Wikileaks - Big brother's big brother

UPDATE: Swedish prosecutors have lost their High Court appeal against bail granted to the Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.

The greatest threat to society is ignorance. I see this posing a massive threat against us regarding data retention directive (DLD in Norwegian), and with freedom of press and freedom of expression regarding Wikileaks and Julian Assange.

On a weekly basis I talk to people who ask me questions regarding both subjects. And I am shocked by their lack of knowledge. Wake up and smell the coffee, sweetheart...the government has been oppressing you since the day you were born.

I don't enjoy destroying their illusions. If people don't start waking up, they will unknowingly ruin my freedom. These people are drones, and waking up to reality is deeply uncomfortable. Democracy is constantly evolving, and if you don't participate it will evolve into something you really don't want it to. Use that freedom of expression to make sure you remain a free human being.

Use it or loose it.

I am growing tired of debating with ignorant people. If I can access the information, then so can you. The government prefer you to stay stupid and ignorant, we see it in the states where the education system has left the country on the break of total destruction. And in Norway education is not prioritized, the politicians want you working, not educated. Work, make them money, stay dumb. If that does not work, they will start censoring the news papers, the radio, they will twist and distort your information claiming it's for your own good. As with data retention.

Mass surveillance is for our own safety. They are doing this to protect us from terrorists, predators, Pirate Bay and other «serious crime». They are creating an enemy, whom we did not fear at all, mind you. This is information you willingly pass on to the next person. Spreading misinformation like a virus. You recognize China as a supressed country, but fail to see the same prosess at work at home. Res publica. Look it up.

Wikileaks is to me the best example of how this prosses works. Wikileaks has revealed serious war crimes, human rights violations, and corruption spread out over a 4 year period. From human rights violations in Guantanamo Bay, corruption in Kenya, opening up church of scientology, corruption on Iceland, the collateral murder video, the Granai airstrike, the Afghan was diaries, not to mention the diplomatic cables that made governments over the world have a total fit. The list goes on.

Now the US are censoring it's newspapers, students are instructed not to read about wikileaks, library of congress are censoring the material, MasterCard, Visa and Paypal refuse to offer their service to Wikileaks, (that was dealt with) hindering you and me to spend our money the way we want to, claiming Wikileaks is engaged in illegal activities. (Paypal lied and you can read all about that here.) (And let's never forget Bradly Manning.) Yet in spite of all this, wikileaks has not been convicted of any crime. Wikileaks is the messanger, and operates as a media organisation in collaberation with important media such as Guardian, Der Spiegel and New York Times. Yet these are not being persecuted for publishing the same material as Wikileaks. Nor has any other media covering the leaks from across the globe. This is freedom of press. We demonize other countires for censoring people such as Salman Rushdie and Liu Xiaobo, yet we prosecute our own freedom fighters. And we still like to believe we are fully democratic in the west.

Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks is, as we speak, in solitary confinement. He has not been charged with any crime, he has very restriced rights, he is being watched 24/7. Because 2 Swedish girls accused him of rape. I don't see the personal life of Assange to be relevant, but with all the misconseptions I see it as important to sort some facts out.

Assange had consensual sex with Anna Ardin while living in her flat for a few days. She invited Assange to Stockholm to speak at a seminar hosted by The Brotherhood Movement, and was briefly appointed his press secretary during his visit. Ardin tweeted <--this the same day, and the day after, the alleged rape. (Since deleted) Ardin explains how wonderfull it was to hang out with "the coolest people in the world". Wilèn who attended the seminar, more or less stalked Assange.

This ^tweet, her now only listed tweet, is dated desember 12th 2010: "I'm so sick of everything that's happening, will it never end? Want to tell the theoreticians that "the other one" was equally pushy". I have deep sympathies with genuine rape victims as I know a few, but not with Ardin. If you are worried about STD, you go to the doctor, not the cops. This whole thing was a matter between Ardin and Assange, not for the public eye and certainly not for the cops. If your date don't call you the next day, take it up with your girlfriends, not a lawyer.

Please read more about the details here, here and here and last but not least: here. (Last link is in swedish, please use google translate if needed) The rape charges were dropped the same day, as there were no evidence of rape. Then the charge were changed to «sex by surprise». (In Sweden having consecual sex without condom is apparently rape, not listed here.) Assange offered to come in for questioning while in Sweden, but this was denied. He did stay 1 month longer than planned in order to get the questioning done. Denied. He was told he was free to leave the country. 3 months later he is wanted by the Interpol for questioning in Sweden. (Read Wolf's thoughts on the state pimping feminism here) I agree whole heartedy with Wolf in what Ardin and Wilèn are doing, is a grave insult to rape victims all over the world.

Assange has to this day not been charged with anything, and his lawyer has not been presented with any evidence. He has repeatedly offered to go in for questioning at the embassy in London or via video link, but this has again been denied. Assange gave the british police his contact information as soon as he arrived in England, and he turned him self in. Assange has been granted bail, but that was appealed by the UK authorities (!) And now we have to wait for another 24 hours to know the outcome of that. If he is released on bail, he will be kept in house arrest, he has to report everyday, he has to hand over his pass port and wear a electronic tracker. If he's not released on bail we are looking on months of appealing. What a massive waste of money.

We know the US are doing everything they can to extradite Assange and charge him with espionage, when he in fact wanted to involve the US government. But this request was denied. The US are sending shock waves through free press all over the world: Assange is not the criminal, the governments who committed the war crimes, the corruption, the human rights violations are the criminals. The same people who now want him dead. There has not been a single piece of evidence as to claim Wikileaks has put any lives at risk.

