© Press AssociationWeb inventor Sir Tim Berners-Lee has denied the internet has an 'off-switch'.
The inventor of the world wide web has denied there is an "off-switch" which could turn off the internet across the globe.
Sir Tim Berners-Lee, who launched the web on Christmas Day 1990, said the only way the internet could ever be entirely shut down is if governments all over the world co-ordinated to make it a centralised system.
It comes after moves by the Egyptian government last year to suppress use of the web led to speculation that the Hosni Mubarak regime had found a kill switch for the internet.
Speaking at the launch of the first ever global league table classifying countries which put the web to work best, the 57-year-old computer scientist said: "The way the internet is designed is very much as a decentralised system. At the moment, because countries connect to each other in lots of different ways, there is no one off-switch, there is no central place where you can turn it off.
"In order to be able to turn the whole thing off or really block, suppress one particular idea then the countries and governments would have to get together and agree and co-ordinate and turn it from a decentralised system to being a centralised system. And if that does happen it is really important that everybody fights against that sort of direction."
Sweden has topped the Web Index league table launched by the World Wide Web Foundation, followed by the US in second and the UK in third. Nepal, Cameroon and Mali were the bottom three of 61 countries measured using indicators such as the political, economic and social impact of the web, connectivity and use.
Asked about rumours that he himself was one a handful of people who had the ability to switch off the net, Sir Tim joked: "I am afraid that now that you know I will have to shoot you.
"I have put on filters which allow me just to investigate just every single word that any of you have said to each other. You won't know what is happening but as you talk to each other it will be quietly modified to appear to be whatever I want you to be saying. I will take a deep control of the world. Apart from that, everything will remain as usual."
Comedian and avid Twitter user Stephen Fry, 55, was also present at the launch of the Web Index at the National Theatre in central London, and said the greatest threat to freedom on the internet was the attempt to curb the free exchange of ideas.
He said: "The free exchange of ideas is what is behind democracy or any kind of open way of living and when you control the press, when you control television, radio or now what you might call the web, all the transactions of knowledge that flow between people, individuals and countries, when firewalls are put around that, when information is not allowed in or out of a country, it is pretty much inexcusable."
I. Didn't Al Gore do that? ("Invent" the internet?)*
II. Hmmm.
Seems to be a lot of wiggle room in this article and in the comments:
“It comes after moves by the Egyptian government last year to suppress use of the web led to speculation that the Hosni Mubarak regime had found a kill switch for the internet.” [No, that would have been the PTB & their “intelligence” agencies.]
“Speaking at the launch of the first ever [public?] global league table classifying countries which put the web to work best, the 57-year-old computer scientist said: ‘The way the internet is designed is very much as a decentralised system. AT THE MOMENT, - [done in a week or two?] - because countries connect to each other in lots of different ways, there is no ONE off-switch, there is NO CENTRAL PLACE where you can turn it off.’
[Maybe there's two switches, in two adjacent rooms, organized at some previous private meeting of the PTB?]
"In order to be able to turn the whole thing off or really block, suppress one particular idea then the countries and governments would have to get together and agree and co-ordinate and turn it from a decentralised system to being a centralised system. And IF THAT DOES HAPPEN it is really important that EVERYBODY FIGHTS AGAINST THAT SORT OF DIRECTION."
[But didn’t he just say that it was impossible? That’s what the article leads one to believe.]
(Snip)
Asked about rumours that he himself was one a handful of people who had the ability to switch off the net, Sir Tim JOKED [Trust us, we’re the MSM. Would we lie to you?]:
"I am afraid that now that you know I will have to shoot you.
"I have put on filters which allow me just to investigate just every single word that any of you have said to each other. You won't know what is happening but as you talk to each other it will be quietly modified to appear to be whatever I want you to be saying. I will take a deep control of the world. Apart from that, everything will remain as usual."
[THIS JUST SO HAPPENS to be a standard PTB propaganda approach - make fun of anyone thinking otherwise, and thereby imply, “No SANE person could think that way.” However, in the world today, given the importance of the net for communication between those SOTT-like folk who think outside the box, and its role as at least a vestigal source of greater truths than those found through the MSM, along with the actual and theoretical, yet likely, threats to it, (e.g., the PTB’s Illegal monitoring and tracking of dissenters, such as the guy who was arrested while he was en route to protesting at the DNC, where the “law men” knew that in advance - from such illegal monitoring - and then used it to argue he should be detained for duration of the DNC), DOS attacks, et al, ad infinitum), this would hardly seems a proper subject for joking. And yet, as if to reinforce that, what do we get next?]
“Comedian and avid Twitter user Stephen Fry! ..who said: "The free exchange of ideas is what is behind democracy or any kind of open way of living and when you control the press, when you control television, radio or now what you might call the web, all the transactions of knowledge that flow between people, individuals and countries, when firewalls are put around that, when information is not allowed in or out of a country, [as opposed to, say, in and out of ALL countries] it IS PRETTY MUCH INEXCUSABLE." [Those are some rather weak words for supposedly strong terms of condemnation, eh? To me, this looks to be an - unintentional or subconscious, perhaps - inverse application of “damning with faint praise.”
So I research that concept, and what do I find?
First, A list of terms of logic, debate & fallacies (which mostly consist of descriptions of standard propaganda techniques), such as ad hominem, begging the question, appeal to authority, et al, here: [Link]and,
Second, some guy named Bob suggesting a name for such tactic: “To feint with damned praise,”here: [Link]
Just my half cent’s worth.
R.C.
* Like the article, this joke ignores any actual or claimed differences between internet & www, if any there be.
R.C.