There seem to be plans by Bill Gates etc. to get rid of the current Internet (based upon privacy and freedom) and replace it with something known as 'Internet 2' which will be completely commercial, controlled and will take away the privacy and freedom of speech we enjoy today. The first step in this plan, apparently, is to start charging people to send emails. Obviously if this was all about preventing spam, then the money would all go to charity (email providers never needed to charge before so why should they now?). But this is not about preventing spam, this is about corporations controlling what we do and what we say. An article about this: http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/february2006/060206internetdoomsday.htm AOL have already started their campaign to brainwash people into thinking the current Internet is bad. Just take a look at the campaign on their own website (this is quite scary!): http://discuss.aol.co.uk/article-listing.aspx?id_Content=4 I urge anyone reading this to be vigilant and oppose, (wherever possible) the notion that a corporate-controlled Internet would be a good thing. Please speak out against this when you can, and be wary of corporate propaganda trying to convince us that freedom is 'bad'. The Internet sets the world free of oppression. I'm not saying the world is run by a sinister occult society (although there are many who believe it is) but at the very least it is run by greedy executives who value money above other people's wellbeing. I mean, look at George Bush. He openly admits to not giving a damn about the environment when it comes to making money... and people love him... and he's a public figure. How evil are the people behind the scenes who we don't know about?
This is true. Bill Gates isn't really behind it, though it might appear that way according to the mainstream, corporate media. Gates is really just the frontman for it all. Ultimately it's the bankers and their minions who call the shots. When you control the money, it's important that you also control the flow of information. They wouldn't want to be exposed for what they truly are. What I believe we will see in the near future is an internet that is run, controlled and taxed by the U.N. The current internet will be slowly fazed out, and to create a website under 'Internet 2,' it will need to be approved first by the state. Goodbye freedom, hello tyranny. 1984 is becoming more of a reality each day. Thanks for brining this up. It's important people know about it.
looks like loompanics unlimited picked a crappy time to go out of business. well if the internet is in danger, we'll need to revive the underground press. CLEAR! *zap*
The term Web 2.0 has been floating around for a while now and its just a buzz term. When the web first started it was mainly a place where people went to find out news or get press releases etc. It was a source of information. Nowadays people are more involved in the content on the web with sites like myspace.com. More people than ever are creating their own homepages and online businesses. This is essentially web 2.0 and is being touted by marketing people as the new internet. They are trying to see how they can improve things to get rid of spam, scams etc. How many emails do you get every week telling you that some Nigerian businessman wants to give you a share of his billions. Unfortunately web 2.0 is just a gimmick and doesn't actually mean anything. The web can't change because the big companies do not run it. Its a machine, its out of control. The only way the big companies can do it is to buy every single isp, every single web host. Microsoft aren't in control of this. There are other operating systems people can use, other web browsers. Microsoft have lost 10% of the share in the browser market in the last 5 years alone due to the impressive firefox browser. They hope to get the market back by announcing the release of internet explorer 7 and with it they are trying to push through the term web 2.0. Nothing more than sales propaganda.
But of course, if it's law, that make sit a heluva lot easier to force those who don't want to do it into complying. And as Rat said, those who control the corporations are the same who control the government. Neither is in control of the other, but are both under the control of the elites.
It's quite possible.. Check out this thread and think about it.. Will capitalism be the death of the internet?
Um, if that ever happens, anyone who doesn't want to connect through a mainstream server won't have to. I'm sure there will be other servers you can use.
Well if this is true, then we will have a boycott! Before I got a pop up blocker, any pop up that I saw I would email the company that I would never buy their product or if I was using it at the time I would stop buying their product! The ads on the side of the page do not bother me at all. As far as paying for email, I would buy my own server or get several people together to com up with one.
The internet is in the hands of the geeks and the hackers. The Microsoft steamroller keeps going and everything on a Microsoft platform costs a bomb..... Windows, Office tools, ASP hosting, Access, SQL Server, Internet Explorer etc. There is also the world of GPL creating free alternatives such as Linux, Firefox, Open Office Org, PHP, MySQL. The net is safe from the so called elite. I'm more worried about the scum that abuse facilities such as the spammers.
I think it's hard enough to control the internet in a single country, never mind the world. However, if they could do it someday, I've no doubt that they will. And if I have to pay for emails then I may as well use pidgeons to send my messages.
It's not so much about controlling the internet exactly, but our means of accessing it. They don't own "the internet" but they do own the massive networks and phone lines and all that crap that basically make it possible.
