The Ministry of Truth

The Ministry of Truth

Postby Jamal on Wed Jul 21, 2010 11:25 pm

http://www.campaignforliberty.com/article.php?view=1020

If one goes into an internet café it is now legally required in most countries in the European Union to present a government issued form of identification. When I used an internet connection at a Venice hotel, my passport was demanded as a precondition and the inner page, containing all my personal information, was scanned and a copy made for the Ministry of the Interior -- which controls the police force. The copy is retained and linked to the transaction. For home computers, the IP address of the service used is similarly recorded for identification purposes. All records of each and every internet usage, to include credit information and keystrokes that register everything that is written or sent, is accessible to the government authorities on demand, not through the action of a court or an independent authority.


There are so many people decrying the "Islamification" of Europe. If I were European I would be worried about the completely secular invasions of privacy. This is why I inherently distrust "secular" governments. Given the choice of arguing the right to privacy on the internet using the Bible, Quran, or Western legal documents like the US constitution, I would choose either the Bible or the Quran to tell you the truth. They both put significant limits on government powers that simply don't exist in modern legal documents.

Do Muslim countries generally ask for ID at internet cafes? This is something I've never heard of.
Jamal
 
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Re: The Ministry of Truth

Postby ootii on Thu Jul 22, 2010 7:58 pm

Jamal wrote:http://www.campaignforliberty.com/article.php?view=1020

Do Muslim countries generally ask for ID at internet cafes? This is something I've never heard of.


Neither Egypt nor Saudi Arabia routinely collect personal data on Internet users and usage. It's impossible to know whether this is due to a policies on personal privacy or not, although I suspect not. Saudi Arabia does have regulations on personal privacy, but this is directly applied to mail. I'm not sure how it might be interpreted in response to electronic communication.

In the West, people tend to accept government arguments invoking security as a reason for increased surveillance. In the east, naive trust of the government is an easier target for ridicule and this type of explanation is less likely to be accepted.

Salaam,

Omar
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