(Mountings on the figure generated by the access filter of a LAN house)
Abigail Pereira Aranha
There is a lot of talk about pedophilia and safe content for minors these days. But combating pedophilia may have little to do with a pathology and a lot to do with freedom. And freedom for all.
Some parents would like to be their own grandparents, pious, illiterates, rudes, intolerants, and reactionaries. Anyone who wants to know who their children talk to, and what they read or see on the internet may be parents who are friends with the child and worthy of the name of parents, but they are usually just unresolved authoritarians. Their vigilance can alienate from their children some friends, people from certain religious (or non-religious) groups, material with content that diverges from their worldview and, who knows, a pedophile.
Some parents want to transfer to their children their own bitterness, their prejudices and their immaturity (which does not always improve with old age). Some parents don't give their children the time and affection they need. In these cases, the children will be won over by anyone who gives them some attention, affection and acceptance, including, although not exclusively, pedophiles and, in the case of teenage girls, the "hawks" who just want to fuck them and discard them later.
And religion is not outside the "protection of minors". The ratings and filters against "offensive" content do not cater to those who understand Pedagogy, but to pious who are sexually and intellectually repressed - and who want their children as they are. It was not psychologists or educators who promoted a protest against the exhibition "Erotica – Os Sentidos na Arte", by Márcia X, with the right to a campaign via e-mail and threats to close accounts at Banco do Brasil, which sponsored the exhibition. When a Christian text speaks about the internet, it is likely to portray it as all about pornography, dating rogue men and romantic women, adultery and atheism. This even though themselves publish their own ideas on the internet. The religious who condemn the internet today would be (or were) those who in past decades condemned television, cinema and even school.
And the same resources used against pedophiles and against exposing minors to "inappropriate" content can have less noble uses. Internet censorship against pages that disagree with the dominant religion or in opposition to the government are already carried out in some countries. Even today, a user of a computer room may not be able to access a newspaper, such as Observatório da Imprensa (http://observatorio.ultimosegundo.ig.com.br), Alerta Total (http://alertatotal.blogspot.com) or Portugal Diário (http://www.portugaldiario.iol.pt), as I've seen it happen, according to the idiocy of the administrator. If Iran invaded Brazil, forced Brazilians to follow Islam, and blocked access to all non-Islamic pages, the Puritans who praise access filters wouldn't like it. But as long as censorship suits their puritanical inquisition or they're too chicken to think about anything other than "security," that's fine.
Oh, and I am witness that this censorship against sex for teenagers is nonsense. I'm still two months before I turn 18, I'm watching some scenes of women having sex with two men, to share with my friends readers, while I'm preparing this text. And what harm does it do me? I to like to see it and to want to do the same with my friends? I already do it. Hehehehe!
Internet filters and spy programs in the name of protecting minor children crown the most traditional (and stupid) model of education: little information and lots of prohibition. With this, parents think that their children will know what they want, will have the principles they want (those of their religion), will marry virgins to whomever they want, will have the friends they want and will have the life they want (like their own or worse). And the enemies of freedom can offer treats to these "kings of the house" without moral authority. Within their own interests (the enemies of freedom).
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
P. S.
Did I say I was accessing pornography and there were people who didn't believe it? Here's the proof:
bigdicks_0198_1_1_320_240 - http://galleries.aebn.net/beta3/index.cfm/fa/gallery/genre/bigdicks/clip/0198/refid/AEBN-036353/tid/41633/layout/mgp_layout2.cfm
1 - http://galleries.elitedollars.com/mtc/gals/movies/nina/3/index.html?nats=MjE1NjoyNjoxNg,0,0,0,2474
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Appendix 1
The evil that comes from the network
According to a survey, 53% of children and teenagers who browse the internet had contact with aggressive or pornographic content. Primer guides parents.
Luciane Evans and Glória Tupinambás
Small, inquisitive hands on the mouse. Eyes glazed over at the images and drawings that appeared on the computer screen. With every click, a discovery. G. M., at age 6, got to know, alongside her mother, the facilities and charms of the virtual world. One of them allowed conversation with people she had never seen. A chat for children of the same age group. But the girl's fascination ended when an indecent invitation was sent by someone claiming to be the same age: "Let's have sex?"
Outraged innocence is a reality for 53% of children and adolescents who, according to an unprecedented survey, had contact with aggressive content on the internet. The data, released yesterday by the Federal Public Ministry (MPF), are part of a survey by the non-governmental organization (NGO) SaferNet Brasil. To identify victims of attacks by pedophiles and child pornography pages, Minas Gerais closed, last week, an unprecedented agreement in the country with Interpol (international police agency).
