From braintree!news.sprintlink.net!in1.uu.net!news.compuserve.com!newsmaster Wed Sep 27 15:57:02 1995
Path: braintree!news.sprintlink.net!in1.uu.net!news.compuserve.com!newsmaster
From: J R Burrows
Newsgroups: alt.censorship,alt.religion.scientology,talk.religion.misc,no.misc,alt.support.ex-cult
Subject: Update --- Cult Internet Censorship in Norway -- 24/9/95
Date: 24 Sep 1995 23:37:39 GMT
Organization: Internet Freedom Urgent Action Network
Lines: 173
Message-ID: <444q44$hsv@dub-news-svc-4.compuserve.com>
NNTP-Posting-Host: ad51-214.compuserve.com
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
X-Mailer: Mozilla 1.2b4 (Windows; I; 16bit)
Xref: braintree alt.censorship:66181 alt.religion.scientology:111796 talk.religion.misc:180682 alt.support.ex-cult:2626
Update --- Cult Internet Censorship in Norway
=============================================
News Release - 24th September 1995
On Thursday, 21st of September, news broke of another cult attempting
to silence its critics with the closing down of a student's account
at the Univeristy of Bergen, Norway. Within hours, this action had
been reported worldwide and many representations made by e-mail; the
staff responsible at the University have peddled various alternative
stories to those concerned net.citizens who wrote in protest. To set
the story straight and to record his gratitude for the enormous support
he has received, the student at the center of the affair, Mr Jan
Steinar Haugland, has released the following statement:
In the autumn of 1993, when I was a Jehovah's Witness [JW], I met a
fellow Witness at a pub. His name was Kenneth Hostland, and I was
delighted to discover that he was a real Internet expert. I told him
about several JW resources that I had found on the Internet, such as
the "Friends" mailing list.
I had an email account at NHH, the Business School in Bergen, but at
the time the computing department there had closed all Internet access
except email and gopher, believing this would help them avoid viruses.
Kenneth said that since I was a student, I could get a less restricted
account at the University of Bergen (UiB).
The University and the NHH Business School are closely related. NHH
uses the University's computing facilities. If you are matriculated at
NHH, you can study at the University. Because of this close
connection, I decided to accept Kenneth Hostland's kind offer. I
dropped by his office, where he filled out a paper form. I signed it
and I was apparently officially authorized to have an account.
In the spring of 1995, after wrestling with many disturbing questions
about JW doctrine, I came to the conclusion I could no longer be a
Jehovah's Witness. I was finally disfellowshiped (excommunicated) for
not believing the 90-year-old JW teaching about the significance of
the year 1914. Ironically, the very teaching I disagreed with was
recently rejected by the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses. The
doctrinal reversal was announced to the Witnesses this month
(September 1995) in their official publication, the WatchTower.
When you are disfellowshipped, all Jehovah's Witnesses are instructed
to shun you. Their leaders say that you deserve nothing less than
"complete hatred." (Watchtower, 1 Oct 1993, page 18)
My interest in the Witnesses continued, however. From time to time, I
posted material on the Internet that was critical of JW doctrine. I
also posted quotes from old Watchtower publications which demonstrated
a history of failed predictions and doctrinal "adjustments". These
were no doubt embarassing to the Witnesses, who believe that the
Watchtower organization is God's sole channel of information to the
world.
Kenneth Hostland, who was still a loyal Witness, decided to terminate
the account he had set up for me. Even though I was now a student at
the University, and had submitted the proper University paperwork to
secure my access, Hans Morten Kind was instructed to
cancel my account.
When Kenneth Hostland first set up my account, I had no idea that
getting an account through the University was more difficult than the
studies themselves! The procedure was simpler at the NHH Business
School; students automatically got an account. They didn't even have
to ask.
After my account was removed (September 21st, 1995), a number of
concerned individuals spread the news on Usenet groups and other
forums. Those who sent inquiries to the computing department were told
that my objections were "pure nonsense". Mr. Kind and Mr. Hostland
later claimed that this was simply a technical matter, involving the
cleaning up of accounts. Later still, they appealed to rules and
regulations at the University, saying that the account had been set up
improperly.
Their inconsistent and evasive replies to questions about this matter
lead me to only one conclusion: if I had stayed a Jehovah's Witness,
my account would not have been cancelled. I am certain it was removed
because I was critical towards the Watchtower Society, the multi-
billion dollar corporation that uses Jehovah's Witnesses to spread
their gospel.
Most censorship is done without actually breaking any laws. For
example, a newspaper has no legal duty to let all sides of a case be
heard. Yet, if they do not, they practice censorship. This practice
can be dangerous to democracy and freedom of speech, even when it is
technically legal.
The individuals responsible can provide credible excuses for their
actions; they have done nothing illegal. But it is still censorship.
Fortunately, even in cases of "legal" censorship, we all have the
right to protest. Thanks to the global stage of the Internet, I am
able to tell the world: I was taken off the Internet because of my
beliefs.
I believe that what they did is offensive to the Internet community,
where free speech is accorded the highest value. We all know that the
next time, censorship may hit someone who can not obtain another
account.
When you join in the protest directed at these individuals, you
demonstrate that the Internet community cares about censorship. Things
like this may happen again, but perhaps next time, the malicious
system administrator will remember how people rose up in protest, and
decide it isn't worth the trouble.
Mr. Kind is publicly calling me a liar, though it appears that he has
not read a single public statement I have made. He does not cite any
specifics; he simply says I am lying.
Before the protest gathered steam, Mr. Kind supported Mr. Hostland.
Now, however, his replies to protesters (apparently auto-mailed) claim
that my account was illegal from the start. This change of position
indicates that the protest is producing results. But I still do not
have my original account. For justice to be done, I need your support.
My sincerest thanks you to all.
Jan S. Haugland
jansh@telepost.no
However, the efforts of this cult to silence all dissidence continues
apace. Cult members themselves have been warned in an internal bulletin
this September of the dangers of on-line participation; immediately
following this many loyal cultists dropped out of religion forums on
the major on-line services, web sites were taken off or emptied of
content, and of the two main cult internet mailing lists, one
("friends-chat") was closed down, and the other ("friends-all") began
strict moderation of mail. A classic cult pattern of information control.
Cultists are not, alas, satisfied with self-censorship and a new campaign
has begun to harass postmasters - including the Finnish anon-server
administrator who has been a previous target - and SysOps of on-line
services with the aim of closing down internet accounts of those who dare
to utter a dissident voice in defiance of the supposed God-given authority
of their ruling council in Brooklyn, NY. The postmaster of one of Norway's
independent Internet providers, telepost.no, has resisted the mail-bombing
by cult members in defense of his customers right to free speech - however
there are reports this weekend that ex-cult members on other Internet
service providers may also have had their accounts closed or suspended.
These are independent individuals of limited means and influence, faced
with a multi-billion dollar multinational corporation and millions of
loyal followers taught to shun and hate anyone who dares impede their
business or uncover what they prefer to keep covered-up. Your support is
needed *now* to help protect internet freedoms of speech for *everyone* -
there are many other powerful corporations and governments, ready to
follow up such a trend of repression if the cults are able to do so with
impudence. If the first window is left broken, all the rest will follow.
TowerWatch
------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Give me the liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to
conscience, above all liberties" - John Milton
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CopyLeft 1995, TowerWatch
