China: Great Firewall Isn't Censorship, It's Safeguarding The Public
from the it's-never-censorship-when-you're-doing-it dept
As we've discussed in reference to PROTECT IP, those who are in favor of censorship always have some sort of convoluted rationale for why it's not really censorship. They'll always argue that it's something different. In the case of PROTECT IP, obviously, they claim it's to stop infringement -- ignoring that it's still censorship. So it's little surprise to see the Chinese sounding just like PROTECT IP supporters in defending the Great Firewall of China by claiming that it's not about censorship at all. A government spokeswoman defending China from a US diplomat's complaint about the Great Firewall insists that it supports freedom of speech... but it has to filter and block websites online to "safeguard the public." And it claims it does so "in line with internationally accepted practices." Indeed, and PROTECT IP is just about "safeguarding some companies." There's always an excuse, but it never changes the simple fact that censorship is censorship.
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Filed Under: censorship, china, free speech, great firewall, protecting the public
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Ah,
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China is next to Russia as one of the countries with the worst content piracy industries known to man.
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He just hates it when piracy is addressed by law enforcement.
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In China, it's against the law to criticize the government, so they should also have the ability to restrict any internet sites that allow this.
Argument validated. Oh wait, you were agreeing with China, correct?
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Then they call the public "mob" when they gather to protest, or get surprised and indignant when things turn violent, go figure.
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Is Censorship such a bad thing ?
Why do some people think that is bad?
You wash your hands when they get dirty, why shouldn't you wash your brain of the filth of capitalist thought? Whoops!
I meant wash your brain of the pollution of piracy.
Wait... What is it am I supposed to be opposed to now?
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Re: Is Censorship such a bad thing ?
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Re: Is Censorship such a bad thing ?
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He isn't fooling anyone and neither are you bozos.
Seriously, just give it up already. It's sad to watch.
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Safety and freedom have to be balanced. Right now the trend is to sacrifice more and more freedom to gain a small and smaller amount of safety.
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Comparing a law to the Chinese is pretty much the most high end rhetoric possible. It suggests that supporters of PROTECT IP are communists, nasty people who will never allow anyone to say anything except nice words.
Mike, all you are missing is some Hitler and maybe some Fidel Castro references in there to complete your attack.
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I just ripped it, using only a video player, no fancy apps for the job I'm afraid.
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Thanks.
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What else a censorship tool could possibly be used for?
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Re: Ah,
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This site is a joke, and everyone knows it.
But for a little reality and facts, something you will never get here, try these:
http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/stories/101311cc
http://flavorwire.com/221471/is-groove shark-purposely-screwing-over-musicians
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Watch the movie Mardi Gras: Made in China. The human exploitation going on in that country is absolutely despicable and the fact that the US is essential complicit with it sickens me.
I would be more than happy to give up all things made in China if it would mean basic human rights for the Chinese population. It's time the US takes a stand.
Oh wait we can't, they OWN OUR GOVERNMENT. Get the trillions of Chinese money out of our US Treasury bonds and fix this ridiculous situation. It makes me absolutely sick to my stomach.
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I don't think Mike or similarly-thinking individuals will be laughing, because...
the unintended (though probably intended) consequences will have a detrimental effect well beyond the scope of piracy.
There won't be anything funny about PROTECT IP, any more than there is about the DMCA.
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Lying About It
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Can I interest you in some tunes for free?
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Dude, that's why you and you ilk come here on a regular basis touting industry postitions? Quite convincing.
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Lol. So Mike makes a comparison, it's not acceptable and rhetoric?
But tying file sharing to drug dealing, organized crime, terrorism, child pornography, etc. is perfectly okay?
"I have noticed that there is a direct ramping up of rhetoric on Techdirt whenever Mike feels that one of his major themes is going to take a beating."
And when people, anyone in general, question things like Protect IP, or things done by the entertainment industry that are questionable (at best), and they quickly spin out some kind of story or article or bit for the tv news and whatnot, that's not a direct ramping up of rhetoric?
I see. Nice double standard you and some who agree with you seem to have there. In my book, the word "hypocrisy" springs quickly to mind to cover such things.
"It's okay when we do it. But how dare Mike Masnick and Techdirt, and anyone in general that doesn't agree with us, do the same thing! That is underhanded and wrong! Wre wre wre!" Lol. That's what you and the industries come off sounding like. And you want people to believe what you say and feel sorry for you. Things like that make people who might lean to your side think twice. Hypocrisy doesn't win you friends, just make people realize who you really are and want to distance themselves from you.
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That's really all that needs to be said about this blog.
