New Infographic: UK Filter to Block ‘Esoteric Material’
Can you imagine a world where access to spiritual information was blocked by the government?
Although it may sound like dystopian science fiction, this policy has been effectively implemented in the UK. Using the guise of protecting children from harmful information, the British government has mandated all UK ISPs to introduce web filters that block an ambiguous array of websites. One of the propsed blocked categories is “esoteric material,” a bucket which could include many spiritual websites.
The suggested inclusion of “esoteric material” in the web filters to be adopted by all major UK ISPs is likely far from an accident. Esoteric knowledge can be extremely powerful used for either good or evil. Used in the service of dark agendas, it has become a tool to restrict liberties and to control populations. Used by individuals pursuing self-development, it can enable an awakening in consciousness and allow someone to free themselves of sinister influences.
In both cases, Belsebuub stated that the elites who have an understanding of the power of the esoteric are also highly motivated to restrict access to its knowledge, which they accomplish by demonizing and ridiculing it and now through active censorship.
Learn more about the steps being taken to censor alternative spiritual information on the internet and its implications for consciousness. You can also read and share a full-sized infographic prepared here at Reaching Light outlining some of the major issues with the UK web filter, and explaining how it will affect the entire world.
Religious/Spiritual is a choice that we, as individuals, should have the right to make at any times in our lives and no government should have a say in this.
Besides, if we let these type of laws pass, this means that this type of censorship can then later on be applied in the real world..
This must be fought against at all costs, and this infographic goes a long to explain such a delicate issue that many may not see the harm in at first glance.. After all, isn’t it sold as being simply about ‘protecting the innocence of children?’ – Well no, it’s absolutely not about this!
So thank you for this infographic, I feel it can go a long way in educating people about this issue. We have re-posted it to our site with the attribution and link back to this page. Great work!
Cool infographic. Nicely summarizes human rights abuses going on right under our noses.
The infographic gives a link to the wrong petition. “change.org” petitions are just for slacktavists to feel good about themselves and don’t achieve anything.
The real petition that will trigger a parliamentary select committee review and proposal for a parliamentary debate is at:
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/51746
Hi Schneemann
The petition you are linking to is ok, but because it mainly focuses on the issue of pornography, I believe that it is playing in the hands of the government who wants to make sure this is the only known ‘topic’ discussed. Many people will avoid talking about it or sign it, so as not to appear ‘pro-pornography’. This was a very smart tactic by the UK government.
Secondly, ONLY UK residents are allowed to sign the petition you are linking to. So this is very limiting, as in fact, this push toward blacklisting websites and material via ISPs defaults is actually a WORLDWIDE concerns, especially since it contains the “esoteric material” in it.
Esoteric is a very broad term and can include anyone who is specialised in a certain matter. Imagine how the government (who is charge of blacklisting) could control any dissidents or critics?
Think of ‘Fracking’ for example – the full understanding of it to its details could be considered as specialised knowledge, hence as esoteric.. And ‘BAM” a website explaining the full danger of fracking can become blacklisted in an instant.. Can you imagine and understand the ramifications?
Many governments are watching the UK, and seeing what are people going to actually do. Will they fight against it or not..?
The internet can be used for many good things, but as well as many bad and inhumane things. But we, the users, are makers of the internet. And how we use it and how we treat each other is as important online as offline.
I believe that Jaime Tanna (the author of the petition on change.org) is doing a very good job at updating, and bringing more valid info against censorship and he clearly does not deserve the name of ‘slaktavist’.
If you know the person behind the UK petition you linked to, I think it would be a really good idea to have them connect with the one on change.org and another petitioncreated by concerned people in the USA (on AVAAZ). As they could join together and unite against the growing oppression.
Now that would make a bigger statement! And possibly even double the amount of signatures.
I find the definition of ‘esoteric’ rather narrow and exclusive on this site, although the qualification underneath helps to broaden it a lot.
This is part of the definition on Wikipedia:
‘Although Esotericism refers to the exploration of the inner meanings and symbolism of various philosophical, historical and religious texts, these texts themselves are often central to mainstream religions. For example the Bible and the Torah are examples of esoteric material.’
This does convey how idiotic and oppressive the censorship of ‘esoteric’ websites and webforums would be and could help the petition appeal to a broader public.
Thank you for this infographic. Your professional work will bring more attention to this important petition.
It was difficult to imagine a world with internet restriction nowdays and specially in western countries. But now, the internet restriction is very close not only in UK but gradually all over the world.
