In Episode 28 [13] of the CounterVortex podcast [14], Bill Weinberg notes with trepidation Google’s plans to develop a censored search engine for China [15], and thereby be allowed back through the Great Firewall [16] to access the world's largest market. But the next and more sinister step is imposing China's draconian standards for control of information [17] on all Internet users, worldwide. Harbingers of this are already seen in Facebook's censorship of the Tibetan struggle [18], and of the Kurdish struggle in Turkey [19], as well as initiatives to suppress footage of Israeli war crimes [20]. While protesting these moves is imperative, the potential for such abuses in inherent to the technology—and this, ultimately, is a deeper and more complex problem that also urgently demands a critique. Listen on SoundCloud [13], [21] and support our podcast via Patreon [22].
Music: Tonkha, by Tenzin Choegyal [25]
Production by Chris Rywalt [26]
We ask listeners to donate just $1 per episode via Patreon [22]. A total of $30 per episode would cover our costs for engineering and producing. We are currently up to $20.
