Will the internet be filtered/censored in the future?

[R'as al Ghul]

The next step to protect copyrighted material: simply filter the illegal traffic.
Yes, ISP's could decide to become traffic cops and restrict your data flows as AT & T is currently pondering:
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/0...ter/index.html

“The volume of peer-to-peer traffic online, dominated by copyrighted materials, is overwhelming. That clearly should not be an acceptable, continuing status,”

Of course, the amount of computational power that's needed to filter worldwide traffic makes this almost impossible. Yet, it seems to be a certain trend for ISP's to think about content filters in the name of the wars against terror, copyright infringement and child porn.

[AntiochusIII]

Yes, ISP's could decide to become traffic cops and restrict your data flows:

The core of the problem. They're not the police. They're in it for profits. Private "cops" playing Big Brother is a very, very bad way to go.

[LittleGrizzly]

I don't think it would work without gverment enfrorcment, surely anyone who this caused problems to would simply change ISP.

[drone]

Here in the States, I would imagine that if they attempt to filter content, they lose Common Carrier protection. Thus they would be responsible for every bit that goes across their hardware. Person uses a chat tool to set up a hit, they are liable. Person downloads child pr0n, they are liable. Person emails a go-notice to hijack a plane, they are liable. Basically, they open themselves up to a legal crap storm. As long as they are oblivious to all content, they are safe.

Of course, after one lawsuit I'm sure the corporations would buy a law to protect themselves.

[Blodrast]

It already is being censored/filtered, in several "civilized" countries. It's only a matter of time until it becomes generally accepted (with the exception of a small minority; most people wouldn't know or care, though, just like with most other aspects of life).

However, given the general ineptitude and lack of technological awareness of politicians, the technological race between enforcing the restrictions and coming up with ways to bypass them (available to anybody with a bit of interest and non-technologically-challenged) will continue for quite some time.

[Mouzafphaerre]

.
It's being done in Turkey ever since. They needed a court's rule, which wasn't the least hard to get, but recently they passed an act and they don't need it anymore. Any peasant-become-civil officer (there are no civil servants here; people are the servants of the state) is able to block any website at his will. Youtube is a frequent popular target.
.

[Reverend Joe]

Oh, god... now we're gonna end up in one of those freakin' awful techno rebel hacker movies from the 80's, where the only way to get around ISP filtering is to enter a crude 3-d avatar and, to the tone of the worst music you have ever heard in your life, navigate a half-assed portal of random lights and blocks and crap, with the occasional wierd-looking picture of the "enemy" popping up and shooting glowing lights at you, and anyone who wants to navigate the idiotic 80's techno tunnel to freedom will need to know all of the worst lingo ever invented by man: leet speak!

GAH!

[AntiochusIII]

Jesus, Gonzo; and I always thought there was that horrible part of my childhood that I forgot about. Now thanks to your post I vaguely recall from the dark depths of my mind some ludicrous visualization involving skeletons and primitive blocky brick dungeons to represent "hacks."

Gah! Gah! Gah! Those "techno" movies are crimes against humanity and their creators should be shot. With crossbows. By skeletons.

[naut]

They're already going to do that here, Neo-Facist Rudd has commanded it be done, and his wish will be fulfilled by the mindless drones who will happily give up their civil liberties.



Not to mention the possible banning of plastic bags without the consultation of the general public.

[Innocentius]

No it won't! Our leaders are great! Hail our leaders!