Japanese ISPs Decide That Criminal Confessions Should Be Blocked Online
from the common-sense-is-dead dept
With various governments pushing for laws that require ISPs to block "objectionable" content, it's not hard to come up with scenarios where that will backfire. Of course, who needs to come up with fictional scenarios when reality will serve up examples on its own. Over in Japan, some mentally disturbed individual used the web to detail how he planned to stab a bunch of people. After he carried out the stabbings, rather than focusing on how such sites can be useful in stopping homicidal maniacs before they kill, the Japanese are focusing on figuring out how they can block such content as "objectionable" so that people can't see it. Is common sense dead? How could it possibly make sense to try to hide the fact that someone is confessing to the crimes they plan to commit before they commit them?
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Filed Under: blocked, japan, objectionable content, stabbing
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premeditation
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Re: premeditation
insanity really only applies in "acts of passion" or impulse reactions, OR when the defendant has a history of mental illness...in which case his blog should have probably been monitored anyway
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Re: Re: premeditation
For example:
Though he has no prior history of insanity, Abe thinks that his son must be killed. He hears voices in his head that say that God wants his son dead. Abe brings his son to the edge of town, and puts him on a rock, readies a prepared dagger, and gets ready to stab his son to death. A bystander sees Abe try to kill his son. Abe screams that the bystander is sent by the devil. Abe throws stones at the bystander. Then Abe "snaps out of it" and says "the voice told me to stop, and that this was just a test from the voice". *
This shows that Abe premeditated: He prepared the dagger, he brought his son to the remote spot. He knew his action would lead to his son's death. But he didn't rationalize the implications of his actions. Clearly, although he premeditated, Abe was insane.
* Of course, this is the story of Abraham, the very basis of the Judaeo-Christian-Islamic religions, or "Abrahamic Megacults" as they are often referred to. As the story goes, he would later go on to chop up his own penis with a sharp object, and people for thousands of years to come would call him a great prophet. I suspect he "had issues".
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Premeditation and insanity and Japan's emphasis on "the group"
But a separate test of "knowing right from wrong" or "knowing the consequences of one's actions" is another test for sanity. I suspect that in Japan, there are other tests, too. Perhaps some are similar.
In the end, I think the Japanese Government is more concerned about "copycat crimes", and the glorification of these actions. In other words: The effects of this publicity upon future acts by others.
I would bet that "car Jacking" would never have been so popular in the United States, were there not so much publicity around it. News helicopters interrupting their regular broadcasts and so forth. People sometimes do crazy stuff because they've seen it done a few times. This is true everywhere.
Japan's cultural views of "the self" and "the group" often prevent people from acting out in high profile "its all about me" individualistic ways.
But if enough individuals do act out, and their actions and motivations are publicized, they establish a "new group" for like minded people to join. A peer group of misguided individuals. Peer groups, in Japan, are a very strong concept.
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It's been happening constantly.
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Re: It's been happening constantly.
That explains a lot about Godzilla movies.
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Re: Re: It's been happening constantly.
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Re: Re: Re: It's been happening constantly.
"The Japanese movie industry has stopped making such movies."
That wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that it was a one-off hit, by any chance? Suicide Club a.k.a. Suicide Circle was made in 2002, and was a short-lived cult movie as per Death Note, Battle Royale and any number of other teen suicide / murder themed movies that appear and disappear with some small controversy. Yet, Japanese suicides have been rising steadily for the last decade despite the absence of new suicide-themed movies being made (link). That's not teen suicides, but in general population, with a significant rise among pensioners - suicides among young teens is actually down.
Tell me, genius, how this is movie related? It couldn't instead be anything to do with the high pressure, conformist culture of Japan combined with a struggling economy, could it? No, better to point at movies so people like you don't have to deal with the realities of life.
(note to any new readers: dorpus is the resident troll. My annoyance isn't misplaced)
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Re: Re: Re: Re: It's been happening constantly.
Did I say suicide didn't pre-date movies?
That wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that it was a one-off hit, by any chance?
The phenomenon of internet-based mass suicides did appear after that movie.
It couldn't instead be anything to do with the high pressure, conformist culture of Japan combined with a struggling economy, could it? No, better to point at movies so people like you don't have to deal with the realities of life.
I do not recall denying such factors anywhere. Actually, my post mentioned them.
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They're Doing It Out of Love
Won't you give them a break?
(Hah! The subject line says "doing it"... Oh son of a bitch. Now I'm going to be blocked in 8 countries.)
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Poor thought process, not insanity
To them, it is "common sense" that taking away the ability of someone posting (i.e. bragging) about upcoming acts will prevent the acts themselves.
Problem here is that "common sense" isn't common and typically doesn't make much sense.
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Yes
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Re: Yes
Which part of the dozens of articles and thousands of comment posts in "last month's worth of Techdirt" are you trying to use as your "proof"?
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what the hell
Hang on, I hear hooves knocking at my door...
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Typical for Japanese Gov't
In 2004, the Japanese Health Minister announced to the country that Japan need not fear AIDS, because the Japanese immune system was superior to all others.
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Re: Typical for Japanese (??) Gov't
By 1989 (fifteen years prior), Japan had been rocked by a tainted blood supply scandal. During the scandal, numerous people were infected with HIV-tainted blood. Thousands of Japanese went in for testing and testing centers were overwhelmed.
The idea that an official in Japan's Health ministry would be 15 years behind the curve ... announcing "we need not fear AIDS" (15 years after a blood scandal) ... well, I don't buy it. I think you've mixed up your countries.
This constant (and unfounded) fear of a possible *weak* Japanese immune system is prevalent. It is shown in their extremely high condom use, long before AIDs burst into the global scene.
In part because their country has no land borders with other nations, there has always been a cultural fear that foreigners would bring disease and the Japanese immune system would be too WEAK to cope. The opposite of what seems to be implied in your statement.
But there is one country with a history of denial of epidemics: China, whose epidemic figures from the early days of AIDS are still a "State Secret". In other words, 20 + years later they still won't go public with the number of deaths. Deaths that they repeatedly denied as they were occurring. (Bird Flu was treated similarly in China early on)
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Japan, ISPs, and blocking
--Glenn
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