Diskurswelt.de

I just had a lab in Software Development and my next lecture starts at 12:00 o’clock, so I decided to spend the spare time in between surfing the web in one of the computer rooms of the ITT. No, let me put it differently: I try to find pages that are not censored.

The internet access policy is probably more restrictive than those of China, Iran and North Korea altogether:

• Webmail? Blocked. No access to GMail, HostEurope’s Webmail Interface… Fortunately mail.stud.uni-bamberg.de is not blocked.
• Reading SpOn? Possible, but lots of ads are blocked due to „Gambling“ content (bwin).
• Reading IT websites, forums or blogs? Three more clicks and you end up getting blocked due to „Hacking“ or „Proxy Avoidance“ content.
• Instant Messaging with your friends using meebo? You must be kidding! Blocked, because of „Chatting“.
• Surfing a fun site to cheer you up after all this frustration? Blocked („Tasteless“).
• Try reading the documentation of The Onion Router“ in order to stop all that nonsense? Guess what!?

While I can understand that certain ports are blocked (you really don’t want your network to become a large BitTorrent node), I really can not understand that a third-level educational institution in a civilized, democratic country within the western hemisphere restricts the access to the ultimate medium of free speech and information in a way that makes it almost useless.
You can’t even access your mail account via IMAP! That’s crackbrained and evidence of blatant stupidity as well as hypocrisy. Hell, I’m 21 one years old, educated to decide on my own what is right and what is wrong and 100% responsible for my deeds. I don’t need anybody to tell me what websites I’m allowed to visit.

Enough ranting. I’ll better go to my lecture now.