Originally published by the NAAIJ on July 13th 2015 under a Creative Commons 4.0 Attribution International License

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A former Confederate Flag supporter learned How to Internet! Issues epic apology to world. At the time of writing has been shared over 100,000 times and has over 160,000 Likes.

I’ll highlight some excerpts for the TL;DR crowd.

“Although I never meant anything racist by sporting the Confederate flag, I couldn’t help but think of what some of my black friends thought about it. I really can’t think of a time that I was confronted about it. Did it not offend them? Were they too nice or afraid to confront me about it? The more I researched about the history of the flag, the worse I felt. What I had been told about its history was wrong. Thousands of southerners still fly the flag with no racist intent. They still defend the good things they’ve been told about the flag. They, like I once was, are WRONG. The flag is a symbol of a way of life that was wrong. Not that it needs to be stated, but slavery is one of the most evil and cruel things this world has ever seen. The Confederate flag represents this evil.“

His conclusion statement/apology

“To those I may have offended in the past, who never confronted me, I apologize. I was WRONG.

As our country continues to move forward on equality issues, I believe the only place for the Confederate flag is in our history books.“

The full post is embedded below, Be sure to like/share.

If you would also like to do your own research, Start with this quote from the creator of the ‘Stars and Bars’/Confederate Flag/Battle Flag emblem. He leaves no room whatsoever for misinterpretation in what the symbol represents

No wonder it’s a favorite of the KKK, eh?

You can also read the Declaration of Causes from the Seceding States from CivilWar.org Which gives you a state by state declaration that yes. The Confederate Flag is all about racism and slavery. Very specifically and pointedly.

is an , , Social Activist, Web Developer and Computer Programmer from Ontario, Canada. and/or E-mail: veritas [at] vts-tech [dot] org [] This article can be republished under a , With a link back to this article and attribution to

Originally published by the NAAIJ on June 25th 2015 under a Creative Commons 4.0 Attribution International License

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The folks over at Namecheap have sent me a timely e-mail about a campaign of the utmost importance. When you do get to the RespectOurPrivacy.com site, If you’d rather not give your phone number, click the ‘Send E-Mail’ button instead. Once this is done, check your E-mail for a confirmation message, in it will be a link from ICANN. You need to click this and confirm you want to comment.

This campaign is supported by Namecheap, The Electronic Frontier Foundation and Fight for the Future. You can count the NAAIJ in as well.

Here are some quotes on the serious concerns some of the more prominent voices in the tech community are saying

“No WHOIS privacy provider wants their service to be used to conceal illegal activity, and the vast majority of domain owners are not criminals. Using a WHOIS privacy service is no more suspicious than having an unlisted phone number. These new proposed rules would wreak havoc on our right to privacy online. ICANN is moving quickly, so we should too – contact them today and tell them to respect our privacy.”
Richard Kirkendall, Namecheap CEO & Founder

“Domain name privacy protects us from spammers and enables freedom of speech. We’ve got to protect it.”
Holmes Wilson, Co-founder, Fight for the Future

“Some IP rightsholders and law enforcement authorities would like to use ICANN to shortcut the due process of law and other domestic legal safeguards. The weakening of WHOIS privacy services is an example of this, and that’s why we’re speaking up to defend the privacy of domain owners.”
Jeremy Malcolm, Senior Global Policy Analyst, Electronic Frontier Foundation

Here is the e-mail I received.

Hello Nigel,

Did you know that your privacy rights are currently under threat? ICANN is considering introducing a rule that would impact all netizens. If you care about your online privacy, this is a big deal.

Under new guidelines proposed by MarkMonitor and other organizations who represent the same industries that backed SOPA, domain holders with sites associated to “commercial activity” will no longer be able to protect their private information with WHOIS protection services. “Commercial activity” casts a wide net, which means a vast number of domain holders will be affected. Your privacy provider could be forced to publish your contact data in WHOIS or give it out to anyone who complains about your website, without due process. Why should a small business owner have to publicize her home address just to have a website?

