"The Net treats censorship as a defect and routes around it."
Angola’s Wikipedia Pirates Are Exposing the Problems with Digital Colonialism
101–110 of 150 posts
Re: Angola’s Wikipedia Pirates Are Exposing the Problems with Digital Colonialism
#102Maybe this is just a detail of Vice's way to sell their articles, but how is providing free services to people who could otherwise not afford them 'colonialism'?
It's colonialism because it's patronizing. You can have this much of the Internet, but no more.
If that's your approach then you don't understand the main value proposition of the web.
These programs are silly and ineffective. Facebook and Wikipedia should just channel their funds to a join effort at making all of the Internet accessible.
We've been down this road before, it didn't work for AOL, why keep trying it?
Re: Angola’s Wikipedia Pirates Are Exposing the Problems with Digital Colonialism
#103Earlier quoted context omitted.
I still don't understand the argument why people who are suddenly given a free thing, and not forced to use it, are now a victim of that and entitled to get everything for free. If we give free drugs for certain diseases to a poor country, would that mean that we enforce our "Western view on health" on them, and that they are actually entitled to get all drugs for free, otherwise it is a form of colonialism?
That, generally, is not the argument. The side you don't see goes a bit like this[1]: Folks in poor countries aren't stupid, and know Facebook isn't just being nice. Zero-rating strangles local startups who have to compete with the free walled garden; it is a spigot for western culture, which many object to[2]; and it smacks of a particularly Valley-flavored mix of paternalism, greed, and the sort of tote-bagger do-g…
While your critique is valid when targeted to the "Free Basics" programs (or similar) when it comes to this particular instance of piracy you're reading too much into it. This is just a piracy hack. People everywhere have been doing this kind of thing for as long as there has been an internet and the reason is usually convenience, not some PolSci-level critique of neoliberalism.
Re: Angola’s Wikipedia Pirates Are Exposing the Problems with Digital Colonialism
#104So a serious question for HN: The primary objection seems to boil down to the idea that the people of whatever other country (in this case Angola) should not be beholden to the ideals and laws of the country where these things are coming from (in this case the United States). While I totally agree with the idea that the US's copyright system is in dire need of repair, I can't help but think that saying it's alright f…
It's already possible, common and expected for people in one country to subvert the laws of another country - for instance, Americans don't think they should be jailed for spreading Holocaust denialism, do they? Why should Germany not have the obvious right to enforce that law on the entire internet? How do you see that case as different to this one? (Aside, of course, from the money Hollywood is prepared to spend on it).
Re: Angola’s Wikipedia Pirates Are Exposing the Problems with Digital Colonialism
#105Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's been Adobe's business model for a long time, and a very clever one at that. Let Photoshop be pirated all over schools and unis, reap the enterprise benefits when the graphics designers who only learned Photoshop are getting hired.
Yep. Creative Cloud subscriber through work right here. Well done, Adobe.
Yup! I've chosen to buy several things that I pirated as a kid now just because I was able to pick it up then and now I have an income and these things are accessible!
Re: Angola’s Wikipedia Pirates Are Exposing the Problems with Digital Colonialism
#106Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is the objection to zero-rated services. Angolans get to use the internet, but they only get to use the zero-rated bits of it. And they have to use them in ways that westerners approve of. It comes down to money, really. Do we put a "you must be this rich to use the internet" sign up on the planet's communications, or do we allow people to bring their culture and ideas to the party despite their poverty? This wh…
If this is important to you, and it's a noble goal, I suggest you go to Africa, build a startup and give those Angolans free internet access. Accusing others of not making their business free is not the way to go.
I think it's going to be easier to build my startup here, and then fund access to the internet from developing countries.
But I wouldn't fund only access to just my website, I'd fund access to the whole thing.
Which is my objection to zero-rating.
And yes, I'd see this as an absolutely worthwhile use of philanthropic donations if/when I ever make enough to do that.
Re: Angola’s Wikipedia Pirates Are Exposing the Problems with Digital Colonialism
#107Earlier quoted context omitted.
90% of your comments are just snark. You need to fix your attitude.
Yeah, the only purpose of that account is to make me laugh. However, this isn't just gratuitous. Here the issue is similar with the sci-hub one: there's a fairly legitimate motivation for piracy, so there's a lot of comments over "free knowledge so copyright is theft", and a bit of "piracy is theft". But not all piracy is equal, and sharing knowledge (research papers, etc) is useful and participate into making people…
I don't disagree with #1 (cf my other comment in the thread regarding Adobe's MO). But you'll get your point across better if you quit the snark, that is all.
Re #2: That's the funniest conspiracy theory I've heard all year. But don't take it from me - I edit tvtropes so I'm in on it too.
Oops. That was snark. :)
Re: Angola’s Wikipedia Pirates Are Exposing the Problems with Digital Colonialism
#108So a serious question for HN: The primary objection seems to boil down to the idea that the people of whatever other country (in this case Angola) should not be beholden to the ideals and laws of the country where these things are coming from (in this case the United States). While I totally agree with the idea that the US's copyright system is in dire need of repair, I can't help but think that saying it's alright f…
It's already possible, common and expected for people in one country to subvert the laws of another country - for instance, Americans don't think they should be jailed for spreading Holocaust denialism, do they? Why should Germany not have the obvious right to enforce that law on the entire internet? How do you see that case as different to this one? (Aside, of course, from the money Hollywood is prepared to spend on…
The difference that springs immediately to mind is that holocaust denial is an idea, a concept, where movies and games are intellectual products not intended for free exchange. Apples and oranges.
Re: Angola’s Wikipedia Pirates Are Exposing the Problems with Digital Colonialism
#109Earlier quoted context omitted.
That, generally, is not the argument. The side you don't see goes a bit like this[1]: Folks in poor countries aren't stupid, and know Facebook isn't just being nice. Zero-rating strangles local startups who have to compete with the free walled garden; it is a spigot for western culture, which many object to[2]; and it smacks of a particularly Valley-flavored mix of paternalism, greed, and the sort of tote-bagger do-g…
While your critique is valid when targeted to the "Free Basics" programs (or similar) when it comes to this particular instance of piracy you're reading too much into it. This is just a piracy hack. People everywhere have been doing this kind of thing for as long as there has been an internet and the reason is usually convenience , not some PolSci-level critique of neoliberalism.
I was responding to the parent comment, not the piracy.
On piracy, of course you're absolutely right - given the existence of a storage mechanism, someone will put stuff in it. See also: hacks that use dynamic DNS updates to store and share information.
Re: Angola’s Wikipedia Pirates Are Exposing the Problems with Digital Colonialism
#110Earlier quoted context omitted.
I personally would welcome a free (as in no money) unrestricted but low bandwidth Internet connection for everyone. Paid would be faster. I'm in the UK. Free mobile broadband at something like 256Kbits with cheap USB dongles would allow access for all children & low income adults who could find a suitable client device (recycled laptop/cheap smartish phone whatever). Sort of basic income argument applied to Internet…
Kinda depends. Do the people in the UK who use this service have to abide by laws of other countries, laws that don't exist in the UK? That's the problem here, right?
Can you clarify your comment?
My proposition is 'basic income Internet' provided at low cost in each country by $Government and $PreferredSupplier. Lowish bandwidth, possibly with fair use style bandwidth cap.
All currently existing legal frameworks remain in place in $Country.