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Old 04-21-2008, 07:31 PM   #4 (permalink)
Ustwo
Pissing in the cornflakes
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Order_of_Monkey
In recent months my internet provider seems to think that I am no longer allowed to do whatever I want with my internet connection, mainly they have prevented me from downloading using torrents and other peer to peer programs. I admit that this seems like a very small problem at its start but it offends in two ways. First, I am a paying customer. I don’t see how it is fair for them to tell me what I can and cannot do with the service I am paying for. Second, this is just masking a larger issue. The internet is suppose to be place of freedom. I should be able to use it as I want. I hate to break it out but this seems like the prefect place to apply the classic “slippery slope” argument. They are stopping us from using these programs now but who is to say that they don’t plan on censoring the internet by blocking our access to certain sites in the future.

I don’t know, maybe I am making a bigger issue out of this than I should be. It just somehow seems so very wrong to me.
Who is to say indeed.

While undoubtedly you are angry at such infringements of your service, I might start with looking at it from their perspective.

First, it is a pay for service enterprise. You pay them for a service. They have decided that they will no longer offer you some services. If your lawn care service decided they were no longer going to pick your dandelions from your yard, you might look for another lawn care service, if that was something important to you, and in this case you should look for another ISP.

And I would say, almost with certainty, at some future time even ISP's based in semi-free countries will block some sites. This would be an economic decision, and as such you should make your own. It is not a government edict though that is what I am afraid you may be asking for in regards to internet services.

Remember the same powers which can force an ISP to do what you want via imperial edict can be used against you, ask our members located in the UEA and you can see this is not a slippery slope but a real event. When that happens, you no longer have a economic choice but a political issue, and it is far easier to simply find a new provider than overthrow a government.
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