here are two things that stood out to me in that article:

If approved as part of a larger defense bill, the package will "provide greater internal security in areas that are or could become sanctuaries for terrorists," he said.

A site like this could be deemed a sanctuary for terrorists. Folks could be found and disappeared for sharing their unsanctioned views.

In his testimony, Wolfowitz also suggested expanding the scope of the war on terror by including into the list of its possible targets radical Islamic clerics, who, in his words, provide "ideological sanctuary" to terrorism.

Ideological sanctuary. Wolfowitz is the thought police now. Anyone who espouse views critical of US policies and leaders will be branded as terrorists. Target: Radical Islamic clerics today; Radical Internet Activists tomorrow.

My account, profile, ect was deleted yesterday at another forum by the fbi, because I voiced my opinon about the bush whitehouse, and the fbi...

Anyone with a new account (such as their account) are unable to post for 30-90 days...They got an account and began harassing a few of us without that wait...

Shocking the forum admins as well as everyone else...

All because someone else was making a joke that got reported to the fbi...Sad day they, the fbi, will not let a person post on a forum just because they do not like what you say...