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Ugandan government blocks Google Play Store, Apple App Store, and YouTube

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Re: Ugandan government blocks Google Play Store, Apple App Store, and YouTube

#301

Post by ajconway »

nickysielicki wrote: post #86
ajconway wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Banning (or, more precisely, disturbing operation of) a decentralized service is much easier than a big, important centralized one. You just need to obtain the DNS names or IP addresses of the nodes the same way everyone else does — by participating in the network. This way you can even selectively ban the "bad" nodes. Banning a centralized service like gmail is easier, but then you lose in productivity as 90% of you…

Your argument seems to depend on the idea that centralized services are inherently more popular than decentralized services, which isn’t necessarily true. To say that it’s “much easier” to ban hundreds of IP addresses instead of a dozen IP addresses is ridiculous. It’s no easier to get IP addresses in a distributed system than it is to get them in a centralized system. GMail is a funny example to point to, because em…

It’s easier to ban them selectively, achieving the desired level of censorship.

You don’t need to shut down the entire public email network (although it’s possible to do with DPI). You would only need to ban the servers that are involved in spreading of unwanted information.

Re: Ugandan government blocks Google Play Store, Apple App Store, and YouTube

#302

Post by vbezhenar »

blendo wrote: post #180

Any chance of Apple shipping a default VPN in the base iOS image? Running the required servers might be too hard, though.

It's easy to block that default VPN (or directory server). I don't think there's an easy way for Apple to get around it. IP protocol is too easy to block. I think that it's possible to develop better protocols where every peer will proxy packets if necessary, so it'll be impossible to block it, but that's probably not something that'll replace Internet.

Re: Ugandan government blocks Google Play Store, Apple App Store, and YouTube

#303

Post by vbezhenar »

chr1 wrote: post #99
mimikatz wrote: post #9

If I ran was in charge of a government after watching them all ban Trump's ability to communicate at the same time, I too would think about banning them to protect myself.

Russia just recently introduced laws that would allow to fine Youtube and social networks if they hinder propagation of important information, so according to them not only banning their propagandists, but even removing them from suggestion lists is prohibited by law. Of course they probably don't have means to enforce this law, but it's an interesting strategy.

Banning Youtube is a means to enforce this law. And Russia can ban anything (on their territory).

Re: Ugandan government blocks Google Play Store, Apple App Store, and YouTube

#304

Post by Blikkentrekker »

chr1 wrote: post #99
mimikatz wrote: post #9

If I ran was in charge of a government after watching them all ban Trump's ability to communicate at the same time, I too would think about banning them to protect myself.

Russia just recently introduced laws that would allow to fine Youtube and social networks if they hinder propagation of important information, so according to them not only banning their propagandists, but even removing them from suggestion lists is prohibited by law. Of course they probably don't have means to enforce this law, but it's an interesting strategy.

Of course they can enforce it.

They fine them if they not do so, and if they not be willing to pay the fine, then they are blocked.

Russia will certainly be a large enough market that they will consider it a financial loss large enough that they might implement this for Russia's version.

Re: Ugandan government blocks Google Play Store, Apple App Store, and YouTube

#305

Post by Blikkentrekker »

ad404b8a372f2b9 wrote: post #46

I wish there would be a societal awakening in Europe and people would boycott American services. Countries need to reclaim their digital sovereignty if they hope to preserve their culture. Back in college everyone I knew browsed reddit, 9gag, facebook, etc for hours every day. The european youth is getting raised by America and fed its political ideology one meme/discussion thread at a time. It took me a long while t…

I will rather make up my own mind and decide what is the appropriate course of action and truth on each issue than swear fealty to a “culture” and observe it's tenants blindly, whatever they be.

Now, what I have noticed is that some have consumed so much U.S.A. media that they seem to believe various legal principles of the U.S.A. apply here locally when they do not. It can be nothing but dangerous that some seem to think that the emergency number here is 911, when it is not.

