For the past several years, the government in the UK has been making radical moves to censor the internet within its borders. In fact, many censorship mechanisms are actually already in place and have been for some time.
The censorship push began with restrictions against pornography in 2012, which was sold to the masses as a way to protect the children.
However, as expected, a lot more than porn has been filtered out by this new censorship tool, large portions of the internet were randomly blocked because the algorithm used in the filter is highly inaccurate.
Initially contained within the fine print of the original censorship laws were references to “extremist material”, but this was largely ignored by the mainstream media at the time because no one ever thought that the censorship would threaten the freedom of political speech.
Unfortunately, quickly after implementing the porn filters, the government in the UK did go forward with their goal of blocking what they deem to be “extremist content” from the internet.
Prime Minister David Cameron recently said in a statement that:
“A new and pressing challenge is getting extremist material taken down from the internet. There is a role for government in that. We must not allow the internet to be an ungoverned space. But there is a role for companies too. In the UK, we are pushing them to do more, including strengthening filters, improving reporting mechanisms and being more proactive in taking down this harmful material. We are making progress, but there is further to go. This is their social responsibility, and we expect them to live up to it.”
The major internet service providers in the country have all agreed to go along with the new censorship regulations, and government sources even reported that Facebook and Google will also be participating in the effort to block content that the government finds undesirable, in both the UK and Australia.
A Virgin Media spokesperson confirmed the censorship measures with Tech Crunch, saying that “We’re exploring options that will enable more extremist content to be filtered and reported online. We’ll continue talks with Government as we work through the technical details.”
BT, another major internet service provider also made a statement on the matter, confirming that they will be censoring content for the government.
“We have had productive dialogue with Government about addressing the issue of extremist content online and we are working through the technical details,” a BT representative said in a statement.
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John Vibes is an author, researcher and investigative journalist who takes a special interest in the counter culture and the drug war. In addition to his writing and activist work he is also the owner of a successful music promotion company. In 2013, he became one of the organizers of the Free Your Mind Conference, which features top caliber speakers and whistle-blowers from all over the world. You can contact him and stay connected to his work at his Facebook page. You can find his 65 chapter Book entitled “Alchemy of the Timeless Renaissance” at bookpatch.com.