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And actually, Masnick has said he doesn't support piracy, condone it, etc. I'm not going to bother to link to the exact quote, because you'll ignore it. As you've done repeatedly. In fact, we had one article relatively recently, where people went out of there way to link to articles/quotes where Mike specifically stated his views on piracy. In line with "I don't support it" and "this website is not pro-piracy". There were more than a few links (and by that I mean there were AT LEAST 15 or so posted by people).
All that really needs to be said about this blog is that there are idiots like yourself with a major agenda coming here, stating things, and then not presenting proof to back up your claims. The one who SHOULD be ashamed of their behavior is you. Of course, you'd have to have morals to be ashamed, and obviously you don't. Quit with the Mike bashing already, that or tell him you're actually in love with him and thus you do what you do (which is what a 5 year old in love does) and then get rejected and move on.
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Excellent. You've said it, so now you don't need to make any further comments, ever.
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10 out of 10 convicted felons will tell you they're innocent.
The reality that exists right in front of you: what a bitch.
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And how many of those 10 ACTUALLY are innocent?
Or are you just going with a broad sweeping statement to justify your opinion as fact? Because it seems that there's more proof that Mike doesn't support piracy, as evidenced by all the quotes and links in a previous article. Evidence which you've yet to refute beyond your own stated opinions, which you're trying to present as fact.
Show some evidence to support your, at the moment, completely false, claims. Link to quotes. Etc.
Until then, the reality is, Mike DOES NOT support piracy. And that is a reality you're ignoring, while coming off as a little b*tch who refuses to see past his own bias.
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Really? Is that why Mike himself absolutely and irrefutably stated he DOES NOT support pirates/piracy? Because he did say exactly that in the Ninjavideo article if memory serves me correctly. Which means, that you're spreading misinformation and lies. Trying to, again, pass off your opinions as fact, contrary to evidence which says otherwise.
What this means is that everything you say is false and should be ignored.
"That's really all that needs to be said about this blog."
Okay, so now that that's been said (as false as it is), will you shut up and quit commenting on this site? Obviously that's all that needs to be said and it's been said. Thus, there's no need for you to say a single thing ever again.
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My wall of text is going to eat you alive!
I was thinking the exact same thing after reading one of those perpetually dumb comments the copyright supporting AC's often make, like the idiotic Anti-Mike post further up from this one.
Has there ever been a law strongly lobbied for by the copyright industry that didn't result in unintended consequences? More often than not, they end up burning themselves with the silly, usually too broad and poorly thought out, laws they manage to foist on everyone else. The flaming double-edged sword they flail around like mad men tends to cut them far more often and deeply than their chosen target, yet they never seem to learn from these mistakes. This amuses me to no end, because it means they're doing more to harm themselves than we ever could.
I can only assume their pettiness, greed, and hate is blinding them, as is often the case with human nature. People always fall victim to tunnel vision when something they greatly desire lies within their sights. They're so focused on goals they falsely believe will solve everything that they fail to observe the path which must be traveled to get there. This is a path that is always full of pitfalls, the most dangerous being the people they'll inevitably step on to get there. Most of these are not even the people they perceive as enemies. Nor do they ever seem to notice the rampant and wide spread negative effects they produce on all the other people doing business out there, many of whom would likely not have chosen to support such detrimental laws if they'd had their say. Hell, even artists roll their eyes at the middle men claiming to be their protectors.
What does always surprise me is how much clout the entertainment industry has with the government, especially considering that in the grand scheme of things they are just a small and fairly insignificant industry compared to the rest. They may rake in a lot of cash (despite their claims to the contrary), but the actual contribution to the economic health of the country overall is pretty negligible by comparison, hence why it surprises me how they are able to dictate policy the way they do. Hopefully it will end once they've burned enough bridges due to their repeated interference. A much bigger industry with far more importance and clout will eventually stand up to them. All it will take is the entertainment industry profiting at the continual expense of the other business sectors. It's kind of hard to justify excuses, like retaining jobs and profits for example, when you're negatively impacting other businesses to the point that their net loss exceeds your net gains. At least I hope sanity will prevail when for every entertainment related job and dollar saved, two or more are lost elsewhere. Lets not kid ourselves though. It's not really about jobs, it's about money, control, and most importantly the power that these two things lead to. Democracy will end if left unchecked.
As the saying goes, you can fool some of the people some of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time. Another good one is that change is the only constant in this universe, change which is definitely on the horizon. Dissent over the undue influence corporate entities have over the government is growing stronger each day, and some day soon their free ride is going to come to a sudden, screeching halt. I hope you all have your seat belts on! You've been warned and have chosen not to listen, so now your going to be reminded why it is the people who have all the power, and not you or your corporate lackeys. Thanks in large part to the various lending institutions, the world is waking up and wising up. Your lack of humanity, compassion, and understanding, as well as your greed, pettiness, and foolishness, have sealed your fate.
/rant
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Delicious irony,
Henri
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