Re: Ugandan government blocks Google Play Store, Apple App Store, and YouTube

#306

Post by lxmorj »

diminish wrote: post #291
kstenerud wrote: post #288

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Now of course most of the governments that would do this would be authoritarian Would they be? Consider what just happened in the USA: All of the major social media companies blocked a significant portion of the population because of the attempted subversion of democracy in the country. Now imagine if some similar subversion were attempted in another country, say Ecuador? Would these social media companies be as wi…

Calls for violence and election-critics were encouraged by current social media in some countries. It looks like many social media platforms have bias based on the political affinities of their owners. I see no reason for any government or any party to trust the social media, mobile OS platforms and messaging anymore. A new set of tools is about to loom hopefully.

Is this really different than old media? Seems like all networks are biased - these are just more powerful, centralized networks.

Re: Ugandan government blocks Google Play Store, Apple App Store, and YouTube

#307

Post by Blikkentrekker »

emteycz wrote: post #299
Blikkentrekker wrote: post #298

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's an interesting point I had not yet considered that most private internet censorship seems to relate to some political issue or moral value that primarily plays in the U.S.A.. That, and of course financially complying with pressure from the Chinese government to be tough on whatever independence movement it struggle with now — Catalonia was of course free to chant it's independence.

That's because you have no idea what's happening elsewhere. Here in Czechia we have our own version of the problems USA faces (regarding "censorship"/deletion of content), and nobody has any idea what's happening in the USA.

I am not from the U.S.A..

I merely noticed that much of the censorship and cultural policing on large platforms such as GitHub, or even the new Linux code of conduct seems to be mostly applicable to situations that pertain to the U.S.A. exclusively.

Re: Ugandan government blocks Google Play Store, Apple App Store, and YouTube

#308

Post by jjcon »

ad404b8a372f2b9 wrote: post #46

I wish there would be a societal awakening in Europe and people would boycott American services. Countries need to reclaim their digital sovereignty if they hope to preserve their culture. Back in college everyone I knew browsed reddit, 9gag, facebook, etc for hours every day. The european youth is getting raised by America and fed its political ideology one meme/discussion thread at a time. It took me a long while t…

> I wish there would be a societal awakening in Europe and people would boycott American services.

I understand the point but you have to admit it is a little funny you are expressing this point in english while on an american website.

I think you should recognize the reverse as well though - countries all over the world are interacting with and influencing americans and america - I know a lot of americans that would prefer to have their pre-globalist culture back as well.

Re: Ugandan government blocks Google Play Store, Apple App Store, and YouTube

#309

Post by nromiun »

permo-w wrote: post #158
digdigdag wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you even read the article? The reason the Ugandan government is blocking these apps is with the intent, as the article suggests, of stopping misinformation through "citizen journalism", not because the nation of Uganda suddenly had fears of Google or Apple moderating their nation's discourse. Furthermore, the article goes on to say that this kind of block has occurred before in 2016.

There’s a real flood of people on HN right now who really want to fight this battle. It’s unpleasant because it’s the kind of thing I use Hacker News to avoid Even though I know it’ll just cement their viewpoints even further, I’m hoping the mods do something about it

> Please respond to the strongest plausible interpretation of what someone says, not a weaker one that's easier to criticize. Assume good faith.

No one is flooding HN. A lot of us are non-American and programmers who understand what the recent events will mean in geopolitics. Everyone can see that GP was talking about what this move will mean in general terms. Don't assume we are trolls just because you don't like our comments.

Re: Ugandan government blocks Google Play Store, Apple App Store, and YouTube

#310

Post by owowow »

throwaway45349 wrote: post #145
tester756 wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

why would banking not be avaliable via www?

Many banks don't provide HTTP endpoints (except for business versions). My bank, Monzo, does not. My other bank TSB does provide a website, but it's awful.

Wait, you have to use a smartphone app to interact with your bank? There is no website with 95% of the functionality (or bonus functionality that the app doesn't have) available as a website for desktop users?

This is rather unusual, the credit union I use in the USA offers an iOS and Android app that is literally a webview of their mobile website, plus a dash of OCR for check handling. Using the PWA is nearly identical, it even works on a PinePhone with Maemo or any other operating system that can run a semi-modern browser.

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