US Congress trying to censor Internet

“Just the other day, President Obama urged repressive regimes around the world to stop censoring the Internet. But at the same time, the United States Congress is hatching a plan to censor the Internet here at home. A new bill being debated this week would instruct the Attorney General to create an Internet blacklist of sites that US Internet providers would be required to block.”

Here we go again! It seems like the crooked, self-serving politicians in the US Congress are up to their usual dastardly deeds. They can’t be bothered with getting the economy back on track or getting people back to work. This time they are trying to censor the Internet.

[ZombieAutopsy]

there goes freedom of speech people which includes i believe free press.

@below

Yea it does seem that way, but with insufficient leadership thats what happens.

[NYC_Gamer]

freedom of speech has been dead in north america

[Double Toasted]

How is freedom of speech dead? Is it because someone says something retarded and they think people aren't going to respond to them. Or do they think they have the last word on what they're so vocal about? Please, people who say freedom of speech is dead, are the cowards who back down after they say something controversial. As a matter of fact, the people that back down from what they actually said are the ones hurting freedom of speech.

[Active Reload]

DoubleToasted, you hit the nail on the head. Well said xD

[Shackdaddy836]

So they let us burn the flag and allow the KKK to march up and down the streets but they wont let us look at a certain website?

Stupidity at its finest....

No worries though, supreme court will surely strike it down inna second as long as someone testifies against it.

[tacosRcool]

Thats why democrats suck. Obama is a total hypocrite. Looks like election time things might change. Hopefully even the next politicians in office won't want to censor anything else

[KillerPwned]

I agree and can only pray to god things change are country is in need of so much help now.

[vickers500]

Yeah, we need another Bush to fix things for us.

/s

[tacosRcool]

Bush made many things better than when Clinton was in office. Because of Clinton we had 9/11. And then because of the Democrats taking control of Congress in 2006 we have a failing economy which paves the way for them to win the presidential election because everybody blames Bush for everything. Then we get Obama who blatantly lies in your face promising things that you know will never come true and yet you still believe. The democrats want a socialistic democracy like the ones found in Europe and you can't call those democracies because they limit so many freedoms that democracy is founded upon. I don't like it when people praise people for the wrong reasons.

[ABizzel1]

To be honest it needs some order, there are so many fools on the internet that it needs to be handled.

There are tons of hate crimes going on everyday on the internet, and things far worse and it's about time someone does something about it.

The internet is great, but it has also let people let loose their full stupidity so the world can see it, and I truly believe if you post something on the internet that's against the law in everyday life you should be held responsible for it.

That being said the main people that should be censored from the internet are children. They are many times the culprits of these acts, and are unintentionally accepting illegal behavior as normal.

Using racial slurs and lying or bad mouthing a person is a hate crime and slander.

Throwing puppies in a river is animal cruelty.

Fighting is against the law and battery.

Having sex in public is indecent exposure.

And all these things and more are available to everyone to see, by clicking on a simple message asking if you're 18 or older. Both parents and the government need to do a better job with their kids.

People these days are just insane, and many of them need to be locked up in a prison or asylum.

[batterystrength]

But on the internet you are free to choose wheter you watch those things or not. No one forces you to click the link. There are many good and many bad things (and many many very odd things) on the internet, but you are free to choose what you consume. When we censore those things, they are simply not there anymore and people can't argue if they are right or wrong. It is as if someone would decide for you what is good and what is bad. For children this should be the case, but it should be the duty of their parents to watch over their internet habits and not the duty of the government.

Freedom of speech means that everybody is free to say and write what he/she thinks, or even post a video of him/herself throwing puppies in a river; it doesn't matter if you agree with it or not.

"if you post something on the internet that's against the law in everyday life you should be held responsible for it."

You are absolutely right, even the internet has its rules, but censorship would do the opposite. It would simply hide those things and do as if they had never existed. Censorship doesn't make the bad things dissapear, it just prevents you from seeing them.

