UKCIA Press Release - Essex County Council censorship
Phil Stovell
The GreenHouse
Bethel Street
Norwich
Tel 01603 766854 (home) 01603 773044 (office)
Press release from the UK Cannabis Internet Activists http://www.ukcia.org
During the week of 11th November it was drawn to our attention that UKCIA along
with other drugs campaigning websites was being censored on computers in
libraries run by Essex County Council.
This was happening because the council has taken the decision to ban access to
websites which carry information about the use and sale of illegal drugs, even
though such sites are not illegal in this country. Indeed, any site which
supports harm reduction will carry that sort of information. This decision was
taken by a sub committee of the strangely named "Peoples network project board"
and seemingly never challenged nor checked.
It should be noted that this ban only applies to libraries in Essex and not
schools, so whilst Essex children are permitted to see drugs information sites,
adults aren't.
The site was being blocked because the council had decided to use a filter
provided by the Smartfilter censorware, provided by the American company Secure
Computing which can ban sites which "provide information on the purchase,
manufacturing, and use of illegal or recreational drugs", cannabis sites are
mentioned specifically.
Fortunately, following an e-mail from UKCIA Smartfilter have realised their
mistake and will move UKCIA from the "Drugs, politics/religion" category to
"'politics/religion/opinion" and so UKCIA will again be available in Essex when
the change takes effect. However, this doesn't address the cause of the
problem, which is Essex CC's policy of blanket information censorship.
UKCIA isn't the only site being censored by Essex CC. At the time of writing
the LCA (http://www.lca-uk.org) is blocked as is the Dutch language version of
Drugtext (http://www.drugtext.nl), although not the English version
(http://www.drugtext.org/) for example. Most of the smaller drugs sites aren't
blocked however because they're not listed on Smartfilter's database.
UKCIA will try to establish on what grounds Essex decided to censor access to
sites such as UKCIA and what parameters they have set for doing so. We'll also
try to find which sites are censored, although owing to the way censorware
works. Essex CC has no way of knowing which sites are in fact blocked, it's a
blind blanket censorship which has no place in British libraries.
UKCIA will be available in Essex libraries again from November 18th
Derek Williams
Webteam UKCIA
Notes:
Smartfilter censorware website
http://www.securecomputing.com/index.cfm?skey=85
Check to see if Smart filter is blocking your website
(http://www.securecomputing.com/cgi-bin/filter_whereV301.cgi)
Confirmation of change of category from SmartFilter
(http://www.ukcia.org/library/censored/censoreware.htm)
UKCIA is the website of the British Legalise Cannabis campaigns and contains a
wide range of information relating to cannabis, its uses and the culture it
supports. We do not seek to encourage the use of cannabis but we do seek to
provide accurate information from referenced sources.
--
Phil Stovell
South Hampshire, UK
C
"Phil Stovell" <ph...@stovell.org.uk> wrote in message
news:2fqervoe91d26pno6...@4ax.com...
> UKCIA
> The GreenHouse
> Bethel Street
> Norwich
>
> Tel 01603 766854 (home) 01603 773044 (office)
>
> Press release from the UK Cannabis Internet Activists http://www.ukcia.org
>
> During the week of 11th November it was drawn to our attention that UKCIA
along
> with other drugs campaigning websites was being censored on computers in
> libraries run by Essex County Council.
As a resident of Essex and a parent I wholly support Essex County Council
for this action.
Well Done ECC and thankyou for taking a responsible attitude to the evils of
drugs.
smicker
They have just give children the greatest incentive ever to try
cannabis now. What strikes me as plain daft too is that these folks
were probably quite happy to puff away when they were growing up:-)
smicker
http://turtill.blogspot.com
Shroomer
>Well Done ECC and thankyou for taking a responsible attitude to the evils of
>drugs.
How can "evil" come into this? And do you think the library should
burn any books containing information about drugs? Or other topics
deemed evil by your good (presumably) self? Are you so afraid of
information that ignorance is preferable to it?
Thankfully not all parents take such a stance,
Shroomer
*** www.JointIntelligenceCommittee.com ***
Trippy new CD "Grow" available to buy online NOW from www.BogusFocus.com
A free copy on request to any open UK "Amsterdam" Coffee Shop.
Clough
>As a resident of Essex and a parent I wholly support Essex County Council
>for this action.
>
>Well Done ECC and thankyou for taking a responsible attitude to the evils of
>drugs.
Authoritarianism, censorship, supression of dissenting views. The
above rant is the prohibition mindset in a nutshell and why the fight
against prohibition is about more than just legally regulating drugs.
Clough
" >
In your rabid haste to invoke the "please won't somebody think of the
children" defence, you seem to have overlooked the part of Phil's post
where he says:
"It should be noted that this ban only applies to libraries in Essex and
not schools, so whilst Essex children are permitted to see drugs
information sites, adults aren't"
Next time, you may find it helps to read the posts you're responding to
before you lose whatever semblance of rationality you might have to
start with.