While, every day, new content is posted on the network, the availability and lack of security that the virtual medium causes to underage Internet users are greater. According to the study by SaferNet Brasil, which heard 1,400 users, 64% of young people browse the web in their own room, contrary to one of the prevention tips that guides the family to keep the computer in a common area of the house. The survey also shows that 87% of teenagers claim to have no restrictions on use. But the most worrying data in this diagnosis is that 53% of those under 18 had contact with aggressive information and inappropriate sites for their age.
"My luck is that I was next to my daughter. We were both getting to know the children's website and when we entered the chat, which claimed to have internet users the same age as her, the unexpected occurred. As she was only 6 years old at the time, she didn't quite understand what that indecent question meant. And she asked me what it was to have sex. Immediately, I sent an e-mail to the person responsible for the page and he told us that he would track the user", says G. M.'s mother, businesswoman J. M.
After what happened, she confesses that she had no more peace. "I went to a computer technician and asked him to install a program on my computer that would allow me to follow her internet browsing", she says. Today, the girl is 11 years old and is monitored by her mother on a daily basis. "There are a lot of bad people in this cyber world, and as she is in her preteen years, my biggest fear is dating and instant messaging."
J. M.'s report matches a finding in the SaferNet study: 84% of parents fear their children are victims of a malicious adult. Computer technician Felipe Caldeira is among those who are afraid that their children will have contact with inappropriate content, which, according to the survey, represents 74%. Felipe is the father of F., age 9, and C., age 6, and recently discovered, when accessing the computer's history, that the boy was entering pornographic pages. "Our concern is that the boy is still very young. We talked a lot with him and decided to put a password to enter the computer. In addition, we changed the position of the machine in the house, allowing us to see the site being accessed", he reveals.
Frederico does not deny: "It is very easy to enter and find the inappropriate sites". According to him, just go to Google and enter the keyword. And Felipe recognizes that blocking pages is increasingly difficult. Computer technician at Sagrado Coração de Jesus School, in the Center-South region of Belo Horizonte, he confesses that even preventing words like sex and pedophilia, new content is created every day and it is not possible to block them. "The best way is to dialogue with the little ones, saying what is good or bad in the virtual world", he advises.
But the tricks of children to hunt down banned sites work like a trip to parents, as 80% of them said they are more savvy on the Internet than their father or mother, shows the SaferNet survey. On the other hand, the study reveals that 63% of parents say they do not impose rules for their children in the cyber world.
For the fear of parents of teenagers, the survey shows that 90% of reports of internet crimes, registered by the MPF, are from the relationship site Orkut, owned by the company Google Brasil. "The ministry has a group to fight cybercrime, created in 2004, which identified an increase in crime, year after year, of almost 100%. Among the preventive and repressive measures, the most important is the agreement signed with Google, in July, so that the provider can provide more security to the user", says Adriana Scordamaglia, Public Prosecutor and member of the MPF's Group for Combating Cyber Crimes. A meeting between the ministry and company representatives is scheduled for today, at 10 am, to take stock of the partnership.
BOOKLET Based on the study, SaferNet Brasil launched, yesterday, a guidebook for safe use of the internet. "The survey is the first step in the long journey of user awareness. We map how the Brazilian family uses the computer, what vulnerabilities and risks to which they are exposed and the impact of this on the routine of parents and children", says the president of the NGO, Thiago Tavares. He adds that he is going to establish a partnership with the Ministry of Education and with state secretariats so that the informative material reaches schools across the country. "We are also going to draw up strategies and initiatives aimed at victims, to prevent crime from occurring".
—
Estado de Minas, Belo Horizonte, October 10, 2008, p. 23, section Gerais
Appendix 2
Lula blames the media for part of crimes against youth
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva yesterday partially held the mass media responsible for the occurrence of sexual crimes against children and adolescents during the 3rd World Congress to Combat the Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents, in Rio de Janeiro. According to him, the media contributes with its programming for the degradation of the family with the unlimited dissemination of scenes of sex and violence.
Lula criticized the lack of quality cultural programming aimed at children and young people on TV.
According to the president, the growth in the number of minors subjected to sexual assault is not just caused by poverty, which, he admitted, often leads children to "sell their bodies for a plate of food". "Another ingredient, in addition to the economic one, is the process of degradation that humanity is subjected to, starting with the family, due to the quality of information we receive through the means of communication 24 hours a day", stated the president.
