Shouldn’t The Internet Be Equal ?
Something comes along that has the potential to make us all equal, a communication medium that a large percentage of the world can view. Although obviously many areas are limited, it’s surprising how far the internet has pervaded into the most remote of places. But nevertheless the chance to communicate as equals all across the globe.
But it’s being spoilt, governments, agencies, political parties and online companies are already restricting what we can or cannot see. IN Turkey for instance you normally can’t see Youtube as there have been some nasty videos put up. In Thailand, many web sites have been banned for saying negative things about the Royal family there. Australia are embarking on a hugely misguided internet censorship campaign which will actually ban the purchase of loads of computer games for 18 years olds.
Want to chat over facebook with someone in Iran, I’m afraid not – banned there you see. Countries are slowly building up huge lists of places you can’t visit on the web. The problem is when you start blocking websites you have to keep going as you’re implying the stuff you didn’t ban is ok. It’s a race they’ll never win and in the meantime more and more of the internet will be less accessible across the globe.
But there’s more, I travel around a lot and actually miss my home TV from the UK. But it doesn’t matter to the BBC that I’m a license payer, when I’m connecting to Iplayer from a hotel in Berlin I’m going to get blocked. But fear not, as always the technology never quite keeps up with the crackpot ideas, so there are routes around these problems. Yes I can use technology to watch UK TV abroad, I shouldn’t need to but at least I can. But think of the poor sods in North Korea who have extremely limited internet access and the sites that are allowed are approved by the North Korean Government – which is basically means sites they created !
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