Forbidden Countries Issue

[AMLJ]

Hi... For a long time I wanted to mention this... Don't you think this is not right? I don't want to start a political discussion here, but I'm really tired of this! Source Forge, Adobe, NVIDIA, Debian (Blocks some IPs)... All block IPs from Iran...
I hope that we can change at least Debian...

I don't understand, do they really think the government needs these? Don't they understand that it's normal people who need these applications, drivers, etc?
Don't they understand that people like me, have no way to change what the government does?

In Iran, the government blocks most of the websites, itself... And now, we have problem on this side too...

I can get my work done using SSH tunneling, but what about many other people out there?

Don't you guys think this is wrong? Shouldn't everyone have access to a free Internet?

To make it a bit more serious, I decided to start an online petition... Please sign it... Maybe we can change something... (I doubt it)
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/free ... forpeople/

I hope this changes... Waiting to see what you guys think...

[Mr James]

I reside currently in Syria. If one side does not block my access, the other does. No it is not right and sucks.
Only Joe Average is effected and Governments do not give a crap about Joe Average.

[Hallvor]

I do believe that free flow of information in a free Internet is what oppressive governments fear the most, and I do believe that any government should fear its people: I voted no.

[eric1959]

These corrupt regimes fear a free internet :
http://www.thenational.ae/news/worldwid ... st-protest

I voted NO

[richs-lxh]

I also voted no. I just got a link to this thread from identi.ca and have to say that it is totally absurd what has been happening over the last couple of months regarding internet freedom.

Today Cairo, Egypt had an internet blackout imposed by its government, Anonymous protesters who performed DDOS attacks in support of Wikileaks were arrested and face imprisonment while the DDOS attacks "against" Wikileaks go uninvestigated. It goes on and on. We all know what happened regarding the Wikileaks website/dns etc, and what continues to happen to Julian Assange

And now, if you live in Iran you can't download Debian!

Looks like we aren't as free as we would like to believe.

[traveler]

No, of course.
It's this.

[canci]

What's a country?

I voted no. Generalisations suck donkey mud-butt on 50° C and belong in the sewers! *GRRRRR! All of them are on my shitlist, and I sincerely hope Debian will remove this policy (or at least gives proper explanation why it can't), or I'm out.

[nadir]

a proper explanation would probably look similar to this:

As one of the first companies to promote the adoption and distribution of free and open source software, and one that still puts open source at the center of its corporate ideals, restrictions on the free flow of information rub us the wrong way. However, in addition to participating in the open source community, we also live in the real world, and are governed by the laws of the country in which we are located. Our need to follow those laws supersedes any wishes we might have to make our community as inclusive as possible. The possible penalties for violating these restrictions include fines and imprisonment. Other hosting companies based in the US have similar legal and technical restrictions in place.

from here: http://sourceforge.net/blog/clarifying- ... th-us-law/
search term: "Debian blocks Iran"; within the first results for that.
I think one will find info about it here, at forums.debian.net, too. I seem to remember i read it a while ago.

Business like usual: the rules spoil all the fun...

Someone should vote with "yes", else the poll is boring.

[llivv]

Business like usual: the rules spoil all the fun...

Someone should vote with "yes", else the poll is boring.

Yes, casue it sucks to be at the bottom of the shizznit ma nizzzards - spells

[canci]

It's sad that even on the Internet I'm not spared from human stupidity. I could bear Facebook and Youtube, but this certainly tops it.

[Penguin Skinner]

It's sad that even on the Internet I'm not spared from human stupidity.

As Frank Zappa observed, "There is more stupidity around than hydrogen, and it has a longer shelf life." IMO the internet would certainly seem to prove it.

[eric1959]

http://lxnews.org/2011/01/28/debian-dev ... t-cut-off/

http://foolab.org/node/7892

[BioTube]

If the Iranians could access the internet, you might replace your government with on that knows how to watch its tongue - and then the US would be out an enemy. Better radicalizing sanctions than lose another bogeyman.

[BowCatShot]

Man, history certainly does repeat itself, doesn't it? I remember the days of Radio Free Europe when the suppressive regimes of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union criminalized the dissemination of information. In the end the people found a way and freedom sprang forth.

Now it's happening with the internet. Eventually the good guys will win but it seems that first a lot of pain and discomfort has to take place.

[nadir]

how to watch its tongue

My guess is that neither the government nor the nation of Persia, with a history and culture as long and impressive as it is, likes it to get told "to watch its tongue". Especially not by a child (seen in terms of history).

Yes, BowCatShot, radio-free-europe and all, i had similar thoughts like you. Otoh this time it is just the other way around....
what is also ironic is that Hitlers reaching for world-leadership made the USA re-consider the policy of isolationism and enter world-history. Not everything turns out like it was planned....

btw: what happend to stuxnet?

greetings from a little peninsula at the west coast of Asia.

[BowCatShot]

"Not everything turns out like it was planned...."

How true. I would say that hardly anything turns out like it was planned.

[Hallvor]

Eventually the good guys will win but it seems that first a lot of pain and discomfort has to take place.

The "good guys" always win because it is they who eventually write history. Of course they write they are the good guys. (If the real good guys always won, would the world look like this?)

[BowCatShot]

"The "good guys" always win because it is they who eventually write history. Of course they write they are the good guys. (If the real good guys always won, would the world look like this?) "

If the real good guys didn't eventually win I and possibly you wouldn't exist.

[Hallvor]

If the real good guys didn't eventually win I and possibly you wouldn't exist.

Really? Please explain.

[vmamonov]

If the real good guys didn't eventually win I and possibly you wouldn't exist.

afraid of "evil commies"?