Saturday, June 14, 2008



Free speech to be further curtailed in France

Under the convenient pretext of blocking "porn". It is surprising how often conservative political sites suddenly become "porn" when censors are given free rein

"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.

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.

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."

Source

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

She supports liberty while taking it away? How french!

Anonymous said...

"She insisted that the plan would not "create a Big Brother of the internet""

Then what the hell would it create?

"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."

If this isn't Big Brother tactics then I shudder to think what those tatics may be. We should have let the German's have France.

Anonymous said...

Hello Good Gentles All!

The great irony is that the communist Chinese do the exact same thing for the exact same reasons (... or content linked to terrorism ...) but against different content.

"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."

Sort of the way French citizens were encouraged to inform on their fellow citizens to the NAZIs who then summarily dealt with the matter in their not so subtle jack-booted way.

I wonder what are the Fench words for 'rat' or 'stool pigeon?'

I guess the French have never heard of the concepts of due process or free speech.

Liberté, égalité, fraternité (1789)

Travail, famille, patrie (1940)

Trahir, Stigmatiser, Censeur (2008)

Pax,

InFides

Anonymous said...

"We're not creating a massive big brother system, we're just asking everyone to spy on everyone else, and if you think something untoward may be being said, report it to us and our crack team of analysts will decide if it's 'dangerous' to liberty, equality, or fraternity!"

Anonymous said...

Can you just imagine an entire nation of individual frogs complaining about everything they don't like? All they'll have left is wine and cheese commercials!