"When the family enters a process of degradation that goes through the economic, through the social, but through what they see on television 24 hours a day. Anyone who has cable television knows what I'm talking about. It's sex and violence in the morning, in the afternoon and at night. How many cultural programs do we have on television for children to watch at 7am, 10am, noon, 2pm, 6pm?" A bill that clarifies legislation against pornographic material against children and adolescents was sanctioned by Lula. The information is from the newspaper O Estado de São Paulo.
—
Último Segundo (by Agência Estado), November 26, 2008. Available at <http://ultimosegundo.ig.com.br/brasil/2008/11/26/lula_culpa_midia_por_parte_dos_crimes_contra_jovens_2611638.html>. Accessed on November 27, 2008.
Appendix 3
The Internet — How to Avoid the Dangers
IN A remote village in India, a farmer checks the price of soybeans in Chicago, U.S.A., to determine the best time to sell his crop. At the same moment, a pensioner smiles as she reads an E-mail from her grandson, a traveler sees the weather forecast at his destination, and a mother finds helpful material for her child's homework—all through the Internet. With an estimated 600 million people connected worldwide, the Internet revolution has transformed the way the world communicates and does business.
Especially has the younger generation, sometimes called the Cyber Generation, embraced the Internet. Increasingly, students use it to replace the library as a primary source of news and research. "In a nutshell, these students are... virtually 100 percent connected," said Deanna L. Tillisch, director of a study involving college seniors in the United States. Yes, the Internet is a valuable tool in our modern society.
Generally, the more powerful a tool is, the more dangerous it can be. A gas-powered chain saw can accomplish far more than a handsaw; yet, it must be used carefully. The Internet is likewise extremely powerful and useful, but we must exercise caution when using it, as it also poses serious dangers. Concern about these dangers has caused more than 40 member nations of the Council of Europe to draft an international treaty aimed at the protection of society against cybercrime.
Why all the concern? What are some of the dangers that are of particular concern to Christians? Should they cause you to avoid using the Internet? What guidance does the Bible provide?
Need for Caution
Centuries ago, the Bible warned of dangers posed by evil men described as "master[s] at evil ideas" and "scheming to do bad." (Proverbs 24:8) The prophet Jeremiah described them as "wicked men" whose "houses are full of deception." Like birdcatchers, they "set a ruinous trap" to catch men and "gain riches." (Jeremiah 5:26, 27) Technology has provided modern-day "wicked men" with deceptive traps of new dimensions. Let us consider some schemes that can present grave dangers for Christians.
Internet pornography is a 2.5-billion-dollar-a-year industry. The number of pornographic Web pages has grown at the explosive rate of nearly 1,800 percent over the past five years. It is estimated that there are currently over 260 million of such pages, and the number continues to grow at an unprecedented rate. "Pornography is becoming so prevalent on the Internet that it is now difficult to avoid unwanted exposure, and this makes cybersex addiction more likely," said Dr. Kimberly S. Young, executive director of the Center for On-Line Addiction.
The Bible tells us that "each one is tried by being drawn out and enticed by his own desire." (James 1:14) Viewing anyone with a computer as a potential victim, peddlers of pornography employ a variety of tactics to appeal to each one's "own desire," that is, "the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes." (1 John 2:16) Their intent is to entice—or as Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words explains, "to lure by a bait" — unsuspecting Internet users whom they "try to seduce." — Proverbs 1:10.
Like wicked men in Bible times, pornographers frequently employ deception. It is estimated that as part of an aggressive effort to attract new customers, some two billion pornographic E-mails are sent each day. Often the unsolicited E-mails have subject lines that make them appear harmless. However, opening one can launch a barrage of immoral images that is difficult to stop. Requests to be removed from the mailing list may result in a deluge of further unsolicited pornographic messages.
A birdcatcher carefully places seeds along a path. An unsuspecting bird pecks at one tasty seed after another until snap! the trap is sprung. Similarly, curiosity leads some to nibble at sexually stimulating imagery. And the viewers hope that no one is watching them. Finding it arousing, some return to this exciting and powerful imagery with increasing frequency. Shame and guilt may plague them. In time, what was once shocking becomes ordinary. For those inclined to view pornography, the Internet is like fertilizer that causes desires rapidly to grow into sinful actions. (James 1:15) Eventually such individuals may develop "a 'dark side' whose core is anti-social lust devoid of most values," reports Dr. Victor Cline, a clinical psychologist who has treated hundreds of patients who were caught in this snare.
