Governments have moved in to impose restrictions on certain behaviours as technology has grown globally. When something is forbidden, the justifications for the restriction could be murky or covered up by false information. Here are a few of the explanations for why some technologies have been outlawed globally.
1) The United States of America, or
The United States’ convoluted laser pointer regulations
Since the light from laser pointers may be distracting, restrict sight by filling the cabin with light, or even momentarily blind pilots if the laser is strong enough, most of us have undoubtedly been trained not to aim them towards aeroplanes. As a consequence, a lot of people think that lasers above a certain wattage are illegal in the US. While there are certain limitations, the reality is a bit more nuanced than that.
Hardware from Huawei is forbidden in the US.Technophiles all across the globe are aware of the American ban on Huawei devices. In 2018, the US government prohibited federal agencies from using Huawei and ZTE equipment due to cybersecurity concerns and the potential for Chinese government espionage by the two firms.
After then, Huawei’s situation swiftly became out of hand. The US government put pressure on carriers to cease selling Huawei phones, and Google ultimately opted to exclude Huawei from the Android ecosystem. The government’s prohibition on Huawei hardware is still in effect, and it doesn’t seem like it will be lifted anytime soon.
Face recognition technology is prohibited in certain American cities and towns.
This one is a bit of a softball in terms of technologies that should be banned since it is clear why people could want it banned. Many people are concerned that facial recognition technology will be used by the police to identify criminals, even while it makes life simpler for many of us (especially when it comes to unlocking our phones). Real-time video facial recognition has the potential to be a very effective tool for apprehending fugitive offenders and reducing crime. However, it has the potential to severely restrict individual liberties.
According to the CNBC article, there is also worry that algorithmic bias would result in false accusations against innocent individuals when face recognition is utilised. Given all of this, it should come as no surprise that several jurisdictions have enacted laws restricting the use of facial recognition technology. The use of the device has mostly been outlawed by cities, but state lawmakers have lately pushed for a similar restriction. Even the idea of the federal government outlawing facial recognition has been floated, but for the time being, communities and states are resisting.
2) BlackBerry is prohibited in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
BlackBerry seemed unbeatable until the iPhone and Android were introduced. BlackBerry was furious when the UAE government banned Messenger and email in 2010, claiming security concerns as the justification. You might have known more about this ban if not for the UAE’s fairly harsh and general proclamation, which followed Saudi Arabia’s example. The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabian governments expressed security concerns, the majority of which focused on encryption. Since communications exchanged through BlackBerry Messenger and email were encrypted at the time, government agents were unable to read or listen in on BlackBerry talks. After more than ten years, BlackBerry is practically obsolete, but the conundrum of pitting security and privacy against one another—with encryption trapped in the middle—remains.
3) Social media usage is prohibited in Pakistan.
Pakistan and social media and the internet have had a rocky relationship. On April 16, 2021, the Pakistani government temporarily disabled access to social media platforms including Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Twitter. The restriction was in effect on that particular day from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. The administration first said that it was preventing access to such applications to “protect public order and safety,” according to a report in the Pakistani daily Dawn. A more thorough justification for the temporary suspension was revealed later that day. Shiekh Rashid, the interior minister of Pakistan, apologised to the people in a video that Dawn published, stating that the temporary ban was put in place because the extremist political organisation Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan had urged its members to demonstrate after Friday prayers. A temporary social media ban was thus implemented to stop TLP sympathisers from planning demonstrations.
4) China
Video games are also desired in China.
Instead of simply banning certain forms of entertainment, China has strictly regulated them. China tightened its gaming regulations last year, limiting the weekly gaming time for minors to only three hours. According to the South China Morning Post, officials have refused to approve any new games for sale or distribution in the country from July 2021, and this refusal will continue until 2022. As a consequence, almost 14,000 game studios in China have closed their doors in the last six months.
China has always had a contentious relationship with the gaming industry, despite the fact that Tencent, one of the biggest game publishers in the world, is headquartered there. For international gaming companies who believe the Chinese market has enormous potential, this is extremely aggravating. The Chinese government has been more opaque about the reason for the licence suspension, although maintaining that its restrictions on game time for youngsters under the age of 18 were put in place to fight gaming addiction.
Bitcoin is being pursued in China.
Occasionally, we read or hear about China forbidding certain activities. The country effectively outlawed cryptocurrency in all forms in 2021. Last year, it outlawed cryptocurrency altogether by forbidding cryptocurrency transactions as well as bitcoin mining.
Chinese authorities have banned cryptocurrency for a variety of reasons. Cryptocurrency “seriously endangers the safeguarding of people’s assets,” according to the People’s Bank of China (as reported by the BBC). Slate claims that China outlawed cryptocurrency due to the energy requirements connected with mining them as well as a desire to maintain tight control over its people’s economic behaviour. It will be hard to do so once decentralised cryptocurrencies are available in China.
In Russia, virtual private networks (VPNs) are not allowed.
VPNs have become essential tools in a world where many governments aim to restrict internet traffic (while others eavesdrop on people’s browser histories). Businesses choose which clients to service based on geographic information. The proliferation of VPNs irritates many in positions of power. Russia’s decision to significantly scale down its capabilities in 2017 was thus predictable. Roskomnadzor, the Russian internet censor, recently enacted new laws making it illegal for VPNs to let users to access websites that are blocked in the nation (via CNN).
Bloomberg claims that when Russia expressly outlawed many VPNs in 2021 for enabling users to access unlawful content online, things became worse. ExpressVPN and NordVPN, two significant rivals, have been eliminated from the race. Unfortunately, rather than waning, Russia’s offensive against VPN services appears to be becoming stronger.