Bold stance: Microsoft says terrorism is bad by Shaun Nichols.
From the post:
Microsoft is enacting a new policy to remove terrorist content from its consumer services.
The Redmond software giant said that the new terms and conditions for its hosted services will bar any content containing graphic violence or supporting material for any group considered a terrorist organization by the United Nations Sanctions List.
Additionally, Microsoft says that it will remove terrorist-related content from its Bing search engine whenever requested by government agencies and will try to display links promoting anti-terror non-government organizations when returning queries for terrorism-related search results.
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Censorship on the Internet and sadly support for the same grows every week.
From the Microsoft announcement:
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We believe it’s important that we ground our approach to this critical issue in central principles and values. We have a responsibility to run our various Internet services so that they are a tool to empower people, not to contribute, however indirectly, to terrible acts. We also have a responsibility to run our services in a way that respects timeless values such as privacy, freedom of expression and the right to access information. We’ve therefore carefully considered how to address terrorist content that may appear on our services without sacrificing the fundamental rights we all hold dear. Although Microsoft does not run any of the leading social networks or video-sharing sites, from time to time, terrorist content may be posted to or shared on our Microsoft-hosted consumer services. In light of this, we want to be transparent about our approach to combatting terrorist content.
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I have doubts about the statement:
“We’ve therefore carefully considered how to address terrorist content that may appear on our services without sacrificing the fundamental rights we all hold dear.”
If they had, “…carefully considered…,” the question they would not engage in censorship at all.
If you disagree, consider the United Nations Sanctions List, circa 1939:
CNi.001 Name: 1: Mao Zedong 2: Mao 3: na 4: na Name (original script) 毛泽东 Nationality: Chinese Passport no: na National Identification: na Address: China Listed on: January 1, 1927 Other information: Created the Southwest Jiangxi Provincial Soviet Government. Skilled in-fighter with many internal rivals.
CNe.001 Name: Southwest Jiangxi Provincial Soviet Government
Address: na Listed on: June 1, 1930 Other Information: na
Or the United Nations Sanctions List, circa 1800:
UKe.001 Name: Continental Congress 2: na 3: na 4: na
Address: British colonies, America Listed on: January 1, 1776 Other Information: Criminal association of traitors, former British military officers and opportunists.
UKi.001 Name: George Washington 2: na 3: na 4: na DOB: February 22, 1732 Nationality: UK Address: Virginia Listed on: January 1, 1775 Other information: Former colonel in British Army, skilled tactician, co-conspirator with other known traitors.
UKi.002 Name: Thomas Jefferson 2: “Tom” Jefferson 3: na 4: na DOB: April 13, 1743 Nationality: UK Address: Virginia Listed on: January 1, 1775 Other information: Propagandist of first order.
UKi.003 Name: Thomas Paine 2: “Tom” Paine 3: Thomas Pain 4: na DOB: January 29, 1737 Nationality: UK Address: various Listed on: January, 1774 Other information: Known associate of revolutionaries in American colonies of the UK, collaborator with French revolutionaries (1790’s), author of “Common Sense” and wanted for conviction on seditious libel (1792).
The question for Microsoft today is which of the publications and news reports from the revolution in China and/or the American Revolutionary War would they censor as supporting terrorists and/or terrorism?
With even a modicum of honesty, all will concede that acts of terrorism were committed both in China and in what is today known as the United States.
Unless you would censor Mao Zedong, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, then “terrorist” and “terrorism” offer no basis for censoring content.
In truth, “terrorist,” and “terrorism,” are labels for atrocities committed by others, nothing more.
Strive for a free and non-censored Internet.
Let history judge who was or wasn’t a terrorist and even then that changes over time.