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FarCenter

(19,429 posts)
Sun Jun 23, 2013, 10:47 PM Jun 2013

Web Inventor Berners-Lee Warns The Powers That Be Are 'Trying To Take Control' Of The Internet

The inventor of the World Wide Web said the internet is facing a “major” threat from “people who want to control it on the sly” through “worrying laws” such as SOPA, the US anti-piracy act, and through the actions of internet giants.

“If you can control [the internet], if you can start tweaking what people say, or intercepting communications, it's very, very powerful...it's the sort of power that if you give it to a corrupt government, you give them the ability to stay in power forever.”

Sir Tim was speaking as it emerged that the US government has been collecting huge amounts of personal information from Google, Facebook, Apple and other internet companies.

There have also been reports that British spies have been gathering intelligence from the internet giants "through a covertly run operation set up by America's top spy agency"

“Unwarranted government surveillance is an intrusion on basic human rights that threatens the very foundations of a democratic society,” Sir Tim said. “I call on all web users to demand better legal protection and due process safeguards for the privacy of their online communications, including their right to be informed when someone requests or stores their data.


http://www.businessinsider.com/berners-lee-forces-are-trying-to-take-control-of-the-internet-2013-6
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RobertEarl

(13,685 posts)
1. That's a heavy weight on our side
Sun Jun 23, 2013, 10:53 PM
Jun 2013

Hopefully now the excuses will end, and the free press, shown to be fools by Snowden, will pick up where they left off and get back to telling the damn truth.

abelenkpe

(9,933 posts)
12. Won't happen until media corporations are broken
Mon Jun 24, 2013, 01:39 AM
Jun 2013

Up. They are effectively monopolies. We have anti trust laws...

dixiegrrrrl

(60,010 posts)
2. He is totally correct.
Sun Jun 23, 2013, 10:55 PM
Jun 2013

I recommend a site like Torrent Freak which keeps up with all the actions of SOPA, the US anti-piracy act, etc.
We now have the White House creating a special dept for the convenience of private businesses to enforce copyrights, but it turns out the copyrights are not the problem, it is the companies that have been created to go after copyright violaters who are trying to shake down everyone it accuses.
Once you get the ISPs willing to censor websites at the behest of private business, under the unfounded and unproven guise of copyright violations, there is no turning back.

 

adigal

(7,581 posts)
8. I'm dealing with that right now
Mon Jun 24, 2013, 01:17 AM
Jun 2013

Over an image from an image site. I'm ignoring them, as they don't even have an office and the return address was stamped on the envelope and it smeared.

 

rhett o rick

(55,981 posts)
3. We are powerless to stop them. They have their hands around our throats and starting to
Sun Jun 23, 2013, 10:57 PM
Jun 2013

squeeze.

What they dont realize is that they cant hold the people down. While Pres Obama in secret is trying to pass a new trade agreement that would unite corporate power world wide, people are revolting around the globe.

Greed will be the downfall of the greedy 1%.

tex-wyo-dem

(3,190 posts)
7. Of course they are...the Internet is the last true bastion of free speech...
Mon Jun 24, 2013, 12:49 AM
Jun 2013

And the corporate elite hate it. Via the Web their stupid propaganda machine gets holes shot through it. Their vision is to have the corporate owned "News" media as our only source of information...the "official line " spoonfed to us like some old dictator controlled society, just with a shiny hip veneer.

As so aptly coined by good DUer Octafish: McPravda

Response to FarCenter (Original post)

Octafish

(55,745 posts)
16. Well, it is the last tool available to Democracy.
Mon Jun 24, 2013, 08:10 AM
Jun 2013

The Owners can't have the serfs exchanging ideas and information, now, can we?

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