captsolo weblog

Irish recording industry is forcing ISPs into disconnecting Internet users and censoring the Internet. This blog posts describes the problem and tells why it is a very bad idea:

• http://andyaz.ie/blackout-ireland/

These threats have led Internet users to start a protest movement called Blackout Ireland:

• Blackout Ireland blog
• #blackoutirl Twitter conversations - live updates

Blackout Ireland follows in the footsteps of the original #blackout
in NZ. They are fighting against a controversial censorship law that was
about to be introduced:

• New Zealand Internet Blackout - protests against the Guilt Upon Accusation law ‘Section 92A’
• NZ #blackout timeline shows a prime example of citizen activism

You may think that turning your Twitter avatar black may not have much effect. You may be wrong. Imaging the awareness that can be raised by such high-profile twitter users as @stephenfry when his >200′000 readers were wondering why his avatar was black (during NZ #blackout).

Update: Canada is emerging as another battlefront for online rights:

• Canada’s Quebecor (ISP) wants a three strikes approach that would terminate its own subscribers

Michael Geist writes in the article linked above:

“That any ISP could demonstrate such hostility toward its own customers provides a clear indicator of the utter lack of broadband competition in Canada and serves as a warning that the New Zealand fight could eventually make its way here.”