[ABizzel1]

Having a child watch pornography is illegal and access to it is easy for any child thanks to the internet.

That's a government problem whether anyone thinks it is or not.

Censorship is coming, sooner or later. And somethings need to be censored, I know some teens will be upset if porn leaves (lol), but some other things need to be censored.

[Cloudberry]

.
The Patriots want to control the digital flow of information.

[saint_john_paul_ii]

LOL

[MsmackyM]

Lol Bubs for you man.

[darkdoom3000]

Kojima! you predicted it!

Oil crisis in MG2
Unlocking genome in MGS
Patriots in MGS2

next up....
PMC's going big in MGS4.

[Focker-420]

I'll be getting the hell out of america as soon as I possibly can. I absolutely hate this f*cking nazi regime of a society.

[DasTier]

and go where? Europe's a bag of shite, I can't wait to leave here

[Count]

Not all of Europe is ''shite''.

[Count]

You're exaggerating.

[Letros]

You will miss Wal-mart.

[QSPR]

LOL... wow Wal-mart :S the place ppl use to hang out!

[e-p-ayeaH]

Japan is the coolest country is this dam planet (at least for a gamer)

[specialguest]

Sure it's cool at first, until you realize that you will always be considered a foreigner for the rest of your life.

[specialguest]

Canada seems like a nice place to live.....eh?

[SuperStrokey1123]

Its really great if you dont mind our high taxes. Its awesome other than that up here. Except our internet is a bit behind and netflix kinda sucks compared to the US one lol.

[Philoctetes]

If you think the United States is a f*cking nazi regime that doesn't support free speech, you're in for an eye-opening experience when you move elsewhere.

[feelintheflow]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...
How someone could say that is beyond me. Although if he feels that way, then get the F out.

[feelintheflow]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...
So I guess you wont have to worry about having a big list of places to move when go to choose one.

[Dellis]

They own the internet, why shouldn't they censor it?

[CimmerianDrake]

Tell me you didn't just say something THAT stupid? I would say that you're the product of the American public education system, but that would an insult to the American public education system. Good god man, I can't believe I've seen the most idiotic, ill-informed, utterly moronic comment known to exist.

Allow me to answer your question with your question. You own your brain, why aren't you using it?

[Rourker]

an organization called ICANN and a few other organizations control the internet protocols and a couple are still under the control of the US government, but as of sept 30 2009 ICANN ended the agreement they had between them and the US government.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/t...

so he was almost right.

[Count]

Not gaming news.

[CimmerianDrake]

Like anyone really cares if it's not gaming news. It's related to gaming news in that gaming news could potentially be black listed by the government for promotion of violent imagery in an interactive medium. You already have seen that the government is willing to blame games for every problem known to man right?

And this effects N4G as a website. So it's relevant. I had a feeling someone would post a stupid comment like "not gaming news" but I hoped against hope that no one would. *Sigh*

[e-p-ayeaH]

US owns the internet wtf

[CimmerianDrake]

No one owns the internet. It isn't possible to own the internet because of how the internet is structured. There isn't one room somewhere in the U.S. with a giant Modem that grants internet access to the world. It's a series of many different types of connections governed by a standard of protocols. But asking who owns the internet would be like asking if there is someone that owns a group of people who all speak a different language and who happen to be in the same room at the same time.

[e-p-ayeaH]

maybe "The Architect" knows about it but only the one can go there...to the source xD

[ArabianKnight]

This guy owns the internet !

[Kakihara]

Oh come on now people, what harm has ever been done by a government limiting people's right to free expression and access to information?? Just look at North Korea, those folks are living in a wonderful utopia, at least that's what their government tells me.

[Ares84PS3]

We can all forget about the amedments because they are absolutley worthless.

American governement and American ideals are a joke.

[SuperStrokey1123]

American ideals are hardly a joke. The American ideals are infact wonderful and often things we should all reach for. Life, Liberty, and teh pursuit of happiness are good things.

[JackBNimble]

hahaha... you Americans are slaves, you're just to dumb to realize it.