Thanks for the great infographic! I think it’s a great way to share and inform others about this impending unreasonable censorship.
@Susan — I think that many people don’t realize how broad the term “esoteric” really is and how much it is a part of our society. I think this is why it’s so dangerous to sneak it into this censorship bill, because most people wouldn’t even pay attention or get what it means, so they’ll pass right over it and focus just on the other main areas to be censored (the ones highlighted by the media). Really though, I can see so much room for abuse when someone has the power to censor anything they like essentially, since the definition is so broad. This can really open up room for targeting smaller non-mainstream spriritual and/or alternative communities, which is a big step towards information control…
I guess the infographic can’t include everything, though the keywords a bit lower down do illustrate the kinds of things that could be targeted under that label, but I think it’s good that we have the opportunity to take some action and inform others about this and also about what it really entails.
“The Free (Western) World”, “Free flow of information”, “Freedom to speak your mind”. This censorship takes away the feeling of being free, which is SO IMPORTENT specially in the esoteric communities, where people are searching for true values and who and what they are.
Hi Erik,
Exactly why we need to stop this censorship of the internet! People have been able to connect to each other with the creation of the internet and to start to limit speech is not what the internet is about, the internet’s about sharing ideas. It goes against the human rights conventions as well so if this is allowed to go through what will the western governments try to bring in down the track?
So I arrived here via a link someone put on Facebook to a petition to “Stop The Censorship of ‘Esoteric’ Websites and Alternative Spirituality” and while this is all very interesting I’ve yet to find one first-hand account of this actually being planned.
Seems like all of the blogs/sites talking about this are stemmed from the “Sleepwalking into Censorship” article where someone claims to have had “…brief conversations with some of the Internet Service Providers…” which in of itself provides no evidence that this is ever going to happen.
Hi Herb,
I’d suggest that you actually dig for more information before brushing off this censorship as something that may not happen. This default-filter implementation has been covered by major media around the world (not just the UK). However the media only focused on ‘pornography’ as the issue that will be censored as this is exactly what the government wants people to hear and know about.
Open rights group made investigated further by talking to the source and brought about the full material that will be filtered.
A UK internet provider has also come forth saying that they will not implement any of these filters as they do not believe that people should have similar internet as people in China or North Korea.
All truth passes through three stages.
First, it is ridiculed.
Second, it is violently opposed.
Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.
~ Arthur Schopenhauer
Sadly, we are way past self-evident, but some people prefer to keep their heads in the sand and pretend that ‘everything is going to be alright’ or worse, think that until it does not concern them, why bother disturb the water…
“First they came for the Communists but I was not a Communist so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Socialists and the Trade Unionists but I was not one of them, so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Jews but I was not Jewish so I did not speak out. And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me.”
~ Martin Niemoeller
hi Herb
this sort of censorship is already in place on certain community wifi’s and mobile phones in the UK. See the explanation on the petition the infographic links to; http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/uk-prime-minister-david-cameron-stop-the-unnecessary-censorship-of-esoteric-websites-and-web-forums
Here is a link to information about the default content filters already in place for Orange Phones in the UK:
https://wiki.openrightsgroup.org/wiki/Orange_Safeguard
and take note of the two links at the end of that page too.
So this sort of censorship is already in place and it looks set to spread to the wider internet for people in the UK.
Has anyone contacted any member of the conservative government to ask directly about the BLOCKING OF ESOTERIC SITES? I would like to know who found out and how, I mean if the conservatives are trying to hide this, then how did anyone find out?
I would approach my own local conservative MP, but I need to know who leaked the information about the intended blocking of ESOTERIC SITES…
It seems to me that people sign these petitions and then forget about it…maybe not everyone, but much more action is needed.
hi Jane
Here is a link to the group that exposed it:
https://www.openrightsgroup.org/blog/2013/sleepwalking-into-censorship
Hi Jane, Open Rights Group got their info from the IPs disclosing what was to be censored by the parental filter which lead to much more then pornography.
I am not in the UK but I know a few people who have contacted their MPs and got some feedback from them who said they had no idea about what was happening, so it seems like this whole thing has been sneaked in in some way. The MPs who were contacted however did show concern and said they would discuss this further with the government. Contacting MPs is an important action to take. I doubt the governement wants to talk about this openly & publicly, otherwise they would have from the start. The MPs can push for it if there is enough public interest and people are talking to them.
I am just amazed with all the double standards against Adult Pornography all the while David Cameron recently said he does not support the ban of topless women on Britains’ Sun Newspaper. Where is the concern to protect children?