https://archive.md/mFcZz
"In many countries around the world — from Russia and Iran to Venezuela and
Cuba — dictators regularly draft new laws aimed at destroying citizens’ rights,
including those related to the internet. Far too often, U.S. tech companies
comply with these laws without asking too many questions.
Block access to foreign media? Done. Restrict tools that bypass censorship? No
problem. Deny citizens tools to encrypt their messages to avoid repression?
Even to that, Big Tech says “yes.”
Every concession to dictators hides a tragedy. In Iran, administrators of
opposition media platforms, whose data was handed over to the government, have
been executed under the country’s laws. In Russia, tens of millions lost access
to uncensored information about Vladimir Putin’s bloody war against Ukraine,
leaving them vulnerable to relentless state propaganda — all in full compliance
with laws dictated by a regime that flagrantly violates international norms.
These “laws” are crafted by a dictator and rubber-stamped by a toy parliament
of loyalists.
“But do we really have a choice?” corporate lawyers from Western tech companies
argue. “To operate in a country, we must follow its laws!” They see no room for
debate. Law is law, they claim. And it must be obeyed.
But there
is room for discussion. And we aim to start it.
The principle of “following local laws, no matter what they are” provides a
convenient excuse. But it’s just that: an excuse and a moral dodge. Local laws
can demand stoning a woman for uncovering her face or imprisoning someone for
15 years for calling Putin’s war a crime. We propose that companies replace the
principle of blindly “following local laws, no matter what” with three other
simple ones."
Via Susan ****
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