The Dangers of Chat Rooms
Internet chat rooms can be time wasters and are increasingly associated with relationship breakdowns. Expressing frustration over the amount of time his wife spends on-line, one man wrote: "When she gets in from work, the PC goes on and it can be five or more hours before she logs off. Our marriage is suffering as a result." Yes, time spent on the Internet is time spent away from your mate and family.
Angela Sibson, chief executive of the marriage guidance service Relate, says that the Internet "is a gateway to other relationships. They can be very potent and break up existing relationships." What starts as a friendly on-line conversation in a chat room can quickly become something more serious. Intent on engaging in immoral relations, those "cunning of heart" use "smoothness of the tongue" to tell potential victims what they want to hear. (Proverbs 6:24; 7:10) Nicola, a 26-year-old victim from the United Kingdom, explains: "It was like a love bombardment. He kept saying how wonderful I was and I fell for it." Dr. Al Cooper, editor of Sex and the Internet: A Guidebook for Clinicians, says that we need to "warn people about the slippery slope that starts with online flirting and too often ends in divorce."
Children are even more vulnerable to exploitation and harm by "computer-sex offenders." Using "crookedness of speech" and "deviousness of lips," pedophiles target inexperienced children. (Proverbs 4:24; 7:7) Engaging in a practice known as grooming, they shower the child with attention, affection, and kindness to make the youngster feel special. They seem to know everything a child is interested in, including that one's favorite music and hobbies. Minor problems at home are accentuated in order to drive a wedge between the child and his or her family. To fulfill their evil desires, predators may even send their target victim a ticket to travel cross-country. The results are frightening.
Bible Principles Can Safeguard You
After assessing the dangers, some people have concluded that it is better for them to avoid using the Internet altogether. However, it must be acknowledged that only a small percentage of sites on the Internet pose a danger and that most users have not experienced serious problems.
Thankfully, the Scriptures provide guidance to "safeguard" us from danger. We are encouraged to acquire knowledge, wisdom, and thinking ability. Such qualities will 'keep guard over us' to 'deliver us from the bad way.' (Proverbs 2:10-12) "But wisdom itself—from where does it come?" asked God's ancient servant Job. The answer? "The fear of Jehovah—that is wisdom."—Job 28:20, 28.
"The fear of Jehovah," which "means the hating of bad," is the basis for developing godly attributes. (Proverbs 1:7; 8:13; 9:10) Love and reverence for God, along with a healthy respect for his power and authority, result in our hating and avoiding the bad things he hates. Clear thinking ability, coupled with godly knowledge, helps us recognize dangers that can poison our mind, heart, and spirituality. We come to abhor selfish and greedy attitudes that can wreck our family and destroy our relationship with Jehovah.
So if you use the Internet, be aware of the dangers. Be resolved to keep God's commandments, and avoid flirting with trouble. (1 Chronicles 28:7) Then, if Internet dangers confront you, you will wisely flee from them. — 1 Corinthians 6:18.
STAY CLEAR OF PORNOGRAPHY!
"Let fornication and uncleanness of every sort or greediness not even be mentioned among you, just as it befits holy people." — Ephesians 5:3.
"Deaden, therefore, your body members that are upon the earth as respects fornication, uncleanness, sexual appetite, hurtful desire, and covetousness." — Colossians 3:5.
"This is what God wills,... that each one of you should know how to get possession of his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in covetous sexual appetite such as also those nations have which do not know God." — 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5.
BEWARE OF INTERNET CHAT ROOMS!
A female police detective specializing in Internet crime invited Awake! to see the dangers of Internet chat rooms. She entered a chat room, posing as a 14-year-old girl. After just a few seconds, a number of individuals made contact. The strangers asked such questions as: "Where are you from?" "Are you a girl or a boy?" "Can we talk?" Several responses were from suspected sexual predators whom the police were tracking. That shows how easily a pedophile can get into a chat room with your child!
Some parents think that children are safe when using chat rooms because their conversations are accessible by everyone in the chat room while the discussion is taking place. However, once in a chat room, you can be invited to have a one-on-one conversation. Referring to this practice, sometimes called whispering, the United Kingdom's Internet Taskforce on Child Protection warns: "This is like stepping out of a party full of people into a private room and having a separate conversation with a stranger."
It is also important for parents to understand that most pedophiles want to do more than chat with a child. A paper prepared by the Internet Crime Forum reports: "Contact initiated in chat rooms may well be developed through other media, such as email and (mobile) phone." A report from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation states: "While talking to a child victim on-line is a thrill for a computer-sex offender, it can be very cumbersome. Most want to talk to the children on the telephone. They often engage in 'phone sex' with the children and often seek to set up an actual meeting for real sex."
