Internet censorship is rampant. They're plugging all the holes!
Internet censorship is becoming a norm because of the decentralization of information. Individual empowerment is necessary
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The truth always reigns supreme but there are many forces that stand against it. In the end, it seeps out and brings forth warriors who uphold its grandeur. However, it is important to be cognizant of the authenticity of something before it is colloquial enough to be considered a staunch belief. The past plays a crucial role here as it is the only criterion we have to assess where we are headed. A means to debug modern society. But how much of it is the truth, how much of it is not influenced by big tech companies or large institutions in their pursuit of self-interest and self-propagated incentives? This can only be cleared when access to information is decentralized and available to all without proclivity to a particular class.
If many people know something to be true, it automatically becomes a standing belief in that particular society. It might not match the values of a person from any other area. This points towards tolerance of values, opinions, and ideologies of individuals of different societies. However, when something is rightfully questionable, only when a majority stands against it, it is heard. Otherwise, we have seen manifold instances where people are oppressed, suppressed, and tortured for spitting out facts. There is an easy cure to this, decentralize information so that it is not under a single arm. That way, the truth is propagated and voices get heard. The internet has done exactly that. Information dissemination at its finest.
Big Tech has all under control
But how can the corporations that have incentives aligned in information capture be silent about this? They deem it their responsibility to intervene. Censoring social media, putting embargos on free speech, and influencing big tech companies in the name of regulation. Let’s consider an everyday example: Windows, the user-friendly operating system we all love to use and is known to be the best because the once richest person backed it and now he is our self-proclaimed vaccine expert who helps do good for the world. Well, maybe there is something hidden behind all that magical Graphical User Interface. You guessed it, trackers, key loggers, and spyware.
When the most publicized operating system that runs most of our systems has no respect for privacy then it can easily succumb to regulatory pressures. The only ones who suffer are the users as they agreed to all this.
Countries living in the past
Zooming out, in today’s world there are many still present in this global village that are ostracized from their access to information and living a life of slavery where their minds are fettered to the ideologies imposed on them by the monarchs that justify their presence in unjust ways. One such example is in the Rakhine state of Myanmar. Myanmar has been a country that has been always a victim of pervasive governments, inefficient economic policies, and rural poverty. Most notably, the people in Rakhine state have suffered a refugee crisis which has led to people being ostracized from their present lifestyles and living behind everyone else. The ease with which you brew your morning coffee is nowhere to be found in those dilapidated ruins which people there call home. They have been devoid of citizenship and bombarded with discrimination, unjust laws, ruthless torture, and violence. Basic amenities such as water, gas, and electricity are like gemstones to them.
Petty issues such as communal disputes based on culture, tradition, and beliefs have been made the point of contention and have been secluded away in camps. No freedom of movement and above all no awareness or education.
Including them in the modern age should be the task at hand. Recognizing their identity through NFTs present on a decentralized blockchain for them to feel emancipated and financial inclusivity through Bitcoin. This is the true essence of what Satoshi stood for.
What the privileged are quarreling about
Filling some colors in our black-and-white remorseful tale, let’s head on over to the internet censorship laws being imposed on the public with curtains hiding the most crucial bits and pieces. everything is made to look shiny until something breaks.
The Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology Act or RESTRICT Act aims to introduce a broader hold on internet activities and goes so far as to imply a ban on the use of VPNs for circumventing the act and ultimately the use of digitally owned assets. A VPN, a million-dollar fine, or 20 years imprisonment. Basically what the act does is give the Secretary of Commerce complete control over online transactions or like they describe it any type of online interaction. The supporters of the act highlight its ability to address risks proposed by interaction with foreign adversaries. The countries coming in the foreign adversary column include China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Venezuela (under the current regime). So any software coming from these countries and interaction with them online will be overlooked by the state and banned. The fact that the state has this much control over our online access is troublesome and worries the masses. The title of “foreign adversary” is also given by the Secretary so anyone can be included if it acts to favor the adversaries.
This act has gained popularity primarily because of what it does to Bytedances’s TikTok. Trump and Biden both have been against TikTok and its controversial spread of specific sentiments. This has been further exacerbated by China’s efforts to increase surveillance on US entities. The recent spy balloon is an example that has been aimed at US surveillance by China. Both presidents have supported the ban on TikTok and this act aims in doing so. What is really concerning is the type of content being pushed onto the rest of the world that is deleterious to the mental health of children whereas the Chinese version is filtered enough to show more educational content. In addition, the amount of data it collects from keylogging to your personal information is astronomical.
Scope of the problem
The problem isn’t banning TikTok, the problem is the state’s interference in our online access to information and the degree to which they will censor our online activity. When we look back, the Patriot Act rings some similar bells. It has been the frontier of state control when it comes to a citizen’s online presence. In the name of fighting terrorism after the 911 attack, this act basically gives the federal government legal authority to spy on all our phone calls, text messages, and e-mails and if we extend it to the regulatory pressures the big tech companies are faced with then the government has access to basically everything the app has access to.
So, the RESTRICT Act is the Patriot Act 2.0 for all our online interactions. Instead of banking the unbanked and freeing the captives as we see in Kashmir, Balochistan, the Rakhine state, and many others the most powerful government is on an agenda to be that pesky little bedbug who can’t mind its own business. When we come to think of the future ahead, this type of data collection is strategic in the sense that presently it is in encrypted form. The only thing capable enough to break such encryption is a quantum computer. IBM has one worthy of such calculations. Although we are far from achieving a quantum computer fit for effective use, “collect and decrypt” seems to be the strategy of the US government.
Free speech has its own self-proclaimed leader
When we come to the other side and talk about free speech, how can we leave the gregarious Elon Musk and his $44 billion price tag on the Time Square of internet communication? Paris Marx from Disconnect eloquently explains ELon’s ideology and where he is headed in the following Substack post:
Simply put, he has adopted a blatant attitude where he explicitly states his opinions, modifies the algorithm to make them stand out, and then proclaims himself to be a proponent of free speech. well, if something is the truth but it hurts others, it doesn’t mean you should announce it on the loudspeaker. Your social image should be a blend of tolerance, acceptance, and flexibility. In the end, not hurting others is what the aim should be.
A Balance
Banning drugs in a state leads to one thing: more rampant usage and no oversight of their usage. People adopt different and desperate means to get their hold on the drug which leads to numerous other crimes popping up. So outright banning a thing because it threatens the lives of individuals despite having a high user count is not an effective strategy. Why not ban McDonald’s? After all, the high consumption of that much-processed food is dangerous for one’s health. But there, the profits of large corporations are involved.
What we need is a curation of content to better suit the public. If TikTok is banned, VPN usage will increase, the number of scams will increase, and the use of other alternatives such as Instagram reels, and Youtube shorts will see user inflows. The most important thing we lose is user oversight on these platforms required for developing them better. That does not mean you step in too much.
Social media is in itself an addiction. Eradicating that through awareness and better education is necessary. Banning won’t do any good, it’s basic human psychology.
I hope you reached here with a more open mind.