August 09, 2007

EU wants to censor the internet

Spyblog has some coverage of the EU's plans to censor the internet. In order to cover their backs the Commission sent out a vague questionnaire to various groups, Spyblog decided to go though it as well and what they seem to be proposing is very frightening, as it would become a crime to say anything that might indirectly incite other people to terrorism.

There are no conceivable situations where indirect incitement should be criminalised at all. The European Commission should not only ensure that they do not bring forward any such legislation, they should actively make legal provisions to force Member States to repeal any such legacy legislation which has infected their legal systems over the years.

The whole concept of "indirect guilt", or "guilt by racial or religious stereotype", or "guilt by indirect association", or "being your brother's keeper", or "betraying members of your own family to the authorities on suspicion not evidence" etc. etc. should be viewed as an anathema to the principles in the Charter of Fundamental Rights.


It would be up to the ISPs to police this, destroying their current status as common carriers, like the post office, and it would only affect public sites not private password protected sites that you would expect your average Islamic terrorist to use when discussing their plans to bring distruction to the infidel masses. The only thing this proposed law could do is stifle free speech, closing down free speech because the ISPs would have to try and shut out anything that could have the possibility of even indirectly inciting terrorism.

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