To accomplish this, computer-sex offenders will give out their phone number. Should your child call them, caller ID will reveal the child's phone number. Other predators have toll-free numbers or tell the child to call collect. Some have even sent the child a cell phone. Offenders may also send letters, photographs, and gifts.
Children are not the only ones succumbing to the dangers of chat rooms. Using smooth speech to tell women what they wanted to hear, one man recently made six women in the United Kingdom fall in love with him at the same time. One of the victims, Cheryl, an attractive 27-year-old postgraduate student, said: "I just can't explain it now. It became so intense it took over my whole life."
"Women find cyberspace comforting because they are not being judged by their looks," said Jenny Madden, the founder of Women in Cyberspace. "But they also leave themselves very open to manipulation because there is a tendency, in chat rooms particularly, to give away a lot about yourself very quickly."
"All I have to do is turn on my computer and I have thousands of women to choose from," said one man questioned for a University of Florida research study conducted by Beatriz Avila Mileham. She stated: "The internet will soon become the most common form of infidelity, if it isn't already." "We are hearing from therapists around the country reporting online sexual activity to be a major cause of marital problems," said Dr. Al Cooper, editor of the book Sex and the Internet: A Guidebook for Clinicians.
In view of these sobering facts, it is wise to take sensible precautions when using the Internet. Talk to your children, and teach them how to protect themselves from danger. Equipped with proper knowledge, you can avoid the dangers of the Internet. — Ecclesiastes 7:12.
—
Awake!, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, December 08, 2004.
Appendix 4
Cultural Center in Rio de Janeiro exhibits a sexual organ made with Rosaries!
From: Banco do Brasil promotes blasphemy: <respondervialinks@yahoo.com>
Date: 04/05/2006 17:38
Subject: Cultural Center in Rio de Janeiro exhibits a sexual organ made with Rosaries!
To: BancoDoBrasilPromoveBlasfemia@mail
On the eve of Holy Week, Banco do Brasil promotes blasphemy:
Cultural Center, in Rio de Janeiro, exhibits a sexual organ made with Rosaries!
Good afternoon friends!
1)
The Banco do Brasil Cultural Center, in Rio de Janeiro, located in front of the Church of Candelária, in the historic center, is sponsoring the exhibition "Erotica - The senses of the Art", with public money, and from countless citizens.
Unfortunately, it is an immoral exhibition freely frequented by minors, including schoolgirls and schoolboys driven on excursions.
2)
Even worse. It is an exhibition with blasphemous content, such as the work "Drawing with Rosaries", which uses this ancient Catholic prayer tool to design a sexual organ mixed with the cross.
3)
The aforementioned exhibition sponsored by Banco do Brasil is an offense to millions of Catholics across the country. Still, its organizers have announced that its realization will be prolonged; during Holy Week inclusive.
Honestly, I was amazed and outraged!
4)
Despite the seriousness of the fact, as far as I can tell, no means of communication made reference to the blasphemous content of this exhibition. So I took the initiative to send you this email.
I am also sending this information to religious authorities in Rio de Janeiro and throughout Brazil, to the civil, federal and state authorities, to the media and to the authorities of Banco do Brasil.
5)
How long will this gratuitous offense to the Christian faith of the vast majority of Brazilians continue?
Unfortunately, this fact is not isolated and, who knows, it may be part of a wave of anti-Christian blasphemies that is sweeping the world, including the book "The Da Vinci Code".
6)
Below are the telephone number and e-mail address of the curator of the Banco do Brasil Cultural Center, Mr. Tadeu Chiarelli, the links to the Banco do Brasil website where those who wish can leave their protest; and the link to the Blasphemy No! website. Please, if you are also indignant and tired of silence in the face of public ridicule of the Catholic faith, send this message to your friends and family, and demand from the religious and civil authorities measures to stop this gratuitous offense.
7)
Thank you very much, and may Providence reward you for your interest in this initiative in favor of Brazil.