Tom Sacold
> In your rabid haste to invoke the "please won't somebody think of the
> children" defence, you seem to have overlooked the part of Phil's post
> where he says:
>
> "It should be noted that this ban only applies to libraries in Essex and
> not schools, so whilst Essex children are permitted to see drugs
> information sites, adults aren't"
>
> Next time, you may find it helps to read the posts you're responding to
> before you lose whatever semblance of rationality you might have to
> start with.
>
It was a sensible response and the ban should probably be extended to
schools as well. Its a pity that other so called adults don't take a
similar responsible approach to drugs.
It seems to me that we have a bunch of middle aged hippies who never grew up
trying to impose their perverted view of the world on everyone else.
James
I do have a sensible approach to drugs. I believe that people should be
allowed access to unbiased and factual information about them, and
should be allowed to make up their own minds.
Your views would appear to be more along the lines of "just accept what
the government tells you, there's a nice chap" , and there was me
thinking that we lived in a free country.
--
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this post are solely mine and do not in any way reflect the views of my employers.
Any resemblance they may bear to reality is purely coincidental.
Phil Stovell
Perhaps you would like to re-write that when you've read the WHOLE press
release.
Phil Stovell
<tom.s...@nospamntlworld.com> wrote:
><snip>
>> In your rabid haste to invoke the "please won't somebody think of the
>> children" defence, you seem to have overlooked the part of Phil's post
>> where he says:
>>
>> "It should be noted that this ban only applies to libraries in Essex and
>> not schools, so whilst Essex children are permitted to see drugs
>> information sites, adults aren't"
>>
>> Next time, you may find it helps to read the posts you're responding to
>> before you lose whatever semblance of rationality you might have to
>> start with.
>>
>
>It was a sensible response and the ban should probably be extended to
>schools as well. Its a pity that other so called adults don't take a
>similar responsible approach to drugs.
May I ask if you've visited the web sites in question or did you hide behind
the sofa?
>It seems to me that we have a bunch of middle aged hippies who never grew up
>trying to impose their perverted view of the world on everyone else.
Oh dear.
ray
@(andthisone)yahoo.co.uk
<""imnotreallyreal(removethisbit)\"@(andthisone)yahoo.co.uk"> wrote in
message news:bp8qhi$sut$1...@new-usenet.uk.sun.com...
>
> Next time, you may find it helps to read the posts you're responding to
> before you lose whatever semblance of rationality you might have to
> start with.
Mwahahaha, pot-heads invoking rationality.....
Synaptic Flow
"ray" <r...@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:bpd1pn$oqf$1...@hercules.btinternet.com...
Do you know many? Ever talk to them? Just beacause somebody decides to smoke
dope, it doesn't automatically turn them into an idiot, I presume you
wouldn't pre judge somebody's intelligence who enjoys a few drinks despite
that particular drugs ability to kill brain cells.
smicker
Yes and booze turned me into a cripple too mentally, physically and
financially.
smicker
http://turtill.blogspot.com
Synaptic Flow
"smicker" <ross...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:cvokrvg1e0epcuha2...@4ax.com...
All drugs including those available without pescription are capable of
causing harm if abused, that is a fact, I have to agree with Smicker,
alcohol (or rather my abuse of it at times) has done me far more harm than
toking on a spliff.
smicker
<serpent...@tiscali.co.uk> wrote:
You wait until you get skint, ( you know, when you can't get your
mother out of the pawnbrokers), and start on the Linctus and crushed
valium breakfast LOL.
smicker
http://turtill.blogspot.com
Synaptic Flow
I would never do that to my mother!! Granny gets much more money at Cash
Converters, and auntie Paula says she likes Portman Road ;) I did wander
from the subject though, the thread concerned the expected level of
intelligence from people who use cannabis as a recreational drug & I and a
lot of others who do indulge occasionally, find it idiotic that these
perceptions can be so applied unilaterally when the evidence of IQ slaughter
caused by drinking can be observed in any town centre most days of the week.
Must catch up with your blog by the way, been a while :)
smicker
<serpent...@tiscali.co.uk> wrote:
snip
Yes it is a sad fact of life that some (me) folks cannot do anything
in moderation and we seem to have an addiction gene whether it be for
drugs,gambling or alcohol. I was lucky, I survived. Incidently the old
drunk blog is over now. I have a new one as I fight my way back up to
the level of the gutter:-)
smicker
http://turtill.blogspot.com
Synaptic Flow
I'll take a look very soon, I'm sure it'll be as interesting as the last one
:) I suppose one attitude is to take addiction and turn it in to dedication
to something more sustainable and positive, I used to have that in martial
arts at one point, time for me to look again I think!
smicker
I tried to devote myself to Islam at one time because it is an alcohol
free religion. I lasted a whole 2 years but I couldn't stand the
hypocrisy of what I was doing and in a time of stress I just hit the
bottle again with a vengeance. I was only cured by being unable to
drink and enjoy myself because of my disability and I probably use
that as an excuse not to associate with any of the folks I used to
spend my time drinking with. Once I accepted that it really was easy.
It really is a matter of getting dry and not having to compete or
associate with folks who expect you to be a good old boy in my case.
Stopping smoking was hard though.
smicker
http://turtill.blogspot.com