Points of Interest

A couple of days ago I noticed that my internet provider obviously hijacked my DNS queries. When I clicked a valid URL on or tried to upload images to my very own blog, I was told the address was not found and prompted by some »continuative results«:

Thanks for the help, guys...

I complained about the DNS hijacking via electronic mail. I was told that they deactivated the »search-page« for my subscription and that I should reset my hardware the DNS-server change to take effect. It means that they have prepared themselves for complaining customers and they set up some infrastructure to switch the »feature« on and off – on a per line basis.

Of course I can just use an alternative DNS server (or even setup my own), but this sheds a little light on the role of internet providers concerning the freedom of speech and information of their customers. I’m living in germany, so you feel halfway save that you still are able to gather any information you want at any time. But the recent attempts to legalize and establish more and more Internet censorship show that our freedom is constantly being undermined. Not by your internet provider, but by the guys and girls you elected to stand for (and not against) your interests.

The provider grants you access to some infrastructure to send electronic packages, just as a parcel service sends packages from location A to B. The interesting question is whether a parcel service or an internat provider is responsible for the content of the packages. Is a street owner responsible if a bank robber is using his street to escape? I’m not a lawyer at all, so I’m a bit confused.

Until now, I did not care much about the topic. I knew that DNS censorship for people who try to access pages with ch1ld prÖn is a waste of time, as they just can (and will) replace the DNS servers of their providers by alternatives. Finally, it’s a problem of some outlaws. It’s not your problem.

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It might sound pathetic, but it is a dangerous point of view. As the Nazis deported criminals 75 years ago, it was the problem of the criminals, not yours. As they started to deport antisocials, it was the problem of the others. As they started to deport political enemies, the problem got closer, but if you were on the »right« side, it still was not your problem. And as they started to deport your relatives, it was too late.

After last sunday’s election, it’s time to take care. Don’t expect your political leaders to do the right things. They won’t.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 7th, 2009 at 23:29 and is filed under Software, society. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.