Graciously,
Sérgio Luiz Ferreira Passos, student
Institute of Psychology
Center for Philosophy and Human Sciences
Federal University of Rio de Janeiro
PARTICIPATION AND OPINION LINKS:
a) To send a complaint or suggestion e-mail directly to the Banco do Brasil Cultural Center in Rio de Janeiro, click on:
b) To write a message of complaint or suggestion to the Ombudsman of Banco do Brasil, on the Bank's website, click on the following link:
c) Banco do Brasil Ombudsman's toll-free telephone number: 0800 729-5678
d) Telephone of the Curator of the Banco do Brasil Cultural Center in Rio de Janeiro, Mr. Tadeu Chiarelli: (21) 3808-2020
Address of the Banco do Brasil Cultural Center: 66 Primeiro de Março St. Center
e) Blasphemy No! Blog Link
Appendix 5
From monthly payment to censorship
"It is obvious that Banco do Brasil agreed to decree censorship on artistic work driven by pressure from obscurantist religious"
André Petry
Banco do Brasil's top management was investigated by the CPI under the accusation of allying itself with the corrupt members of the Mensalão (monthly payment). It is no surprise that it has now joined forces with medieval Catholics to censor works of art. That's what just happened. The management of Banco do Brasil canceled an art exhibition that would open in Brasília on May 15th, under the sponsorship of the BB cultural center. The exhibition, called Erotica – The Senses in Art, featured a work by the artist Marcia X, who died last year, in which two penises drawn with the beads of a rosary intertwine. The work is simple, there is nothing obscene or pornographic. But a group of Catholics, one Opus Christi, was outraged by the drawing and demanded that it be excluded from the list of works when the exhibition was on display in Rio de Janeiro. The supporters of Opus Christi, says the direction of Banco do Brasil, sent 800 emails to the financial institution protesting against the work of Marcia X and threatening to organize a boycott of the bank, closing current accounts.
BB management gave in to the pressures. It withdrew Marcia X's work from the exhibition in Rio de Janeiro and canceled its visit to Brasília. In the note explaining its decision, BB's top management insists on ratifying its "solid support for the dissemination of art and culture, always with respect for plurality and diversity". How so? It is obvious that Banco do Brasil agreed to decree the censorship of artistic work driven by pressure from religious obscurantists. Erotica – The Senses in Art visited São Paulo (56,000 visitors) and Rio de Janeiro (90,000) and only ceased visiting Brasília due to pressure from Opus Christi. Is this what Banco do Brasil calls "respect for plurality and diversity"? This is called censorship, period. And censorship is usually based precisely on political or moral criteria. Wanting to get rid of the label of censors, the bank's directors implied that the decision was neither political nor moral, but commercial. They feared the commercial effects of Catholics' boycott. How so? Now 800 pious scare a bank that has 22 million checking accounts?
Catholics in Opus Christi are free to feel insulted by the use of a religious element to profile male genitalia – as much as Muslims might dislike Danish cartoons. What is inadmissible is that the management of Banco do Brasil makes a scandalous genuflection in the face of an, in all aspects, illegitimate and unconstitutional pressure. It is obvious that Catholics who felt uncomfortable with the work of Marcia X could take a simple step: not attend the exhibition. They could even send e-mails to the management of Banco do Brasil. They could even boycott, calling on the faithful to close their checking accounts. The direction of BB is that do not have the right – not even legal – to give in to this kind of medievalism and to censor a work of art. Raising voice against this arbitrariness is imperative. But for those who think that diverting public money to make the Mensalão can be a power project, blindfolding a society should not be a problem at all.
—
Veja, May 10, 2006. Available at <http://veja.abril.com.br/100506/andre_petry.html>. Accessed on January 04, 2009
Appendix 6
Ban on breastfeeding photos on Facebook causes protests
By Belinda Goldsmith
CANBERRA (Reuters) - Could photos of a mother nursing her baby be considered indecent?
Social networking site Facebook sparked a huge online debate — and protests — after removing photos that overexposed a mother's breast.
Barry Schnitt, a Facebook spokesman, said the site generally does not act on breastfeeding photos when they adhere to its terms of use, but he says some are removed to ensure the site is kept safe for all users, including children.
"Photos that contain a fully exposed breast (ie, involve a nipple display) are violations of these terms (for obscene, pornographic or sexually explicit material) and may be removed", it said in a statement.
"The photos we act on are brought to our attention almost exclusively by complaints from other users", the statement added.
But Facebook's decision to remove some breastfeeding photos has angered some users, including the North-American Kelli Roman, a mother who had a photo showing her feeding her daughter, who was removed by Facebook.
Roman is one of the administrators of an online petition entitled "hey, Facebook, breastfeeding is not obscenity", which gained traction last week after protesters staged a "protest breastfeeding" on Facebook and held a small demonstration in front of the headquarters of company in Palo Alto, California.
The petition has already garnered more than 80,000 signatures and more than 10,000 comments, and it has rekindled an old debate about the pros and cons of breastfeeding in public places.
The petition's organizers reported that some women were instructed not to repost the photos removed from their pages or they risk being deleted from Facebook.