We think your privacy should be protected, regardless of whether your website is personal or commercial, and your confidential info should not be revealed without due process. If you agree, please contact ICANN right away and demand your right to privacy and due process. Let them know you object to any release of info without a court order. There’s no time to waste — the close date for comments is July 7, 2015.

Visit our new site RespectOurPrivacy.com and we’ll guide you through the process of calling or emailing ICANN. Thanks!

— Team Namecheap

Nigel Todman is an Independent Journalist, Technical Consultant, Social Activist, Web Developer and Computer Programmer from Ontario, Canada. Add him to Facebook and/or Follow him on Twitter E-mail: veritas [at] vts-tech [dot] org [PGP]

Originally published by the NAAIJ on Jun 12th 2015 under a Creative Commons 4.0 Attribution International License

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I have to admit, I’m a little surprised.

I couldn’t find even one Canadian to speak to me in support of C-51.

I spent the greater part of the day looking – taking a break for a few hours to participate in a Town Hall on the Future of the Internet by OpenMedia.

During this entire time a standing request for pro-C-51 comments has been floating around the pages of both the Conservative Party of Canada and the Liberal Party of Canada and various articles concerning the passing of C-51. (The CPC had at least double the time of the LPC, I wasnt seeking any specific ‘official’ supporters – Literally ANY Canadian)

The response? Silence. Absolute crickets.

Looks like I’ll have to resort to social media comments, of which there is only a few and they are all quite similar and very weak, What makes them so weak? Well, for starters, anytime you parrot the ideology of Nazi Germany Propagandists as a defense for actions or beliefs … You lose the argument.

Can you tell the difference between a 2015 Canadian C-51 Supporter and a 1940’s Germany Nazi Propagandist? Let’s find out.

“If your not doing anything wrong than you have nothing to worry about”

“Thank God. It’s amazing how people get angry at this when the Government is actually doing something to stand up against people who are bent on destroying anyone who doesn’t think and believe like them. We have been tolerant long enough. I’m thankful that H__er is working at protecting our border.”

“I don’t feel my freedoms are being violated though. I just don’t. And that’s OK. I’m not doing anything illegal so I have nothing to worry about…”

“Heil H__er!! I agree with this law”

Plot twist. None of these are quotes of German Propagandists. They are all Canadian supporters of C-51. It’s pretty tough to tell the difference isnt it? In that last one, Just replace Heil with ‘Go’ and fill in the blank with Harper. You can find the original comments here

Believe me, I would have much rather written this article poking holes in any reasoned, logical argument in favor of C-51. Instead, We have this. (I dont really need to poke holes in these arguments do I? … I thought we did that in World War II)

This is what Hitlers Minister of Propaganda said after the “passing of the authorization bill in the Reichstag by an overwhelming majority of two thirds” that “clearly prove the legality of our action”

To critics of the bill, He said “I have nothing to hide and nothing to colour, for this young Germany has no reason to fear”.

It just sends chills down your spine doesnt it? That here and now, Today in Canada we have citizens proudly echoing such sentiments?

Bill C-51 passed the Senate by a vote of 44 to 28, Coincidentally, the same ratio as the Reichstag authorization bill. This, In spite of the quarter of a million plus (268,353 at the time of writing) Canadians that spoke out very vocally against the bill. Join the rest of Canada here

It shames me as a Canadian that current events bear so many parallels to one of the darkest times in recent human history. It disturbs me how little I had to work to make these so readily apparent comparisons. Indeed I’m not the only one making them. In my search for C-51 supporters I saw at least a dozen people took the time to take some of these Canadians aside and say ‘Hey listen, You know who you sound like right?’

Nigel Todman is an Independent Journalist, Technical Consultant, Social Activist, Web Developer and Computer Programmer from Ontario, Canada. Add him to Facebook and/or Follow him on Twitter E-mail: veritas [at] vts-tech [dot] org [PGP] This article can be republished under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, With a link back to this article and attribution to Nigel Todman