A bunch of anti-Obama blogs were apparently shut down on Google’s Blogspot as suspected spam. They say that Obama fans reported them as spam to get rid of them. I have no idea what the truth is. The fear online has been that false information could be spread. It’s another fear that speech can be silenced.
(I suppose I should make clear that I don’t think any official Obama campaign effort is remotely behind this if it’s true. The point, instead, is that rogues can cause trouble. This would seem to be a variation on Swiftboating but rather than try to get a message out, the goal would be to bat an opposing message down.)
Jeff,
Good catch. Let’s apply what happened here to your post the other day about the internet and the FCC (F the FCC: The internet as interstate). In this case Google decided for whatever reason to shut down blogs critical of Obama. Those sites had an alternative place to go – Wordpress.
Now lets assume Government controlled the distribution system. Does anybody really believe these blogs would have someplace else to go?
One other point regarding your post from the other day. Newspapers always were and still are distribution systems. They own them and and also provide content. Those who want government control over the internet would squeal like stuck pigs if government control over newspaper distribution were proposed.
Walter Abbott wrote: “Now lets assume Government controlled the distribution system. Does anybody really believe these blogs would have someplace else to go?”
The distribution system should not be “controlled” but rather “provided.” Those who provide the Internet communications infrastructure should not be in the business of either providing content or making decisions about what others may or may not do with that infrastructure — unless such decisions are needed to ensure the integrity and utility of that infrastructure. Decisions that restrict non-destructive use of infrastructure should only be made by legislatures and courts.
As long as commercial enterprises control the “pipes” then access to those pipes is determined by extra-legal concerns and special interests. Enterprises respond to their stock holders, the personal feelings of their management, and the pull of corporate strategy. With vital infrastructure such as the Internet, only the rule of law and the interests of the citizens should influence decisions about content.
bob wyman
[...] true, this would dovetail nicely with the above listed Number Two: A bunch of anti-Obama blogs were apparently shut down on Google’s Blogspot as suspected spam. [...]
Bob Wyman: With vital infrastructure such as the Internet, only the rule of law and the interests of the citizens should influence decisions about content.
And how are laws decided? They are decided by politics. And who gets to decide the “interests of the citizens?” Government? The Mob?
The government should be nowhere near the internet, either as its provider or content overseer. If it ever gains control, the only information shared will be government approved.
Walter Abbot wrote: “And how are laws decided?”
Yes, bad laws can be written and bad presidents can be elected. However, at least with the government, there is a well established set of mechanism to discover and correct any “errors” that are made. No such mechanism exists with private corporations. As long as the Internet backbone is owned and operated by private corporations, we can only *hope* that they do the right thing. As long as those private corporations are also in the content business, we can be *sure* that our hopes will be in vain.
bob wyman
[...] has this to say: Nobama blogs [...]
[...] gerenomeerde Amerikaans journalist Jeff Jarvis kaart het volgende incident aan op zijn weblog; online weblogplaftorm Blogger.com sluit anti-Obama weblogs af vanwege de verdenking van spam. Het [...]
[...] Nobama blogs kerfuffle (by Jeff Jarvis) A bunch of anti-Obama blogs were apparently shut down on Google’s Blogspot as suspected spam. They say that Obama fans reported them as spam to get rid of them. I have no idea what the truth is. The fear online has been that false information could be spread. It’s another fear that speech can be silenced. (I suppose I should make clear that I don’t think any official Obama campaign effort is remotely behind this if it’s true. The point, instead, is that rogues can cause trouble. This would seem to be a variation on Swiftboating but rather than try to get a message out, the goal would be to bat an opposing message down.) Yes, and that is exactly how the Bushbots behaved, especially in 2000, but also in 2004. [...]
[...] Nobama blogs kerfuffle (by Jeff Jarvis) A bunch of anti-Obama blogs were apparently shut down on Google’s Blogspot as suspected spam. They say that Obama fans reported them as spam to get rid of them. I have no idea what the truth is. The fear online has been that false information could be spread. It’s another fear that speech can be silenced. (I suppose I should make clear that I don’t think any official Obama campaign effort is remotely behind this if it’s true. The point, instead, is that rogues can cause trouble. This would seem to be a variation on Swiftboating but rather than try to get a message out, the goal would be to bat an opposing message down.) Yes, and that is exactly how the Bushbots behaved, especially in 2000, but also in 2004. [...]
[...] of the anti-Obama blogs. But, do they have a valid “EXCUSE” for their incompetence? A “kerfuffle” over the blocking of some blogs by Google — all of them “anti-Obama” — seems to be mostly over. The blogs have been [...]
I suspect that many online dirty tricks have been used by Obama supporters, for in addition to the never ending avalanche of nasty sarcastic posts from pro Obama bloggers … the unprecedented online fund raising by the Obama camp … the online dominance by several pro Obama websites, like Huffington … and, this recent blocking of anti-Obama bloggers, several times, when I posted anti-Obama, Pro Clinton, pro McCain posts to sites who guranteed the aminitiy of my email address … I ended up getting hundreds and hundreds of pieces of spam in my mail box shortly after each time I posted.
This is interesting because iGOOGLE also censored the DrudgeReport.com on their site last Thursday. Basically what GOOGLE did was remove all gadgets from their site that allowed their users to link directly too or search articles on Drudge. Users use to be able to search the gadgets section and find lots of different gadgets for the Drudge Report. Since last Thursday all gadgets broke and now don’t work that use to work for the Drudge Report. They are also not allowing any new gadgets for Drudge to be uploaded into their site. So you have legitimate Drudge gadgets removed and blocked but you can still find gadgets that point to Drudge bashing websites, hhhmmm. Not sure what you call this but it sure in the hell isn’t a spam filter causing this. This is something someone at GOOGLE had to deliberately remove and block. Looks and smells like CENSORESHIP to me and right before a political election. Wow how is it such a coincidence that this is happening right now? Don’t get stuck on stupid
FWIW – I started a new blog at http://blog.4info4.com/ and after being initially listed on bloggernity.com it disappeared a short time later and I couldn’t re-submit it. A leftist, pro Obama blog submitted about the same time stayed!
[...] Jeff Jarvis on the Presidential campaign [...]
If they can’t make those who oppose Obama go away, they just accuse them of hate and racism. Weak minded fools.