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custom90

Member Since: 21 Jan 2010
Location: South West, England.
Posts: 20613

Sign up to keep the internet un-regulated by government

This is currently on the Google homepage:
https://www.google.com/takeaction/?utm_sou...andopen_en

Apparently they have started a petition because they have got wind that some of the world's governments are considering limiting and legislating internet access / use. In other words trying to limit it's use site access and so on. Not sure what they mean by keep it 'free' freedom I suppose of use and access. You can bet your bottom dollar that there is a motive for it probably a financial one.

Next thing there will be an internet tax.

What you can do to help:
https://www.google.com/intl/en/takeaction/what-you-can-do/ Chillin In The Backwoods🇬🇧🇺🇸
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3rd Dec 2012 10:42am

davew

Member Since: 02 Jan 2012
Location: North Yorkshire
Posts: 888

1990 Defender 90 V8 Petrol PU Auto Rioja Red

The cynic in me suggests this is more a reaction by Google to try and curb the tide of governments around the world that finally figured out Google are making huge profits and not paying tax to anyone in the countries they are making the profit from.

Google are the biggest advertising agency in he world and are running scared of any legislation that might stop them acquiring and analysing data on their "customers" so that they can sell that data on to advertisers. Regulation of the internet might threaten their business model so what better way to safeguard their profits and their virtual monopoly than to spread FUD about any and all legislation that might have an adverse effect on their growth and profit margins.

The internet itself is pretty safe from legislation because it can be diverted around any "blockages" to it's freedom. Governments can regulate the companies that operate and publish on the internet but they are just companies, not the internet. Companies that make huge amounts of money in an unregulated industry can be targeted and can't move as quickly so see themselves as vulnerable. What better way to counter this than drawing it's "customers" around them as a human shield. http://www.yorkshireoffroadclub.net/

3rd Dec 2012 12:05pm

custom90

Member Since: 21 Jan 2010
Location: South West, England.
Posts: 20613

True, maybe in certain aspects. However when you say these things can be "worked around" over the internet I can't see how that would be the case if ISP's were regulated and told to do such and such and seeing as your internet access is granted by ISP's they do have some control. Either way this type of thing has been brought up before on the news (not by Google) and I just don't see the point. Surely the whole influence behind it for the government is to be of some financial gain to them. Okay, so companies like Google Youtube ect do make good profits but that means the government wants to jump on the same bandwagon! So in other words they'll likely tax or charge the large companies. Perhaps a good idea in some respects but equally these large companies aren't going to accept that as a dent in their profits I can't see it that way anyway. Next thing is this will be passed onto users and in-creases the likely-hood of charging subscription fee's for using services like Youtube ect which many of us use on a regular basis. (But probably wouldn't if charged)

The only part I do agree with regulation on though is access and use by minors / under 18's especially the use of Facebook and what not. IMHO it shouldn't be used by under 18's but perhaps that's a whole new can of worms best not opened. Chillin In The Backwoods🇬🇧🇺🇸
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3rd Dec 2012 12:29pm

davew

Member Since: 02 Jan 2012
Location: North Yorkshire
Posts: 888

There are ways and means of getting around "blockages" even if the ISPs are forced to put blocks in place. VPNs, for example, are widely used these days for both personal and business security reasons. The contents of a VPN session are unreadable by any ISP it happens to pass through, at least as secure as any none-military system can be. VPNs are regularly used to bypass current communications regulations, for example those requiring ISPs to archive all email correspondence passing through their servers internal business email servers are largely immune from such regulation so internal mail can be accessed/sent via VPN.

This is what Google are campaigning against...
http://www.itu.int/en/pages/default.aspx

On the whole the internet does need regulation and what little regulation has come up so far has been ineffectual. Google is still mining data on nearly every web site you visit and every purchase you make (including this forum). It's still using that information to target you with ads and sell your demographic information to it's advertisers despite the ineffectual and unenforceable "EU Cookie Law". Google is still flouting and ignoring data protection law - regulations that were put in place to protect consumers reveal and make transparent the kind of data mining activities that were being undertaken and the data those companies are storing about us.

Obviously Google is worried about an international agreement being drawn up that effects their revenue but IMV this really is a typical USA centrist reaction. The view being, presumably, that the USA should be the only government to determine the rules and regulations surrounding the internet.

Given the results of an effectively "free and open" banking system and, more recently a "free and open" press I'm not sure I want to hand Google a "free and open" mandate to do whatever suits Google. http://www.yorkshireoffroadclub.net/

3rd Dec 2012 3:04pm

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