There are similar moves to "make people accountable" for their online actions in the west as well; only the details differ, the motivation is the same -- structural control of online activities and content.
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Iran's government moves to criminalize VPNs (2021)
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Re: Iran's government moves to criminalize VPNs (2021)
#12There are similar moves to "make people accountable" for their online actions in the west as well; only the details differ, the motivation is the same -- structural control of online activities and content.
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Re: Iran's government moves to criminalize VPNs (2021)
#13There are similar moves to "make people accountable" for their online actions in the west as well; only the details differ, the motivation is the same -- structural control of online activities and content.
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I care more what happens to me, than what I care what happens in a random part of the world. You may not like it, and it may not suit your agenda, but it do be like that.
Re: Iran's government moves to criminalize VPNs (2021)
#14Re: Iran's government moves to criminalize VPNs (2021)
#15There are similar moves to "make people accountable" for their online actions in the west as well; only the details differ, the motivation is the same -- structural control of online activities and content.
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Clueless people will happily trod down this path and not see where it leads. People who’ll say things like “people should use their real names online and be held accountable!” go silent when the places mandating this are the ones killing people for saying the leader is a flawed human or because someone didn’t properly cover their hair.
VPN bans make the oppression inescapable. You see who the real dangerous people are when those who’ll still defend it come out.
It’s easy to think these dangers are just “over there.” It’s important to remember these things will happen here if we’re not careful.
Re: Iran's government moves to criminalize VPNs (2021)
#16There are similar moves to "make people accountable" for their online actions in the west as well; only the details differ, the motivation is the same -- structural control of online activities and content.
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To me "post publicly" has to be contextually understood. The set of people who need to be psueodonymous is certainly non-zero, but even as a small cohort represent an exception to the norm. The set of people who need to be anonymous is highly specific, to me. It's people with legal obligations to them or from them, people at risk of harm. It's not "I feel like my free speech demands this" -note the use of "need" above. "want" is fine. I get that many people want things.
Most normal discourse, in the wider space, I believe even if you have a self chosen tag, your identity should be knowable, if some things arise. I can handle that its a high barrier to entry (to uncover it), but the supposition all posts all the time have complete anonymity, simply because you assert you want it, that the supposition fails for me.
This causes free-speechers a lot of grief. My personal view is informed by many many years participating in national and international forums discussing what hate speech does, and what free speech means. Inside any cohort who are typified as "wanting anonymity" you find people who also suffer the consequences of being targetted by anonymous hate. I don't see how to reconcile speech rights, with harm minimisation except by requiring identity, even if hidden behind a veil.
I appreciate this has chilling effects. I kind-of go to that if it chills the "shout fire in crowded theatre" thing, its done it's job.
I also appreciate its not free speech in the wider sense, and it may not even be capable of being free speech in the narrower senses for a lot of people. I think reductionism over free speech is one of those things which really falls down a hole. Almost all 'there is no constraint on my speech' claims fall over when it comes to national security (for instance)
I'm pretty sure the EFF people won't agree with me, and I mean them no disrespect. Or a lot of the IETF human rights and privacy people: likewise, I mean them no disrespect. I just come to a different conclusion from free speech reductionists, when it comes to societal/wider harms, from the lack of functional constraint on online speech, and identity issues relating to online speech.
The chinese social credit scheme is horrid. The consequences for chinese citizens of unconstrained speech, and identity is also awful. So I know there are strong counter cases to what I say.
Re: Iran's government moves to criminalize VPNs (2021)
#17There are similar moves to "make people accountable" for their online actions in the west as well; only the details differ, the motivation is the same -- structural control of online activities and content.
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Anonymous speech is important for anti-corruption. The Washington Post's Watergate investigation would not have taken place without the anonymous sourcing by "Deep Throat."
Re: Iran's government moves to criminalize VPNs (2021)
#18Re: Iran's government moves to criminalize VPNs (2021)
#19There are similar moves to "make people accountable" for their online actions in the west as well; only the details differ, the motivation is the same -- structural control of online activities and content.
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Other than a direct threat or call to action that involves direct threats, how is speech "harmful" - sure, sometimes I get my own tyrranical bents and wish that certain things would be better left unsaid, but realistically, what is "harmful speech" besides someone with particular foul breath?
Re: Iran's government moves to criminalize VPNs (2021)
#20There are similar moves to "make people accountable" for their online actions in the west as well; only the details differ, the motivation is the same -- structural control of online activities and content.
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> What is the point of making this comment?
The point is that if we don't resist internet censorship here in the west, for which the pressure is building up, there won't be a free internet Iranians could connect to using a VPN.