Countering online radicalisation: Is government censorship effective?

[George L. Singleton]

I should make the point that there are 'vigilante' YouTube groups who make it their business to try and remove any video of insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan, regardless of content or context. YouTube often complies, and these group brag about their glorious role in the 'war on terror'. Puerile and pointless.

I am one of the folks across the pond who take offense to the use of the term "insurgents" vs. use of the terms terrorist, thugs, murderers, etc. Bias works two ways, but the open "manifesto" of both the Taliban and al Qaida is not in doubt.

What is the law of the land in UK regarding what you see as "vigilante" groups? Curious.

The Independent View on Internet Censorship
Posted in ubiwar by Tim Stevens on 9 June 2009
The Independent is running a video feature on me and Peter Neumann of the ICSR, Countering online radicalisation: Is government censorship effective? It’s also featured on the King’s College London news page. Can’t wait to see how the debate degenerates on The Independent’s comments site…

This prejudgement of differences of opinion to come in THE INDEPENDENT sounds discouraging of other points of view. What in UK today is the law of the land on censorship, comared to maybe Iran, to be onery on my part?

More importantly why aren't others on SWJ jumping into this discussion?