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Google's Sergey Brin's Warning regarding Internet Freedom

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posted on Apr, 16 2012 @ 11:54 PM
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The most ominous signs of an impending New World Order are often the most obvious. Although this story has been told, in one form or another, over the years by the founders of Google, most notably Sergey Brin, it was emphasized once more in an interview with The Guardian.

In the interview, Sergey Brin told the Guardian:

The principles of openness and universal access that underpinned the creation of the internet three decades ago are under greater threat than ever SOURCE: The Guardian 04/15/2012


I would be the first to admit that Sergey does represent Google, an international corporate entity of immense power and influence. Furthermore, I would agree that there are certain monopolistic aspects about Google that might make one squirm a bit (actually more than just a little). Nevertheless, on many issues, I have found Google to have acted quite appropriately on many occasions in defence of a free internet (no matter how self-serving).

Google's activities in China have received some praise but, for the most part, opinion has mostly been critical. In response, Brin told The Guardian


Speaking to The Guardian, the billionaire said he didn’t believe five years ago that a country like China could effectively restrict internet freedoms for long, but added that he has now been proven wrong.

“I am more worried than I have been in the past. It's scary," he reportedly said.
"I thought there was no way to put the genie back in the bottle, but now it seems in certain areas the genie has been put back in the bottle. SOURCE

The implication of Brin's words are clear. If China is capable of “capping the bottle” -- supposedly an impossibility – then , well, anything is indeed possible. First in China ....... next ?

As if to validate Brin’s words, Hu Jintao’s government has continued with a vengeance its unprecedented online crack down designed to quell any potential social disorder, or even worse, political protest, ahead of the Party’s leadership handover next year.
State Internet Information Office figures released at the tail end of last week revealed that some 210,000 posts have now been removed from the country’s popular weibos, or microblogs such as Sina Weibo, and 42 sites shut down as part of efforts to stamp out online “rumours” which spread last month of a failed coup. SOURCE


The frightening thing is...... we can see Brin's sentiments being expressed in the news every day. We all have heard about the SOPA and PIPA bills. It's not like this is some unlikely, remote, “pie-in-the-sky” conspiracy theory. It's happening now. Our internet IS being threatened. Oh sure...... we'll have internet.....we'll be still be able to surf : to the sites they allow us to surf to. We'll still be able to research ... what they allow us to research. If they allow you to download the music you like --- great! Good for you! You enjoy reading and studying about secret government projects and UFO's ....... oh oh! You may just be out of luck.

He said the Sopa and Pipa bills championed by the film and music industries would have led to the US using the same technology and approach it criticised China and Iran for using The Guardian.

The point is, we will always probably have an internet..... but we won't always have access to the sites we want to visit. First off, we all don't necessarily want to be tracked on the internet. That's certainly an issue – a valid one. But being able to go to a site – a site where the free expression of thought can be maintained – might easily become a moot one. Legislation can easily become enacted to close such site. This is happening in China. This is happening in Iran, This can soon happen here.

”Don't Be Evil” has often been touted as the unofficial motto of Google. While most people would readily scoff at such a statement, there is probably a little spot in all of our hearts that would sincerely like to believe it. I know that I would. But at times it simply “difficult” to believe anyone with enough money to buy a small country. But is it some sort of bigoted , anti-rich sentiment? A sort of discrimination in reverse? I don't know. I come at it with mixed emotions....but, again...... I'd like to believe

Brin acknowledged that some people were anxious about the amount of their data that was now in the reach of US authorities because it sits on Google's servers. He said the company was periodically forced to hand over data and sometimes prevented by legal restrictions from even notifying users that it had done so.
He said: "We push back a lot; we are able to turn down a lot of these requests. We do everything possible to protect the data. If we could wave a magic wand and not be subject to US law, that would be great. If we could be in some magical jurisdiction that everyone in the world trusted, that would be great … We're doing it as well as can be done." The Guardian.


Like I said, I'd like to believe.

 

The Guardian is featuring a series over the next seven days regarding the Internet. Considering the involvement of Sergey Brin, the promises to serve some valuable insights into the state of the world wibe web, it's freedom as well as a number of other important topics:

-militarization of cyberspace
-the new walled gardens: “closed” aspects of the internet as controlled by Facebook, Apple and = Amazon
- IP Wars
- Civilizing the Web
- open resistance
- the end of privacy.

I know that this is a series that I will be following closely. Again, the link: The Guardian's “Battle for the Internet”
edit on 4/16/2012 by benevolent tyrant because: (no reason given)

edit on 4/16/2012 by benevolent tyrant because: to correct BB code

edit on 4/16/2012 by benevolent tyrant because: (no reason given)



posted on Apr, 17 2012 @ 12:29 AM
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Absolutely. Excellent post. We need to fight for this, if we loose internet freedom full on tyranny will be unavoidable.

I think Sergey Brin is a good guy when it comes to large company executives. He openly commented about how he depised growing up in a communist country., I think he is being sincere and wants to use his power to bring information to the general population.

On another note. Here is some important legislation peeps should pay attention to. Another law to take away freedom in the states.


H.R. 3523, a piece of legislation dubbed the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (or CISPA for short), has been created under the guise of being a necessary implement in America’s war against cyberattacks. But the vague verbiage contained within the pages of the paper could allow Congress to circumvent existing exemptions to online privacy laws and essentially monitor, censor and stop any online communication that it considers disruptive to the government or private parties. Critics have already come after CISPA for the capabilities that it will give to seemingly any federal entity that claims it is threatened by online interactions, but unlike the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Acts that were discarded on the Capitol Building floor after incredibly successful online campaigns to crush them, widespread recognition of what the latest would-be law will do has yet to surface to the same degree.


rt.com...
edit on 17-4-2012 by jim3981 because: (no reason given)



posted on Apr, 17 2012 @ 07:20 AM
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reply to post by benevolent tyrant
 


Says the man who sold us out to the Government?
The founders of Google have only ever worked WITH governments all over the World to restrict access and provide information.



posted on Apr, 17 2012 @ 07:50 AM
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reply to post by Rockpuck
 
Google is most definitely an international corporation – based in the United States jurisdictional region. While it would be nice to believe that Google, like the internet, would be free from governmental interference, it most definitely is not. As an international company , Google, like other companies, is subject to the laws, rules and regulations of the host nations. That is, Google has “to play ball” with the governments where it does business. As unsavoury as it might sound, Google – and other companies with interests on the internet – can be compelled through legal means to surrender information.


 Brin stated that they do their best to protect everyone’s data, but sometimes they are forced to hand over data and are legally restricted from informing the users that their data had been acquired by the government.
“We push back a lot; we are able to turn down a lot of these requests. We do everything possible to protect the data. If we could wave a magic wand and not be subject to US law, that would be great. If we could be in some magical jurisdiction that everyone in the world trusted, that would be great … We’re doing it as well as can be done,” Brin stated. SOURCE


While Google has certainly given over private information to the governments of a number of countries, the record shows that Google has vehemently fought in the courts (where possible) such events.



edit on 4/17/2012 by benevolent tyrant because: (no reason given)



posted on Apr, 17 2012 @ 07:51 AM
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double post. sigh.
edit on 4/17/2012 by benevolent tyrant because: (no reason given)




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