[NA-Discuss] Fw: Ban Use of Social Media - British PM

[Garth Bruen at Knujon.com]

The riots in France in recent years were some of the first 
"facebook/texting" driven mayhem. At that point the governments failed to 
understand the role of communications by missing it completely, they further 
fail to understand when the reaction is to shutdown all communication out of 
fear. I think the key lesson for government is that it does not work as a 
strategy. Egypt, Libya and Syria have happened in spite of the unplugs. The 
urban riot is as old as the city itself and has happened a thousand times 
without the Internet.

But as a matter of ICANN policy, have protests been launched against China, 
Pakistan, etc. for long-term selective blocking? Why start with the UK?

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Evan Leibovitch" <evan at telly.org>
Sent: Monday, August 15, 2011 3:49 PM
To: "NARALO Discussion List" <na-discuss at atlarge-lists.icann.org>
Subject: [NA-Discuss] Fw: Ban Use of Social Media - British PM

> Hello fellow NARALOites.
>
> It was not that long ago that some in NARALO led the charge to push for
> ICANN to very publicly decry the activities of the Egyptian government, in
> halting use of the Internet because of its ability to allow protesters to
> collaborate.
>
> I'll be the first to recognize the recent riots in Britain as being the
> works of cowards and punks rather than legitimate protest. However. the
> resulting scapegoating of social media -- and the calls to allow for its 
> ban
> based on government whim -- are no longer seen as merely in the realm of
> despots and dictators.
>
> Should this trend in democratic countries not be at least as alarming as 
> the
> events in Egypt? Do you trust governments to always recognize and respect
> the differences between legitimate protest and mindlessly-destructive
> anarchism? (As a resident of Toronto, I saw these boundaries routinely
> obliterated on my streets during last year's G7 conference...)
>
> If the UK can ask for it publicly, can we be sure that others have not
> contemplated it privately?
>
> Most importantly here -- does ICANN have a role -- in the name of 
> preserving
> Internet access and stability -- on this topic?
>
> Just askin'...
>
> - Evan
>
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Carlton Samuels <carlton.samuels at gmail.com>
> Date: 15 August 2011 14:55
> Subject: [At-Large] Fw: Ban Use of Social Media - British PM
> To: lac-discuss-en at atlarge-lists.icann.org, At-Large Worldwide <
> at-large at atlarge-lists.icann.org>
>
>
> ...Noooo, this is NOT about China.  Nor, for that matter, Iran or North
> Korea.
>
> Nope, wrong again......it's NOT a pronouncement from Hugo Chavez...or
> Fidel...or, put your favourite bogeyman here.
>
> What a climb down since Egypt..and Tunisia.......
>
> ..depart from me, you hypocrites....
>
> http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/cutline/british-pm-david-cameron-considers-ban-twitter-facebook-150616849.html
>
> ==============================
> Carlton A Samuels
> Mobile: 876-818-1799
> *Strategy, Planning, Governance, Assessment & Turnaround*
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