[Ares84PS3]

...they are made to be a joke. They are wonderful yes but they aren't relised.

It's like you are promissed a cake yet you get a pice of carrot.

[SuperStrokey1123]

Oh Jack you tool, im not even American, look at my avatar... guess who looks stupid now?

[Neckbear]

Plus, censoring the internet? What the hell?

There still would be tons of user-made forums to talk about all the shit, even with censorship. This is nothing but a silly dream for those who don't like truths.

[CimmerianDrake]

It's relevant TO gaming news in that the government could censor anything they want, including game news. Geez. When's the last time you saw article submission rules actually being enforced anyway?

[SuperStrokey1123]

I dont technically see how an american law can remove a webpage based in Canada, Europe, Asia or else where in the world. Like how could they do that.

[NIN64]

American government would mandate ISPs to block the ip addresses of those websites. The same way that corporations block sites like facebook from their employees on the computers connected to their intranet.

[SuperStrokey1123]

Oh ok that makes more sense, cause i was laughing at the obsurdity of it. Talk about stupid.

[kinetic100]

they would not remove the site, just block you from seeing it. Just like China does.

[CimmerianDrake]

It would only effect the U.S. American ISP's could be ordered to block specified content from all the IP addresses under that ISP. I would think though that people would find workarounds. Crackers would have a field day.

[Darkspade]

This goes against everything America Stands for. We aren't China.. My guess is these congress guy are getting paid from Media companies to try are push this through.. I read put of this bill and it states the Media Companies will be able to make the call to drop a Site

[AliTheBrit19]

Ugh

America

What a disgusting word.

[dkgshiz]

Yep.

[AllroundGamer]

wow US becoming China, how sad. People probably need to protest more like the french or the greeks do, then the government would be afraid of the people...

[KillerPwned]

Screw this all its so dumb. Probably will never happen.

[ranmafandude]

the us congress better get the hell outta here. they not stopping me from watching uncensored high quality porn on my internet connection lol.

[Philoctetes]

The article could have at least told us exactly what sites were supposed to be blocked, and why. As it is, it contains almost no useful information.

[MonopolyRSV]

Impeach Obama. Ron Paul 2012

[kinetic100]

its comments from people that say "this will never happen" that show it will be too late when it does. are you people asleep or something. have you not noticed what freedom you have already lost due to the patriot act. the only thing your goverment does not control is the internet, you think they don't want control over that too? And how can you protest when you will suddenly be on some watch list.

[The_Quiet_Man]

I think if any Goverment tried to censor "high quality porn on my internet" they would be met with stiff opposition from any red-blooded men single & in relationship, we still need variety of naked women to look at, lol.

[dizzleK]

This is the first I've heard of this, if George Bush had suggested it the media wouldn't stop talking about it. Hell, libs still bash Bush for the Patroit act despite the fact that Obongo not only continued it, he's done much worse.

[CernaML]

As Robert Freeman would say, "Not the porn!" D'=

[Garnett]

Its the only way that Big Brother (Illuminati, NWO what ever you wanna call them) can stop us from talking about them, the media sure as hell doesnt talk about it.

Obama is just a black bush, he is no different, just another puppet.

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

THE TRUTH WATCH!!

[Zinc]

The only thing that tends to come out of a politicians mouth is lies. And if they do say something that sits in truth's lap like a future abuse victim's first time with Santa, they never get elected. It's called human nature and it wants all your cookies.

[hazelamy]

reminds me of when there was a group of countries trying to set up a world court, and the us said it would support it only if it didn't apply to the us.
now this was under bush and i don't know what obama's policy would be.
and there was the environmental thing where the us government wanted to be above the law yet again.
though that was also under bush.

[Zinc]

Technically, all countries are above the law. Because, all countries are sovereign nation states. And the law, would be something dictated outside of the state, so they are not required to adhere to it.

There are only two options when dealing with nations: Diplomacy, where they acquiesce to something for some reason or through force.