In another draconian attempt at censorship, a hasidic rebbe has ordered his followers to to give him complete control over whether or not they can have a smartphone and, if he allows them to, which specific websites they are allowed to visit.
Above: The Sadigura Rebbe Rabbi Yisroel Moshe Friedman
Hasidic Rebbe Issues Draconian New Smartphone Regulations
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
In another draconian attempt at censorship, a hasidic rebbe has ordered his followers to to give him complete control over whether or not they can have a smartphone and, if he allows them to, which specific websites they are allowed to visit.
The Sadigura Rebbe Rabbi Yisroel Moshe Friedman made the announcement this week after the Council of Torah Sages of the hasidic Agudath Israel Party met earlier this week to discuss the “dangers” of modern technology and reiterated an “absolute” ban on hasidim using smartphones, Yeshiva World reported. The Sadigura Rebbe is a member of the council.
The Sadigura Rebbe reiterated that ban but permitted the use of a smartphone under very restrictive conditions and only if it has blocking chosen by his rabbis and installed by his chosen blocking provider.
A hasid must sign a declaration that includes his name, what he does for a living, the make and model of the smartphone the hasid wants to use, a detailed list of what apps and functions must be enabled on the reason(s) why each app or function are needed, and a detailed explanation explaining why he needs a smartphone to begin with.
The hasid must also declare if he belongs to any online groups and detail each of them and he also must explain if his job requires him to send photos and videos and, if so, why.
The hasid must also declare that the phone will be used only for business purposes by him alone, and that he will follow all the regulations for its use set down by the Sadigura Communications Committee. Hasidim who are given permission to use a smartphone also must promise in writing to give the phone to the Sadigura Communications Committee for periodic blocking updates and they must promise in writing not to open or tamper with the installed blocking software.
Perhaps the most draconian part of the new regulations, though, is that each hasid given permission to use a smartphone must agree in writing to allow the Sadigura Communications Committee to decide which websites are blocked and which are not – meaning even haredi websites like Yeshiva World can (and likely will) be blocked in order to prevent hasidim from seeing anything even remotely unfavorable about the haredi community.