Because REAL domination isn't fun (addendum)

UNEXPECTED ADDENDUM:

Even without new draconian laws mentioned last post, the US government shut down the massive file sharing site Megaupload yesterday as part of "an investigation into copyright infringement".

BBC News story
Ars Technica story
Wikipedia article on MU

No warning to innocent users with files stored there; paid members of the site can't access or even delete their stored private files. I would honestly be very surprised if the FBI didn't have 'warrants' to look through people's private accounts in this case, too.

This just goes to show that accusations of something someone doesn't like (in this case music companies worried people were storing copyrighted material on Megaupload and sharing the links) can get other innocent peoples' rights stomped all over without recourse (i.e. those of all the millions of Megaupload users who used the service for legit reasons, such as off-site hard drive backup of personal data).

It also shows that 'private' file storage online using these services is neither safe nor assured. Some folks wonder why I'm not a fan at all of the whole "cloud based" (online) software and storage concept that so many seem to tout as "the future"... this is why!

I'm not talking about whether the founders of Megaupload willingly allowed copyrighted content to be shared using their service. I'm talking about the fact that this takedown affects the innocent as much as the alleged-guilty. Imagine if this was Picasa or Google Docs being taken down without warning? That would be the end of all Blogger blogs. YouTube? Scary stuff indeed. Plus, isn't it a bit suspicious that of all the file-sharing services out there, the one hit this hard is the one that previously angered the RIAA over an unrelated matter?

Aren't we supposed to be more fearful and distrustful of criminal piracy and hacker groups than our own authorities and corporations?

CLOSING COMMENTS:

I know these last two posts have been somewhat 'off-topic', but this is such an important issue for everyone online, particularly those of us in a potentially-targetable, oft-misunderstood and occasionally demonized 'minority' (non-vanilla) group like being a 'spanko'.

It's too important to risk being in the dark on these sorts of issues, and if my silly little spanking art blog can bring them to the attention of just one reader who was previously unaware of what was going on, it's worth it. This hits home personally for me, because a big part of why I quit Yahoo was that it only took one complaint from someone and my whole account could be shut down... it happened to me at least twice, and both times as a result of content not even posted by me!

Finally, as my own contribution to the fight against censorship and information suppression (and due to several requests and emails), today I restored my controversial Halloween post to its pre-self-censored version. Enjoy in all it's non-'politically correct' glory!

We now resume our regular spanking-themed posts!

Because REAL domination isn't fun...

Imagine if your favourite websites were no longer available to you.

Imagine if any website your government - or corporate or political lobbyists - didn't like or considered "offensive" (say, an adult spanking fetish blog like this one) could be shut down and/or permanently blocked from view without notification or appeal.

Whether you're in the USA or elsewhere, it could happen.

Learn more about why Banjo's BBS - along with so many other websites across the internet - voluntarily went dark for a day, January 18th - January 19th 2012:
http://sopastrike.com/strike/
http://fightforthefuture.org/
https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/

Don't think folks in Australia are safe, either:
http://nocleanfeed.com/
http://www.overclockers.com.au/wiki/Australian_Internet_Filtering

What about your country?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_censorship_by_country
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_censorship

Don't take a free internet for granted. Don't remain silent. Make your voice heard now... while you still have one.

Dark Matter: Fantasy vs Reality (Halloween Postscript)

I wanted to take this opportunity to follow-up and answer the person who expressed "concern" over my previous post. Given this is (or was!) the season for all things dark and disturbing, I felt this was the perfect time to get this stuff out of the way in the form of a "mini-article".

Everything on this blog is intended as fantasy only. Nothing here is intended to reflect real-life, or a support of any immoral or illegal behavior. Like a lot of folks' spanking fantasies, some of mine are "non-consensual" (I'd be willing to bet a lot of other folks' here are, too). This also sometimes involves aspects that fall under "sex", I'll freely admit, and not always in a loving, caring way. Please understand that this doesn't mean I want or agree with such things in reality.

I tend to shy away from a lot of hardcore BDSM material - especially stuff with an X/F bent - because I personally don't enjoy that... seeing a woman in pain or fear is not something I enjoy. But that doesn't mean I don't understand the fantasies of people who do enjoy imagining such things happening to them. I know a good few lovely and very independent ladies who fantasize about being physically overpowered and spanked - even humiliated - against their will by their husbands, boyfriends and even total strangers... something I can totally understand but would never condone in reality. A past girlfriend of mine once confessed to "kidnap fantasies", but that doesn't mean she wanted to be actually kidnapped!

In a more "vanilla" context. how many of us enjoy horror movies, but would we want that dark stuff to really happen to us or someone else? I've often likened spankos to those who love scary movies and roller-coasters and ghost trains... stuff designed to invoke emotional and physical responses - fear, loss of control, etc. - that any sane person should want to avoid at all costs!

In reality, any spanking or BDSM practiced should always be safe, sane and consensual. Real rape or abuse is never "okay" or "fun". However, our imaginations (as both subs and doms), are sometimes a bit "darker". I hope folks are able to understand - and maybe even relate to - that.

Please don't think I'm overreacting to one single comment; I just want to make this stuff clear before this blog goes any further. As I said, often my fantasies (and thus, my art and stories) will stray into the "non-consensual" side of spanking and sex, and I want to clear the air before anything else causes controversy or concern.

So, if fantasy depictions of things that should not happen in real life bother you, please "look away". Don't worry, I won't be posting child porn or extreme brutality or anything genuinely horrible like that. But if the idea of a female police officer abusing her authority to unjustly strip-search and thrash a prisoner, or the idea of a cruel "aunt" spanking a young man under her roof every night just because she can, or the idea of a female boss who sexually harasses her employees and spanks them when they complain... if these are the sort of fantasies or make-believe scenarios that offend, then this blog is probably not for you.

As an aside, I think this is an interesting topic for those of us involved in spanking, BDSM and related sexuality, and invite discussion if you'd like... but I do ask you keep things polite and considerate.