France to block porn, terror, hate websites (1 Viewer)

[Born2baplacebo]

The French state and internet service providers have struck a deal to block sites carrying child pornography or content linked to terrorism or racial hatred, Interior Minister Michel Alliot-Marie announced on Tuesday.
The plan, part of a larger effort to fight cybercriminality, is to go into effect in September when a "black list" will be built up based on input from internet users who signal sites dealing with the offensive material, the minister said.
The announcement comes on the heels of a similar deal in the United States, also announced Tuesday. There, three service providers - Verizon, Sprint and TimeWarner Cable - have agreed with New York state officials to block child pornography sites nationwide.
Alliot-Marie said all service providers in France have agreed to block offending sites but did not name them.
"We can no longer tolerate the sexual exploitation of children in the form of cyber-pedopornography," Alliot-Marie said. "We have come to an agreement: the access to child pornography sites will be blocked in France. Other democracies have done it. France could wait no longer."
Among other countries that have already implemented similar measures include Britain, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Canada and New Zealand.
Under the French plan, internet users, via a platform, will be able to signal inappropriate sites and the state, receiving the complaints in real time, will then decide whether the sites are to go on a so-called black list to be passed on to internet service providers to enforce site blocks.
Sites containing what appear to be blatant crimes will be referred to judicial authorities, the minister said.
As for offending sites hosted in other countries, France will pass on the information via Interpol or Europol, the two police agencies, or seize judicial authorities there, Alliot-Marie said.
She insisted that the plan would not "create a Big Brother of the internet" and pledged her support for the "fundamental liberty that is internet access."
France's upcoming presidency of the European Union will be a chance to coordinate efforts between countries, she said, adding that efforts are often needlessly duplicated and sites shut down in one country often pop up in another.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/wireless--broadband/france-to-block-porn-terror-hate-websites/2008/06/11/1212863695702.html

 

[Slidey]

Uh oh.

With Britain and Sweden's recent deep packet inspection of their entire internet infrastructure Big Brother style, I'm concerned where shit like this is leading us.

Once a government sets up a blacklist like this, it's not hard to turn it in to a China-style Great Firewall to censor political dissent and things the administration feels are 'unacceptable'. And power corrupts. I hope there's a massive amount of transparency surrounding the blacklist.

 

[A High Way Man]

Censure the censors

 

[bigboyjames]

and here comes the rise of western fascism.

 

[Slidey]

and here comes the rise of western fascism.

Doubtful mate. That was 80 years ago.

 

[Zingy]

Blocking "child porn websites" won't do shit. CP is traded over darknets and 1 on 1 methods like MSN/IRC. I doubt you could find some public CP trading phpbb forum. Maybe in russia.

 

[zstar]

Doubtful mate. That was 80 years ago.

Not all fascism looks like Hitler.This is whole different type of fascism.

Europe has a bunch of hate speech laws that give the state the ability to arrest people who violate those vague hate speech laws.


It's all a sugar coating to emulate the Russian and Chinese model of speech. So in the end everyone is screwed.

I personally believe everyone has a right to speak without fearing arrest or persecution no matter how hateful or how much you disagree. But government doesn't like those ideas so they attempt to hide their dislike of free speech through creating vague laws that pose as hate speech laws.