Im in ur base, killing ur doodz

April 28, 2011 1:11 PM

West Censoring East: The Use of Western Technologies by Middle East Censors, 2010-2011.
Meanwhile a British firm has been found to have offered spying software to the Egyptian regime – Gamma International's Finfisher program would have enabled government spies to monitor activists and censor websites.
posted by adamvasco (6 comments total)

I think the West / British vs East / Egypt is a distraction from the fact that it's companies writing software, not the British government trying to suppress Egyptians. It's an ugly business, and if it is illegal to produce spyware and trojan software in England or it's illegal to export such software from England, then push that side of things instead.

In other words, would the story be as juicy if it were a company based in Egypt who were providing such software and training to the Egyptian government?
posted by filthy light thief at 1:24 PM on April 28, 2011

and if it is illegal to produce spyware and trojan software in England or it's illegal to export such software from England, then push that side of things instead.

I'm beginning to realize that the UK economy is predominantly based on doing things that are shady or immoral, but with a "western" facade.
posted by Jehan at 1:40 PM on April 28, 2011

hope the middle eastern countries would not block Metafilter that famous free speech web-site. are we in danger?
posted by taxpayer at 1:47 PM on April 28, 2011

The growth of the arms industry in the last few decades to the massive engine of global commerce that it is has had the side effect of almost fully detaching ethics from the doing of business. When the overriding measures of success are profit, or expansion, or increasing shareholder value or the like, everything else -- including complicated and difficult questions about ethics and concerns about the enterprise's effect on people or planet -- can be shunted aside. At least until the company gets caught, then it's a simple mea culpa, public shaming, and back to business as usual.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 2:38 PM on April 28, 2011 [2 favorites]

hope the middle eastern countries would not block Metafilter

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posted by ryanrs at 8:24 PM on April 28, 2011 [1 favorite]

I'm beginning to realize that the UK economy is predominantly based on doing things that are shady or immoral, but with a "western" facade.

You mean this western facade?
posted by srboisvert at 11:43 AM on April 29, 2011