Facebook, which has 120 million subscribers, has no intention of backing down on its standards.
Schnitt said the company tried to place an ad in several US publications that showed a woman with a fully exposed breast nursing a baby. None of them accepted.
"A newspaper and Facebook are obviously different, but the underlying reason for content standards is the same", he told Reuters.
—
Yahoo! Brasil Notícias, December 30, 2008. Available at <http://br.noticias.yahoo.com/s/reuters/081230/entretenimento/cultura_comportamento_facebook_amamenta>. Accessed on December 30, 2008.
Appendix 7
The other Wall of China
Country sets up a superproject to censor the internet.
BRUNO GARATTONI
The Chinese spent a fortune to make the Beijing Olympics the most modern of all time. But, in addition to futuristic stadiums and first-rate infrastructure, the 500,000 athletes, journalists and tourists expected for the event will find another surprise: a horrible internet, where websites fail or take time to open and the connection drops for no apparent reason. All because of Project Jin Dun ("gold shield" in Chinese), a veritable digital wall erected to censor the internet within the country. The system, which cost a staggering $29 billion, has 640,000 computers and an army of 30,000 employees – twice that of the CIA, the American super-spy agency. Google, YouTube, Wikipedia... all of this is censored, and so are Chinese sites. When a Chinese goes into Google and types in "Tiananmen square", for example, he doesn't get the same results as you – the Chinese network eliminates mentions of the student massacre that took place there. But how is it possible to control the internet if it was, precisely, created to be decentralized and immune from possible obstacles? "The Chinese put filters at entry and exit points, which connect their network to that of other countries", says Richard Clayton, a researcher at the University of Cambridge. Only 17 cables are responsible for all connections in China, the country with the most Internet users (220 million), with the rest of the world. Then, it's easy to censor. And that's why, even with a super-fast network (326 gigabits per second, 15 times more than the Brazilian internet), the dragon drags on. "At times when the country is experiencing political turmoil, such as protests in Tibet, the network slows down. It is certainly for security reasons [censorship]," says journalist Gilberto Scofield Jr., who has lived in China for 4 years and had his blog vetoed by the digital wall.
NARROW BAND
Thirty thousand inspectors, armed with 640 thousand computers, control everything that passes through the network. See the barriers you have to face to access a western site like YouTube
BLACK LIST
Internet providers have a relationship with the name of websites banned by the government. If the Internet user enters the address of one of them (blogger.com, for example), they block. No specific message appears; it looks like it was an innocent technical problem. The list is changed several times a year – and is not made public.
KEY WORDS
As the blacklist can't keep up with the growth of the internet (thousands of new sites pop up every day), the Chinese invented a smarter system. A network of spy computers analyzes, in real time, all data entering and leaving the country. If it detects one of 500 prohibited terms, such as "Tibet", it blocks the page on the spot.
MUTILATE SITES
To please Westerners visiting China at the Olympics, the government released some sites that were banned. But it is manipulating their content. Spy software intercepts all texts or videos considered "subversive" – and erases this information before it reaches the Internet user's screen.
CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
The government punishes people who insist on accessing prohibited content: it cuts off their internet completely (for a specified period, which starts with two minutes and increases as the crime repeats). You cannot access any site, not even the "legalized" pages. Anyone who keeps trying can get a visit from the police.
CHINESE WAY
There is a loophole in all of this. Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), private networks used by Western companies – which are not censored or spied. The Chinese can connect with friends from other countries and set up a pirated VPN. But that's not easy to do. "Most people don't use VPNs. If they did, the government would have done something about it already", says Richard Clayton of Cambridge University
PROHIBITED WEB
Other places where it is difficult to navigate.
CUBA
There is only one ISP – the government, which blocks foreign websites. Until May, it was forbidden to have a computer at home.
EGYPT
It does not censor the network, but persecutes anyone who writes against the government – a student got 4 years in jail for that.
IRAN
It has arrested more than 20 bloggers and prides itself on blocking 10 million "immoral" sites (that have sex, politics or religion).
SWEDEN
The internet is wiretapped by the government – supposedly to fight pedophilia, racism and pirated download sites.
NORTH KOREA
Until the beginning of the year, it was forbidden to have a cell phone (anyone caught with one was sentenced to death). Internet, so...
SAUDI ARABIA
The government claims to block 400,000 pages – from foreign sites to blogs written by Arab women.
BLOGGERS? JAIL ON THEM!
