Apologies if this is a repost
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6724531.stm
Please read this newsclip about internet censorship.
Now consider how much freedom an unrestricted internet gives us.
We have free communication amonst ourselves, free to exchange our views. We have access to multinational information sources, we can shop how and where we want - obviously within the legal limitations of our home state. I believe the internet is the greatest aid to education and communication since the printing press. I believe that in the centuries to come it will be seen as the prime cause for a better, freer and more educated world.
This sort of filtering could be applied to us overnight in Europe and the States. I know that the computer savvy amongst us could find ways around it. But it wouldn't be a lot of use if the other 90% couldn't read what they're posting. Think what your world would be like without the internet - and I don't just mean freely available porn. Think of the exchanges we share on these forums. The way we share and discuss news items. The sites we checkout for our personal research. It's like having a sophisticated public library on our desks. Consider what kind of political establishments approve(d) book burning, this is much worse!
We must not take our freedom for granted and we must be vigilant that no attempts are made to erode it. This kind of filtering is the thin end of the wedge.
If you agree with my sentiments, please share with others.