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German Government Want to Start ISP-Based Censoring  (View post)

Philipp Lenssen [PersonRank 10]

Friday, January 16, 2009
15 years ago5,539 views

[Edit: Changed title from "German Politicians Want to Start ISP-Based Censoring" to "German Government Wants to Start ISP-Based Censoring" (as Leyen is the gov't family minister, that seems to be clearer).]

Henrik Paul [PersonRank 0]

15 years ago #

This kind of filtering is already in effect in Finland, with humorously erroneous blocking mistakes reported.

See more at http://lapsiporno.info/english-2008-02-15.html and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lapsiporno.info . I understand wikileaks has a leaked version of a half-a-year old version of the block list. Includes, allegedly, some typos, and many non-cp sites.

Move along, nothing to see here.

[Linkfix ~ hebbet]

Roger Browne [PersonRank 10]

15 years ago #

In the UK, the law requires ISPs to implement censorship technology, but doesn't require them to use the Internet Watch Foundation checklist. The IWF is funded by the EU and decides its blacklist in conjunction with the police, so it's a brave ISP indeed who wouldn't censor according to this list (all the commercially-significant ISPs do censor, although there are a few minor players who don't yet).

The Government has bullied ISPs by saying they will force them to censor if they don't start doing it "voluntarily".

This is not much different from what happens in China under the slogan of "According to local laws and customs...".

The Wikipedia scandal (where the image of an album cover was blocked, despite many thousands of those covers having been in circulation for decades) shows that at least some of the blocked web pages are not ones that would bring society to its knees.

freemind [PersonRank 0]

15 years ago #

Dont let them destroy the main concept of the Interent – its Freedom!
It it stupit to block single web site content with nudity when we have thousands of terabytes of pornography completly free on the net.

James Xuan [PersonRank 10]

15 years ago #

In Ireland, there was outrage in the 70's when Playboy was allowed to be sold, after it had been banned since it was started.

Since then there has been no censorship in Ireland of any kind, people are free to judge for themselves what they should and should not view.

While I think this is the way it should be, there is a problem with other laws that make this law slightly stupid. Let's take child pornography for example. It is illegal to look at child pornography (and quite rightly) but if you stumble across it on the internet, it is not censored. This is ok. You just go away from the page because you have the right to judge what you should and should not view, and this is illegal, so you shouldn't view this.

But... the law says that it is illegal to view (or store) child pornography. But you have just viewed it, even by mistake, because it wasn't censored. You have even stored it in your browsers cache.

And how does a government censor child pornography on a site such as 4chan? 4chan is an outlet for opinion, and is very useful, but on /b/ child pornography is rampant, and although I ignore it (posting on /b/ is like pissing in an ocean of piss) and go on with it to express my opinion on other topics, I would be miffed if 4chan was censored because of child porn being posted by someone else in a different thread. But it is impossible just to ban certain threads because of the way a forum, in particular 4chan works.

Mrrix32 [PersonRank 10]

15 years ago #

It's a difficult situation really. I'm against both censoring the Internet and child porn. Obviously overall my opinion is that the Internet should not be filtered but I can see why they are doing this.

[put at-character here]James
I was wondering how long it was before someone mentioned 4chan. I'm surprised it wasn't hit by the UK censors.

James Xuan [PersonRank 10]

15 years ago #

[put at-character here]Mrrix32

Maybe because it would have resulted in a raid against the UK government, and in turn, anarchy and rebellion. :D

Mysterius [PersonRank 10]

15 years ago #

[put at-character here]James Xuan: Perhaps the law should focus on production and material contribution to such content, instead of the content itself.

After all, if child pornography laws are focused on child protection, not moral custodianship, then shouldn't policing content serve as a means for getting at the production, not for its own sake?

James Xuan [PersonRank 10]

15 years ago #

<<After all, if child pornography laws are focused on child protection, not moral custodianship, then shouldn't policing content serve as a means for getting at the production, not for its own sake?>>

I agree with this, and (at least in Ireland) tis is how it is dealt with, though if the GardaĆ­ confiscate your Computer for other reasons and child pornography is found on it, you will be prosecuted.

Also, another thing I object to is the subject of teenagers taking pics of themselves and uploading them, and this being classed as child pornography. I don't agree with children being mistreated in any way, or being forcefully involved in sexual acts, but if some 15 year old slut takes pictures of herself nude and spreads them... thats a different issue.

Censorship is wrong, the laws need to be rewritten so that having no censorship will not lead you to be prosecuted as I exampled at http://blogoscoped.com/forum/148814.html#id148826

Snegok [PersonRank 0]

15 years ago #

Give the reference on rss the channel please

James [PersonRank 0]

15 years ago #

Roger: There is no ISP censorship law in the UK, the home secretary just threatened the ISPs to implement it "voluntarily" or a law would be passed making it mandatory.

Mannstein [PersonRank 0]

15 years ago #

This German gov't initiative will lead to holohoax censorship through the back door. No lampshades, human soap, shrunken heads, gas chambers, nor 6 million.

Tom Lowe [PersonRank 0]

15 years ago #

This stupid law is just another excuse to block the truth about zionist war crime by doing it in the name of protecting children.

In the meantime, the very same people are slaughtering children in Palestine.

In other words, zionist criminals are using child porno as a human shield.

We see this type of evil all the time coming from zionists.

Roger Browne [PersonRank 10]

15 years ago #

[put at-character here]James: that's exactly what I said above:

> The Government has bullied ISPs by saying they will force them
> to censor if they don't start doing it "voluntarily".

You and I both put quotes around "voluntarily" because we know it's not really voluntary if you are being threatened with force.

My point is that the censorship is being done by the ISPs in accordance with the "laws and customs" of the land, just as Google does in China when they go along with the wishes of the authorities. Either we must criticize both, or neither.

Dan Cohn [PersonRank 0]

15 years ago #

Germany needs to ban all organizations that are nationalist or that deny the Holocaust – for obvious reasons. I hope this new move toward blocking unwanted web material can contribute to that aim. Good for Germany!...

per pettersen [PersonRank 0]

15 years ago #

When you have lied so much as the german government, you can not allow the people to find out, so I expect that this will only be the beginning.

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