Recording Industry Funds Charity To Run Its Latest Brainwashing Program

from the why-should-a-charity-be-hyping-one-industry's-business-model? dept

We've already seen the entertainment industry put together propaganda curriculums for kids about "intellectual property" that are so tilted and one-sided that the kids roll their eyes and challenge many of the statements. But that's not stopping the industry. Now it's funding a children's charity to push out the same propaganda to kids, warning the kids about how awful file sharing is, and how dangerous it is. Who knew that charities could be funded to promote the obsolete business model of a dying industry? Somehow I doubt that the charity's discussion will delve into things like "fair use," collaboration, sharing, the promotional aspects of content and artists who embrace file sharing to good results. I wonder why...

Filed Under: charity, music, propaganda, recording industry, uk

The Bureacracy That Goes Into Censoring The Internet In China

from the tuttle-tuttle-buttle-tuttle dept

It's no secret that the process for censoring the internet in China involves a huge bureaucracy of people. Earlier reports had it at 30,000, though we've seen some reports that put it at 40,000 (yes, internet censorship is apparently a growth business in China). So, perhaps it should come as no surprise that there's quite a bit of bureaucracy behind Chinese internet censorship. Apparently a disgruntled censor leaked out the details behind the bureaucracy. Apparently, there are three agencies responsible for different aspects of online censorship: the Internet Propaganda Administrative Bureau, the Bureau of Information and Public Opinion, and the Internet Bureau. There's also the Beijing Internet Information Administrative Bureau to handle all the internet firms located in Beijing. It's all very organized. The Propaganda Agency is in charge of licensing news agencies -- but the licenses aren't to report news or do any, you know, reporting. The licenses are to report propaganda provided by the government. The Public Opinion group basically watches over what public opinion is saying and lets Party leaders know about it, so that a response can quickly be generated. The Internet Bureau, then, is where the real censorship takes place. As for the Beijing Internet organization, it meets with the big internet firms and tells them what news stories will be allowed or not allowed that week. There are a few other organizations involved as well, but the whole thing looks quite organized in trying to snuff out anything it doesn't like online. Of course, that doesn't mean it's particularly effective, but that's an entirely different story.

Filed Under: bureaucracy, censorship, china, great firewall, propaganda