Browsing through Reddit I found a thread about how AT&T supposedly blocked 4chan, a popular imageboard. Here is a link to Encyclopedia Dramatica which has the Reddit link as well as a lot more links related to this topic. Early claims were that AT&T blocked it due to content, as 4chan has a reputation for being a site that spreads child porn. Later, some claimed AT&T blocked access to 4chan as it was the target of many DDoS attacks. Long time users know that 4chan's moderators have cracked down on the spread of CP through their site, so this definitely isn't a good enough reason.
This might seem like a lackluster story, you might think "So AT&T has two possible (and very valid) reasons to block access to this website. Why should I care?". What you, dear reader, should keep in mind, is that, should this be true, it is effectively an act of internet censorship. You pay, in most cases, a monthly fee in order to access the internet, and you're not getting your money's worth. Furthermore, someone behind a desk somewhere can flip a switch and suddenly decide what you can't or can't view, who you can or can not spread information to.
Dissent is a valid form of expression, as is any other form of self-expression. You make conscious decisions on what is and is not acceptable to you. The Founding Fathers of the United States engaged in dissent when they broke away from the English crown, and this resulted in war. Ramon Emeterio Betances was exiled from Puerto Rico merely for holding opposing views to that of the Spanish crown and acting in a manner which upheld human rights. Should any internet service provider have a say in what we think, share, and how we communicate with others? Do we want a world where our greatest tool of mass communication, the internet, can be flipped off with a switch whenever someone with differing opinions emerges?
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