Never before have so many people been arrested because of the internet: according to a survey by the University of Washington, last year the arrests of bloggers tripled. In this sport, China is the gold medal: there alone, 48 people are arrested for the "crime" of expressing their opinions on the network.
The newest detainee is Huang Qi, who has published some texts accusing the government of having faltered in helping victims of the earthquakes the country suffered in May. "The more you mess with China's image, the greater the risk. They [Chinese spies] have technical sophistication and can identify bloggers", says Clothilde Le Coz, of the French NGO Reporters Without Borders – which annually publishes a report showing which countries that most repress the internet.
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Superinteressante, ed. Abril, nº 255, August 2008. Available at <http://super.abril.com.br/revista/255/materia_revista_290808.shtml?pagina=1>. Accessed on December 22, 2008
Appendix 8
The obligation is on the parents
By Gislene Machado Tamassia Santos
The discussion about the influence that the barrage of violence and the exaggerated exploitation of sex on television have on our children has another facet, which is being conveniently forgotten by parents. Are we not being complicit in this situation as we rant against TV stations or ask government action instead of changing our behavior? We are transferring the task of educating our children to television. She is the nanny and governess we choose to lead them through life. It's very easy to criticize television, as the programming is really appealing and decadent. The easy appeal to consumption is the keynote. The men who make television in Brazil are acting irresponsibly, killing ethical values such as honesty, righteousness, victory through effort and work and extolling smartness, swindling, idleness, low instincts and futile behavior. Television should be careful about the values it exalts in front of children. It has an obligation to educate too. This is a fact. But who remembers the responsibility parents have to educate? It is evident that television will never be a valid alternative for parents when it comes to educating their children. However good the intention of television men (which by no means happens in Brazil), they will never manage to make this vehicle unanimity in educational and cultural terms - each couple has a different vision of how to raise their children.
Those who condemn television want things to change, but that they change through the actions of others, the decision of the TV stations, the intervention of the federal government, or a strict censorship law. I lived, inside the university, the ghost of the repression of the 70s and I fought for the dignity of the human being and for democracy. It is sad to witness, now, so much degradation on the one hand and the demand for the return of censorship on the other. Who says the State or lawmakers will know what's best for our children? Do we want the criteria for what should come to them in terms of information and entertainment to be dictated from the top down?
While we criticize television programming, the device remains on and our children are in front of it. A relief, since we live in a time when there is this electronic maid who doesn't complain about salary, sleeps on the job and proves to be so efficient. We got home from work and our kids are already in front of the television. They only stop to do their homework, when they stop. We justify ourselves by saying that we are tired and that we cannot pay too much attention to them. Our attitude, proposing alternatives to our children, may lead them to turn off the device. When the schedule is not presenting something that is useful, we can invite them to another form of leisure. How often do we take our children to the theater or the cinema? If time is short, if we are tired, or if money is tight, we can stop to read a book with them or to visit a relative or a friend. There are dozens of games that provide hours of distraction and help children's general knowledge. Why not stop for a moment and call them in for a simple chat? Maybe to rescue the old habit of telling stories.
I am a mother of four, I work as a teacher and am also a secretary for a didactic and pedagogical production company. I'm not exactly a person with a lot of time. But I don't let television hypnotize my children. At home we read a lot. I give them a lot of reading and then we discuss it together. From books to articles published in newspapers and magazines. We read it together and then each gives their opinion about it. But not only that. The time most children spend in front of the TV, my children play in circles, take care of the animals - it's their responsibility - and we practice cooking. And we watch television too. If we watch together with them and we discuss openly, we will be able to help them to develop a critical sense. It is true that we are not always willing and we often want to rest or have fun alone, without the children. But that doesn't mean abdicating our role. There is also the undeniable fact that television is not going to change on its own as long as ratings are good. And a change in behavior on our part can be very effective as a pressure on broadcasters, as it moves at the point where they are most sensitive - the ratings.
If parents do not fulfill their role, it will not be television that will fill that space with due competence. And what results as a sequel to this daily industrial dose of violence, sex and frivolous behavior that television injects into the hearts and minds of our children will be the direct consequence of our conformism, our omission and our irresponsibility. Changing this state of affairs is our obligation. Any other alternative that involves the repressive action of the State or legislation restricting freedom will work like undressing one saint in order to dress the other. We will find ourselves free from one evil and we could be throwing ourselves into the arms of an even greater one.
Gislene Machado Tamassia Santos, 34, is a teacher and housewife in São Paulo, 34, is a teacher and housewife in São Paulo
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Veja, ed. Abril, September 05, 1990, p. 126, Point of View section.
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