Connie and Mark Fournier, the owners of FreeDominion, a well known right wing forum, have had it with PM Stephen Harper and the CPoC (Conservative Party of Canada). Harper and Co. have disappointed on Free Speech issues often enough, and now the Conservative government is trying, via the Investigative Powers for the 21st Century (IP21C) Act, to "strip every single citizen in this country of their online anonymity". So the folks at Free Dominion plan to strike back! Connie writes:
... if this government insists on doing this [IP21C], we strip them of their anonymity, too.
Every blogger and forum owner in Canada should begin compiling a list of usernames that have been used by IP addresses owned by the Conservative Party of Canada or the House of Commons, and we should set a day for a collective "reveal".
And then Connie admits what long-time FreeD watchers have always suspected:
These people have had no problem using FD and sites like it as a free vehicle for their Party propaganda. Why should they have the advantage of distancing themselves from their own anonymous comments when they are trying to take that freedom away from us?
So that's where it stands at the moment. Conservative operatives have long been frequented FreeD, along with the likes of Bill Whatcott, Arthur Topham, and Peter Kouba. A list of their IP addresses is even now being prepared and, if IP21C has not been killed by a date yet to be determined, these IPs willed be spilled to to the world.
Free D denizens seem to be down with the plan, and I don't believe the Fournier's threats to be entirely empty. The roots of FreeDominion extend deep into the Conservative Party. For example, Mark Fournier once served as campaign manager for CPoC MP Peter Goldring.
When it all goes down, you can bet BCLSB will be there.
Well, there are many progressives against that particular type of legislation, so this could turn into an "unholy alliance" to defeat this legislation.
ReplyDeleteso this could turn into an "unholy alliance" to defeat this legislation....
ReplyDelete*shush* Not before the Great Reveal!
...gawd, you're bad at politics, Scott. ;)
I emailed a friend yesterday about this, saying
ReplyDeleteI am 100% on Connie's side.
(Boy, there's something you don't read every day.)
We differ a great deal on free speech issues. I don't believe in unlimited anonymity regardless of what is said. But I do believe in rule of law. The police should not have this unlimited power. It will inevitably be misused.
That said, while we might be on the same side of this issue, I would never work with her in any kind of coalition on any issue. She is in bed with Nazis and her site is utterly obscene.
The emptiness or non-emptiness of the threat lies in what exactly the Conservative operatives actually said on FD. If it was mindless Harper boosterism, I can't see much of a scandal coming of it.
I certainly don't see this stopping the IP21C, unfortunately. But it will certainly be good for giggles for a very small group of people, myself included.