New Sanctions To Target Syrian and Iranian Tech Capacity 161
vivIsel writes "This morning, President Obama is set to unveil a new executive order that will allow the U.S. to specifically target sanctions against individuals, companies or countries who use technology to enable human rights abuse. Especially as repressive regimes more effectively monitor their dissidents online (rather than simply blocking access), the sanctions focus on companies that help them do that."
Pot, kettle (Score:5, Insightful)
So when do the sanctions roll out against ourselves? I'd say "repressive regime" that "monitors dissidents" applies directly to the US, no?
Hypocritical (Score:0, Insightful)
All those other countries that do that nasty stuff. When the US does it, it's different.
Abuses, eh? (Score:5, Insightful)
"a new executive order that will allow the U.S. to specifically target sanctions against individuals, companies or countries who use technology to enable human rights abuse"
Good, start directly with yourselves, US Gov't. You're one of the worst offenders on this fucking planet.
Governing By Executive Order (Score:5, Insightful)
Which companies? (Score:4, Insightful)
Is that the U.S. or European company that manufactures the products? Oh, no. They don't sell to customers in embargoed countries! Hold on a sec. I see a large order of "corporate internet filtering" products for shipment to the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain that needs attention. Amazing how much tech stuff those guys use!
Where was I? Oh, yes. Those nasty gray-market distributors. You know, the shell companies incorporated a couple of months ago? Yeah. Those guys are ruining it for everyone!
Now if you'll excuse me, I have a large order of CALEA equipment for delivery to U.S. telecom firms to ship out. Between that and the systems on order by the U.K. and China the bonuses should be fat again this quarter!
Re:Physician, heal thyself (Score:5, Insightful)
Just playing devil's advocate here:
What would the US government's response be if a small (or a significant) portion of the population resisted/rebelled against the government?
Well, the Whiskey Rebellion [wikipedia.org] was put down with violence. If you say that that doesn't count because the US is democratic, well, especially early on, the US was not very democratic, and that was a feature, not a bug. In fact, it was sort of like Syria, or Iran today, with elections, but also with features designed to perpetuate an existing ruling establishment.
Second, take the Civil War, put down with hundreds of thousands of deaths, and then probable war crimes [wikipedia.org]. Is Syria's war not a war between two factions in the same country, i.e., a civil war? Would Washington have taken kindly to London helping the Confederate States of America [wikipedia.org]?
Finally, take the Occupy Wall Street movement, also put down violently. If Egypt had cleared out Tahrir Square claiming "health code violations", most international media would have laughed. But, in New York, it was done with a straight face.
The message just seems to it's OK if we do it, bad if they do it.
beating the drum for war against Iran (Score:5, Insightful)
We're already sanctioning Iran because they will take Euros or Yen for oil.
This is another straw for the camel; the American public is tired of invading Middle Eastern countries to keep the price of Texas oil high, so we need them to attack us.
Blood is already in the water, the sharks are circling.
Hewlett-Packard - Israel/Palestine (Score:5, Insightful)
Can we start with HP?
In Palestine, HP is deeply involved with the Israeli occupation. HP develops and profits from population-control systems that assist the Israeli government in the restriction of Palestinian movement, ethnic-based discrimination and segregation, and human rights violations.
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/703/t/0/blastContent.jsp?email_blast_KEY=1232244 [democracyinaction.org]
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"Through its subsidiary EDS Israel, HP is the prime contractor of the Basel system, an automated biometric access control system installed and maintained by HP in checkpoints in the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt).
Another control mechanism HP is involved in is Israel's ID card system, which reflects and reinforces its political and economic asymmetries and tiered citizenship structure. HP will manufacture biometric ID cards for the citizens and residents of Israel (Jewish and Palestinians) for the Israeli Ministry of Interior. In addition, HP also provides services and technologies to the Israeli army.
Furthermore, two of HP's technological services providers in Israel are Matrix and its subsidiary, Tact Testware, which are located in the illegal West Bank settlement of Modi'in Illit. HP is also taking part in the "Smart city" project in the illegal West Bank settlement of Ariel, providing a storage system for the settlement's municipality."
Double Standards everywhere I'm afraid... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Pot, kettle (Score:3, Insightful)
Sorry, i dont understand your points. Are you suggesting that mearly commenting on a chat board implies freedom? Or are you suggesting that the NSA has ONLY harvested this information and added my dissidence to its profile on me, and not used it against me YET, is a form of freedom?
Freedom is freedom FROM government, not freedom OF government.
Critisism of ones government does not imply freedom, nor necessarily its ability to act against you... Yet.
The worm is turning in the USA. Facism is half a goosestep away, my friend.
Israel/Palestine (Score:2, Insightful)
Americans will never see the Palestinians as victims.
Never.
The reason is simple too. They aren't. They have played the role of terrorist for so long now Americans find it difficult to separate the words Palestinian and terrorist. To be honest, the Palestinians have never given the world any reason to separate the two words either. No reasonable person believes that they want to be anything more than terrorists. If it walks, quacks and shits like a duck ... it's a duck.