A
proposed Register of Prohibited Internet Pages and Services built censorship
controversy among bloggers and internet users in Poland.
The register is supposedly a measure against child pornography and
other illegal content. But it is written in such a way that has bloggers
fearing for their freedom of expression.
The register's critics suggest the confusing legislation will be
overused affecting innocent bloggers and internet users.
The bill which suggests the new register does not state which content
will get a webpage on the register and predicts the introduction of a
mandatory hindrance in access to pages and services that include illegal
content, Finance Ministry spokesperson Magdalena Kobos said, though
it remains unclear what kind of hindrance that should be.
The Ministry suggests self-censorship to users who want to keep off
the register, though it worded this basic instruction somewhat
differently.
Polish PM suggests a rethink
Based on
article
from
blogs.wsj.com
Polish Internet surfers appeared to have won a vital battle against
censorship plans of the Polish center-right government when Prime
Minister Donald Tusk wrote an open letter to the online community saying
the Cabinet's plans could be revisited.
The debate comes in response to protests from tens of thousands of
Polish surfers who joined groups on community portals speaking out
against a government-drafted bill that, if upheld by the Constitutional
Tribunal, will create a register of banned websites and services.
The government's plan, adopted by Parliament last year and sent for a
constitutional probe by the president, is part of a wider set of radical
anti-gambling measures that Tusk ordered in response to a lobbying
scandal involving senior members of his party.
Surfers fear freedom of speech may fall victim to the government's
crackdown as the bill may tempt the public administration to ban not
just gambling sites, but whatever content it disagrees with.
Update:
Internet Blocking Abandoned
19th February 2010. Based on
article
from
blogs.wsj.com
Polish surfers have just scored a major victory — under the weight of
their online protests, Prime Minister Donald Tusk decided to abandon
plans for Internet censorship, which are just one step from becoming the
law.
In a statement on the prime minister's website, his office have said
that after consultations between Tusk and NGOs the government decided to
scrap the register of banned Internet websites, originally designed to
block gambling sites.
