Countries Team Up To Better Censor The Internet

from the best-practices-in-authoritarian-control dept

Thu, Jun 15th 2006 12:37pm — Mike Masnick

It appears that a bunch of countries not exactly known for encouraging freedom of speech are teaming up to share best practices on censoring the internet. China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan will work together -- though, it's not entirely clear to what end. They claim that it's to help fight technologies that could do "serious harm to individual, social and national security." Of course, that description is broad enough to cover both censorship... and dealing with internet security. To these countries, there might not be much of a difference.

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team

16 Comments

If you liked this post, you may also be interested in...

Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread

dorpus, 15 Jun 2006 @ 1:15pm

No kiddie porn from China
Clearly, the former Soviet republics have a lot to gain from China's example, considering how much kiddie porn and malware is written in those countries.

In the end, freedom is just a tool also -- it can be used or abused. People have the freedom to run their mouths in Russia or Islamic countries, but it just creates an atmosphere of deep cynicism in which people refuse to believe anything, including democratic ideals.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Maxillarypun, 15 Jun 2006 @ 1:41pm

This is about SCO (No, Not Santa Cruz Operations)
This is about an organization created five years ago named the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). They put out a declaration on their fifth anniversary of founding. They seem to want to create a Central Asian NATO of their own. What does this portend for World Politics? Obviously more than what the above article talks about.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
WTF FTW, 15 Jun 2006 @ 2:07pm

FAIL
WTF?? teh n00bs are tired of getnn pwnd
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Ben McNelly, 15 Jun 2006 @ 2:21pm

regimes are waking up to reality...
"China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan" (what a list, huh..)

- wow... Is all this silly O'l free speech on the internet bothering the poor mistreated regimes???

Awww, to bad.

*heres to a free world...
[ link to this | view in thread ]
anonymous coward, 15 Jun 2006 @ 2:39pm

how is that any different than what is happening right here in the good old U.S.?

the country whose stated goal is to defend and promote democracy around the world, can't even be bothered to defend and protect it at home.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 15 Jun 2006 @ 3:04pm

"how is that any different than what is happening right here in the good old U.S.? "

Well, for one thing, the governments are censoring the Internet...
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 15 Jun 2006 @ 3:25pm

Re:
In the US this is done by companies like COX and Verizon, thank you very much. For example, read their terms of service and you will notice that they do not allow you to post anything on a web server running on your computer. They do not allow you to run your own web server at all. So, you rely on third parties. And they play the same censor game. Freedom busted.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Ugh, 15 Jun 2006 @ 4:15pm

Countires
China- wants to censor your thoughts
Russia- wants to censor, but goverment too busy taking bribes from mafia
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan- How many computers are really in these countires?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Ugh, 15 Jun 2006 @ 4:16pm

Countires
China- wants to censor your thoughts
Russia- wants to censor, but goverment too busy taking bribes from mafia
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan- How many computers are really in these countires?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
TheyAin'tNoPlaceBetter, 15 Jun 2006 @ 4:22pm

Quit WHINING!!!!!!!
I am so sick of all this whining that we're loosing our freedom and capitalist conspiracies and corporte greed and censorship. Freedom busted, my ass. Look what you just said... you could have said anything, ANYTHING at all about ANY subject you choose and... gasp... there it is for anyone to see and read. Go shout it on the street corner if you want. Go lie about your president knowing you'll never be called on it. Make a movie full of total crap, call it a "documentary" and make a few million for yourself. Try that in IRAN. Try that in MEXICO, for God's sake. I'd like to see you even try that in CANADA! We're not perfect, far from it, but if there is a better place, a more FREE place on this planet I defy you to find it. If you can, then go there and let their "uncensored" ISPs post whatever the hell you want on your web server from your own computer. The place does not exist, so how about trying to make this a better world instead of just harping about how the NSA might be keeping a record of the calls your phone has dialed or received. So quit simpering and go help build a Habitat house or something useful. Jeez.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Anonymous Coward, 15 Jun 2006 @ 9:58pm

Politicians should stay away from things they know nothing about, like the internet and politics.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
CommonSense, 16 Jun 2006 @ 7:05am

In a country (or countries) that does not defend free speech as a basic human right, isn't it logical that the internet in those countries should follow suit? I don't really see this as anything abnormal, they're doing what they have for decades, just on a different medium.

Go lie about your president knowing you'll never be called on it. Make a movie full of total crap, call it a "documentary" and make a few million for yourself.

Sounds to me like you don't seem to happy with what freedom of speech has wrought. People expect all the benefits of a "free" society but then turn around and steam about how there are all these people with differing opinions. Everyone wants their own voice heard but then complain when others speak up. That's the way freedom of expression goes.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Daniel Barbalace, 16 Jun 2006 @ 10:24am

:(
> in the end, freedom is just a tool...

It's a sad, sad day when people actually believe that.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Dustin Sanchez, 16 Jun 2006 @ 11:24am

What, the United States doesn't censor the internet? What a crock.

Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan... where are these countries, exactly? They have like what, thirty computers?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
elaine, 18 Jun 2006 @ 11:04am

I think that the word here should be filtered and not exactly outright censor. If their goal for this organization is a sound one then I wish them success in their aim.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Mike, 19 Jun 2006 @ 10:00am

nice story
[ link to this | view in thread ]