Topic: Internet Censorship

Harvard Law professor Cass Sunstein's appointment to the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) is analyzed. The hosts discuss Sunstein's book "On Rumors" and his proposals for "notify and take down" systems for internet speech. They express concern that these powers will be used to stifle dissent on topics like climate change by labeling alternative views as "damaging falsehoods."

VPN usage in China exists in a legal gray area where ownership may be permitted but active use is restricted and heavily monitored. The Chinese government employs extensive packet sniffing techniques to detect and block encrypted traffic at the national level. This makes it difficult for residents to bypass the "Great Firewall" despite the technical availability of VPN software.

Pieczenik analyzes the leadership of Xi Jinping, noting that Xi's experience during the Cultural Revolution gave him a unique discipline. He praises China's "One Belt, One Road" initiative as a superior global trade strategy compared to U.S. military interventionism. However, he warns that Xi's attempts to censor the internet and restrict credit are major strategic errors that could lead to internal instability.

Following the passage of anti-sex trafficking legislation (FOSTA-SESTA), Craigslist shut down its personals section. This has forced sex workers to find new ways to advertise, such as using coded language in "items for sale" listings or creating independent websites. The shift highlights the difficulty of censoring the internet, as users can easily move to Amazon S3 buckets or other decentralized hosting services.

A proposed bill in Virginia would require all internet-connected devices to have default blocking for "obscene content." The hosts examine the legal definitions of obscenity in Virginia law, noting that the language is outdated and could potentially criminalize users for images found in their temporary browser cache.

Twitter notified over 600,000 users that they had interacted with accounts linked to the Russian Internet Research Agency. The platform announced new partnerships with organizations like Common Sense Media to improve "media literacy" and combat automated propaganda.

UK Home Secretary Amber Rudd announced proposed legislation that would sentence individuals to up to 15 years in prison for repeatedly viewing "terrorist content" online. The law aims to close a loophole where only downloading or storing such material was previously criminalized. Critics argue this provides a framework for large-scale internet censorship and could criminalize legitimate journalistic research into radicalization.

The UN rapporteur's report calls for Internet Service Providers to implement takedown policies for homophobic and transphobic messages. However, the mandate faced significant opposition from the 57-nation Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which refuses to recognize the legitimacy of the LGBTI agenda despite supporting other hate speech restrictions.

Senator Ted Cruz released a video opposing the Obama administration's plan to transfer control of the internet's domain name system (ICANN) to an international body. Cruz argues the move could empower countries like Russia and China to censor online speech and undermine American-led internet freedom.

World leaders issued a joint statement citing UN Security Council Resolutions 1377 and 2178 to justify increased monitoring of the internet. The statement, supported by officials like Eric Holder, calls for a partnership with internet providers to swiftly report and remove material that incites hatred. Critics argue this framework is a move toward global internet censorship under the guise of fighting radicalization.

The BBG's strategic plan for 2012-2016 outlines goals to become a leading international news agency and reach 216 million weekly viewers. The agency seeks to lead in internet censorship circumvention and anti-jamming efforts in coordination with the State Department. The plan explicitly argued for the repeal of the domestic dissemination ban to reach expatriate communities in the U.S.

Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan is pushing for new legislation that would allow the government to block websites without a court order and require ISPs to store user browsing history for two years. These measures have sparked violent protests in Istanbul, though Erdogan claims the laws are similar to those already in place in the U.S. and Europe. The move is part of a broader power struggle between Erdogan and the Gulenist "Hizmet" movement.

A conference in Strasbourg held by the Council of Europe focuses on stopping the spread of "hate speech" on the internet. Participants discuss tougher penalties and government monitoring of website operators. The hosts argue that "hate speech" is a subjective term used to implement "newspeak" and silence critics of social policies.

A leaked confidential document from the EU's "CleanIT" project outlines radical proposals for internet regulation, including banning hyperlinks to "terrorist" content and deploying "virtual police officers" on social media. The document also suggests removing anonymity for users and implementing mandatory flagging systems for "hate speech."

The European Union's "Clean IT" project is analyzed through a leaked document. The policy aims to identify and remove online content that may lead to "radicalization," even if the content itself is not explicitly illegal, raising concerns about broad censorship.

An analysis of UN Resolution 1216 reveals provisions that could restrict free speech under the guise of preventing "religious intolerance" and "negative stereotyping." The document outlines special duties for internet users, potentially criminalizing dissent against international interventions like those in Syria. The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) is identified as the body tasked with creating legal challenges for social media and regulating online content.

A listener in South Korea describes the country's "real name" internet identification system, which was expanded in 2009 to combat cyberbullying. The government used the suicides of celebrities as a pretext for the law, which requires users to verify their identity with citizen ID numbers. The hosts speculate that a similar "script" involving celebrity depression could be used to implement internet censorship in the West.

The European Commission has drafted a strategy for a "better internet for children," which includes funding for age-appropriate content and interoperable platforms. Critics argue this is a pretext for implementing a pan-European age verification and censorship system.

A new initiative in the United Kingdom forces new internet customers to choose whether to filter "adult content," a move the hosts believe is a precursor to broader political censorship. They argue that using pornography as a justification allows the government and ISPs to establish a filtering infrastructure that will eventually target alternative media and political dissent.

Dvorak discusses the concept of a "national internet," similar to models proposed in Belarus, where outside traffic is restricted. He suggests that legislation like SOPA could lead to a nationalized US internet under the guise of security, while hackers and tech-savvy users would be forced to use VPNs to bypass government walls.