UK Conservatives Want A "New Internet" Which They Can Control

[LZ1 673]

Hello!

 

More worrying developments from the UK. The Conservatives, spear-headed by Theresa May, want to regulate the Internet further.

 

That is, if they win the upcoming election.

 

Article excerpts:

"Some people say that it is not for government to regulate when it comes to technology and the internet," it states. "We disagree."

Senior Tories confirmed to BuzzFeed News that the phrasing indicates that the government intends to introduce huge restrictions on what people can post, share and publish online.

The plans will allow Britain to become "the global leader in the regulation of the use of personal data and the internet", the manifesto claims.

 

The manifesto makes reference to those increased powers, saying that the government will work even harder to ensure there is no "safe space for terrorists to be able to communicate online". That is apparently a reference in part to its work to encourage technology companies to build backdoors into their encrypted messaging services – which gives the government the ability to read terrorists' messages, but also weakens the security of everyone else's messages, technology companies have warned.

 

The manifesto also proposes that internet companies will have to pay a levy, like the one currently paid by gambling firms. Just like with gambling, that money will be used to pay for advertising schemes to tell people about the dangers of the internet, in particular being used to "support awareness and preventative activity to counter internet harms", according to the manifesto.

The Conservatives will also seek to regulate the kind of news that is posted online and how companies are paid for it. If elected, Theresa May will "take steps to protect the reliability and objectivity of information that is essential to our democracy" – and crack down on Facebook and Google to ensure that news companies get enough advertising money.

 

 

 

[SDBF 22]

Conservative is becoming a very bad word.  I never see anything that is for the good of the people that is labeled conservative.  It's only good for .001%.

[OmniNegro 155]

Sadly, the words "No Safe Space for Terrorists" can only mean "No Safe Space" Period. Only the biggest of fools can believe otherwise.

[LZ1 673]

Sadly, the words "No Safe Space for Terrorists" can only mean "No Safe Space" Period. Only the biggest of fools can believe otherwise.

Indeed. Given earlier leaked reports, they also already wish to strip services of end to end encryption. So it's all quite extreme I must say.