The riots in France in recent years were some of the first "facebook/texting" driven mayhem. At that point the governments failed to understand the role of communications by missing it completely, they further fail to understand when the reaction is to shutdown all communication out of fear. I think the key lesson for government is that it does not work as a strategy. Egypt, Libya and Syria have happened in spite of the unplugs. The urban riot is as old as the city itself and has happened a thousand times without the Internet. But as a matter of ICANN policy, have protests been launched against China, Pakistan, etc. for long-term selective blocking? Why start with the UK? -------------------------------------------------- From: "Evan Leibovitch" <evan@telly.org> Sent: Monday, August 15, 2011 3:49 PM To: "NARALO Discussion List" <na-discuss@atlarge-lists.icann.org> Subject: [NA-Discuss] Fw: Ban Use of Social Media - British PM
Hello fellow NARALOites.
It was not that long ago that some in NARALO led the charge to push for ICANN to very publicly decry the activities of the Egyptian government, in halting use of the Internet because of its ability to allow protesters to collaborate.
I'll be the first to recognize the recent riots in Britain as being the works of cowards and punks rather than legitimate protest. However. the resulting scapegoating of social media -- and the calls to allow for its ban based on government whim -- are no longer seen as merely in the realm of despots and dictators.
Should this trend in democratic countries not be at least as alarming as the events in Egypt? Do you trust governments to always recognize and respect the differences between legitimate protest and mindlessly-destructive anarchism? (As a resident of Toronto, I saw these boundaries routinely obliterated on my streets during last year's G7 conference...)
If the UK can ask for it publicly, can we be sure that others have not contemplated it privately?
Most importantly here -- does ICANN have a role -- in the name of preserving Internet access and stability -- on this topic?
Just askin'...
- Evan
---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Carlton Samuels <carlton.samuels@gmail.com> Date: 15 August 2011 14:55 Subject: [At-Large] Fw: Ban Use of Social Media - British PM To: lac-discuss-en@atlarge-lists.icann.org, At-Large Worldwide < at-large@atlarge-lists.icann.org>
...Noooo, this is NOT about China. Nor, for that matter, Iran or North Korea.
Nope, wrong again......it's NOT a pronouncement from Hugo Chavez...or Fidel...or, put your favourite bogeyman here.
What a climb down since Egypt..and Tunisia.......
..depart from me, you hypocrites....
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/cutline/british-pm-david-cameron-considers-ban-t...
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