I have previously posted about how pro-Israel blogs in the UK (and elsewhere including even in Israel) are censored or blocked completely by internet service providers.
After discovering that his own site was blocked by Sky-UK, Elder of Ziyon discovered that this was due to Symantec classifying his site as "Hate". He noted (as I had previously reported) that other pro-Israel sites such as Israellycool, Israel Matzav and Abu Yehuda all get the same "Hate" classification. Most internet service providers (including Sky, Virgin, and EE) use the Symantec classification and normally either block such sites or require 'parental unlocking' to view them.
Using the symantec link I checked a number of other pro-Israel sites (including this one http://edgar1981.blogspot.co.uk/) and found that they too were classified as "Hate". Included inevitably were pamelageller, jihadwatch and thereligionofpeace, as well as the outstanding sultanknish.
But what shocked me was that the "Hate" classification was also assigned to This Ongoing War. This is the moving blog dedicated to the memory of 15-year-old Malki Roth who was murdered in the 2001 Hamas massacre in Jerusalem’s Sbarro restaurant that was engineered by Ahlam Tamimi. Malki's parents Frima and Arnold have campaigned for Tamimi - who is on the FBI's most-wanted terrorist list - to be brought to justice (she is currently living in luxury, inciting more terrorism, under the protection of the Jordanian government who have refused a US extradition request). While it is shameful that all of the above sites are classified as hate sites, it is especially pernicious in this case, as it demonstrates the extent to which the antisemites who masquerade as 'Palestine supporters' in the UK will go to prevent the truth being heard and justice being done.
Inevitably none of the anti-Israel sites, most of which are dripping with overt antisemitism, are classified as hate sites. Hence https://bdsmovement.net/ and http://www.brightonpsc.org/ are classified simply as "Politics", while http://mondoweiss.net/ is classified as "shopping, blogging", and most bizarrely one of the leading provider of blood libels https://www.palestinecampaign.org/ is actually classified as a "Law site". We know it is the antisemitic 'Palestine supporters' in the UK who are behind the campaign to censor all pro-Israel sites. As evidence that these 'Palestine supporters' are not actually concerned about 'hate' (but are simply driven by hate of the Jewish state), I noticed that the most aggressively anti-Muslim website that I know of - http://www.barnhardt.biz/ - is classified simply as "religion. This is because it never discusses Israel at all and so doesn't come under the radar of the antisemites.
For the record it is also worth noting that most of the sites will not be blocked outside of the UK because the classification changes when the "uk" suffix is changed to another country. For example the Israel version of this site http://edgar1981.blogspot.co.il/ is classified as "Dynamic, Blogger, English".
UPDATE: Symantec have sent me all round the houses, first through a FaceBook messenger conversation when they finally said they were not qualified to help and told me to contact their regular support desk which has no email address. I called the UK number (which unlike the US one is not free) and was passed from person to person eventually being put through to the mobile number of someone who 'should be able to help'. No answer, left message, no response so far. Also it seems Symantec have a long history with this sort of behaviour - they were doing the same thing to other types of sites that did not fit the politically correct (meaning extreme leftist) narrative.
See also:
- EE censors and blocks pro-Israel sites
- Trump: Demand the extradition of child murderer Ahlam Tamimi
- Honoring Jewish child killers
- Symantec defame MHRA sites
This is offensive and disgusting. But the real question is how and why this happens in the UK...who at Symantec is making these decisions and what is the motivation. Only if we understand that can we do more than simply shake our heads in dismay....
ReplyDeleteI am waiting for a response from Symantec.
ReplyDeleteDon't waste your time. Easiest way to circumvent problem is to go into settings parental controls. Adjust the time from 24 hour to the minimum ie 15 minutes. Then adjust the setting to antisocial hour when you are likely to be asleep e.g. 02.00 - 02.15. If you follow this, all uour ' hate sites' will become active outside that 15 minute window .
ReplyDeleteThen reciprocate by reporting JVP, Mondoweiss , Ben White and EI to name but a few , as hate sites.
It's a fix of sorts but it doesn't solve the core issue, the rampant bias in the tech world.
ReplyDelete