In his own words: "Every time WikiLeaks publishes the truth about abuses committed by US agencies, Australian politicians chant a provably false chorus with the State Department: "You'll risk lives! National security! You'll endanger troops!" Then they say there is nothing of importance in what WikiLeaks publishes. It can't be both. Which is it?"

In fact Assange is just letting you and me know whats really going on, putting his life on the line. Julian Assange is the Robin Hood of the information age. Wikileaks is opening up Governments. And you better be grateful enough to take that information and educate yourself any way you can.

This is historical, this is about internet freedom, and about press freedom. And you have to use these rights to maintain them.

On a brighter note: I want to point out that Wikileaks now have 2.194 mirror sites, and a massive support group across the globe. Assange had 382.o24 votes on Time's "Man of the year" (He didnt win, big surprise), more than 10 people offered large sums of money for his bail. Wikileaks has massive support with the people ( 1.371020 fans on Facebook), and functions as an inspiration for new similar organizations just starting up. Demonstrations has taken place is several countries. People are indeed waking up.

Finally I highly reccomend the Forbes interview for a good look into the mind of Assange and the workings of Wikileaks.

Sleepwalking into a Surveillance Society

Telecommunication data retention. In a proposed EU-side law, european internet service providers are requested to retain not only email, but any metadata of communication originating from their network . This issue is currently under debate in many europan countries, and several have voiced reservations, labeling the proposed law as unconstitutional. The politicians who are in favor of the law can't seem to dig up important arguments as to why we as civilians should welcome, or even accept such a restriction of our freedom.

The reason for this is, of course, simply because there are no good arguments. There is now way this law can be utilized as an effective tool for safety in our so called democratic society. Storing data from everyone, is labeling everyone as a potential criminal. A potential pedophile, a terrorist, a member of an organized crime network.
However, the claim is that the data will be available only if you commit a serious crime in the future. Then, and only then, will the police get access to your data trails. Well, atleast that's what they say now. Big Brother is watching you, and people are being watched in their sleep. What scares the shit out of me, is the amount of people who just don't care, claiming there is nothing to be afraid of - unless you are engaged in something dodgy. I want to reprase that to: "As long as you do as you're told."

Today John Ståle Stamnes from Kripos (the investive branch of the norwegian police) wrote about this in the biggest news paper in Norway. And by doing so, he reveals Kripos' lack of understanding of the internet, and also their unvillingness to attack internet crime from a different angle. The pedophile is a returning villain in his line of argumentation. I suppose this is in order to hopefully trigger the well known knee jerk response most people get from the word by itself. But the pedophile who downloads the child porn, is not the same person who raped the child in the first place. That child is allready a victim, and will remain so no matter how many people get arrested for wanking off to some underage filth. The child is primarily being hurt in the real world, not in cyberspace. The crime it being commited in homes, by dads and moms, by other family members and friends, by strangers, by pimps and by the mafia. These are the people that should be taken down. Take the producers, not the consumers.

The police don't need suveillance of you and me in order to do their job. By accepting this transgression against your privacy, you lower the bar for future abuse of power. you are in fact opening a door that cannot be closed. You are being watched while walking down the street, you are being watched while in the store, while in the bank, on the buss, in the train, on the plane. Everywhere. You don't need to be watched while you're on your computer as well.

Crime will not be prevented by watching you and me. Claiming so, is nothing more than an insult to these children. The people engaging in these crimes, are way ahead of the police, way more technically advanced using proxy servers, fake IPs and so on. Anyone who's spent alot of time online knows that child pornograpy is not rampant on google. It's a very closed lid business, with very limited access, for very few people. I've seen every sick site out there, I've seen fucked up shit you cant even imagine. BUT I have never once seen child porn. Have you?
Tust me, that "Barely Legal Teen" is a 25 year old porn star with room for a double DP and more. Sporting pig tails and a pink plaid skirt, does not make you a 8 year old virgin.

You and I do not need or want to be afriad of being labeled as perverts, nor do we want to be afraid of using the internet, or our phone, in fear of doing something potentially illegal. You want to be able to wank off to your tentacle hentai porn and not be looking over your shoulder while doing so.
You want your freedom. You want your right to privacy. Remember that.
There is no NEED for this law. And the need can not and will not be created through mass propaganda that taps into constructed fear. In China, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Burma and Belarus we label cencorship and internet surveillance as violating human rights , while here it's for "our own protection".
Not only does this law invade your privacy, it blurs the boundries between public and private spheres.
In the words of Michel Foucault surveillance creates a feeling of always being watched, thus enabling the public to self police. A terrifying dystopic future.

And who watches the watchmen?

" Nineteen Eighty-Four " anyone?

Listen: Your child is safe, your child is not in terrible, immediate danger of falling into the hands of the millions of pedophiles out there on the net. Beacuse there aren't millions of pedophiles on the net, or living next to you. You protect your child. Not the goverment. This is the goverment way of trying to create fear, a false need. Don't let them fool you.

This is not about protection, this is all about control.

We are sleepwalking into a surveillance Society.
And I ask you all to wake the fuck up.

Say no to techno- fascism.

Please stop by these links:
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/resume.jsp?id=5275032&eventId=935334&backToCaller=NO&language=en

http://www.edri.org/issues/privacy/dataretention

http://stoppdld.no/