I've been saying for months that the power brokers who run our society are going to try to take control of the internet. Some of you here at DP have laughed. But the time for games is over. The government is preparing a plan called COPE in order to give a select few corporations private control over the internet. You can view it here:http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/US_Congress_drafting_bill_that_may_affect_Internet_freedoms To fight back against these pieces of trash, it is important to understand their plans. AT&T, Bell South, Verizon are all in on this. You can fight back by boycotting this companies. For example, right now I'm with AT&T, but my annual contract is about to expire, and I can cancel and switch to another company. What I'm basically trying to say is, switch to an ISP which is not involved with COPE. If enough people can cancel their service, their profits will be severely effected. They gain their power because WE give them money. If we DON'T give them money, they have no power. The future of everyone in this forum depends on how the government operates. They are going to try to price you out of using the internet. We can't let this people win. We can't accept this. If enough people boycott their service, we can hurt them big time.
It is not possible. If anything happened involving those ISPs, people would switch ISPs. Those companies know it would be suicide.
I hope you're right. I thought the same thing. The problem is, if the government gives a few select companies total control, smaller ISPs may have to pay more to AT&T, Bell South, and Verizon in order to operate, and this will mean higher prices for their customers as well. When I talked to a rep over at Earthlink, he said something about how AT&T has access to the lines. The good news is, Google and surprisingly Microsoft, appear to be against this. I tell you what, I will switch if AT&T tries something. The only reason why I won't switch right now is because it will take two weeks for Earthlink to setup my DSL, and that will cut into my monthly income.
I hope you're right. I thought the same thing. The problem is, if the government gives a few select companies total control, smaller ISPs may have to pay more to AT&T, Bell South, and Verizon in order to operate, and this will mean higher prices for their customers as well. When I talked to a rep over at Earthlink, he said something about how AT&T has access to the lines. The good news is, Google and surprisingly Microsoft, appear to be against this. I tell you what, I will switch if AT&T tries something. The only reason why I won't switch right now is because it will take two weeks for Earthlink to setup my DSL, and that will cut into my monthly income.
What you've got to ask yourself is: 1. How many people want to moderate the internet? Not many, the only good it serves is getting rid of child pornography, but which company wants the responsibility of making sure everything is 100% clean? Can someone really moderate the entire internet (we're talking billions of pages) in real time? It would cost a lot of money if it is possible. 2. How many people feel strongly against the moderation of the internet? Nearly everyone feels strongly about the freedom that the internet offers. Infact, I would care more if I'm being watched/telephone bugged than my internet being moderated. I don't see who the 'winner' would be, and how that winner is able to convince everyone else how it'll be beneficial.
Most don't want the internet to be moderated, but most people also don't want the concentration of the world's wealth to be in the hands of 5% of the population, but that is the way it is. The problem is, a lot of people are ignorant. They don't mind being controlled by large corporations. Let me give you an example. The gas prices keep going up, and many Americans complain about it. But instead of just complaining about it, you know what I've done? I've sold my car and started riding a bike and taking the bus. If enough Americans did that, the oil companies would be forced to lower their prices. But the reality is, most Americans will continue to tolerate high gas prices, and as long as they due, the price will continue to go up. The same is true for the internet. Most sheep will listen to the excuses for why the prices will suddenly rise, and will continue paying the bill. People like you and I will switch, but according to the 80/20 principle, 80% of the population will probably put up with it. Child pornography has nothing to do with this, but they will probably use it as an excuse to regulate the internet. AOL has commercials demonizing the internet, even though they make billions off of it. I'm just trying to warn everyone here at DP that their business may be in danger. It doesn't matter if you are making 5 grand per month, because if they privatize the net, corporations will put you out of business. I actually think we will win. The internet is the haven of hackers, computer geeks, nerds, and other enlightened people who understand the machinations of large governments and corporations. They will fight back, and I will join them. I hope everyone here at DP does to.
Does it count to have bush listed for keywords like asshole and failure. Such things are so fucking lame. My thought is that the problem is more often that many people create issues out the air.
I almost hate to mention this. Before I say this, please realize that I am just giving food for thought and not making any assertions. Recently, I had to write a report based on the government (United States) research and findings in regards to China and their control over Internet connectivity. It had some interesting items in it. Bottom line: Certain actors in the United States have taken an interest into China's actions, more specifically, how it is being done, public reaction and issues involved in doing it. Read into what you will. Our government looks into a lot of "things", but does not always act. Certain agencies like to research.
Do you actually think rich billionaires will sit back and watch their profits fall as more people begin using the internet to make money? I disconnected my cable, and now I download all my movies, tv shows, and music via P2P networks for free. What happens when 20% of the population does this? Forums like Digital Point allow people like you and me to communicate. The masses are no longer "disconnected" and "disorganized" like they used to be. We are united to some extent, working together torwards a common goal. The alternative new media online is rivaling many established newspaper companies, and many traditional news agencies are going out of business. I no longer watch CNN to get my news. I go online to get real information which isn't filtered. I'm going to make this post short, because it can get very long, but let me as k you this market junction. How much does it cost to start your own tv show? I don't know about you, but I can't afford it, and I doubt many people here at DP can. That is my point. The Internet allows you to build a website for pennies on the dollar in order to make money and spread ideas. The power brokers who run our society can't stand it, and you can BET your bottom dollar they're going to do something about it. In addition to COPE, Internet 2 is on the horizon, and it will be like My Space, filtering out "undesirable" things such as P2P networks and sites which criticize the government. I'm not saying they will get they're way, but if we don't fight back, they will. The internet if the only boom we have left. If it wasn't for the internet, me and a lot of other people in this forum would be working at dead end jobs struggling to get through an expensive college, and though I can't speak for everyone, I'm fairly certain of this.