Transportation Secretary Wants To Ban All Driver Talking (Except To Other Passengers)

Sarkozy: We Must Regulate The Internet To Ensure Freedom

from the um,-what? dept

Tue, Oct 12th 2010 6:30am — Mike Masnick

French President Nicolas Sarkozy has some weird ideas about the internet. The original champion of "three strikes" laws, which are now in place in France, he's defended such laws as defending freedom. That seems odd: kicking people off the internet defends freedom? It appears now that he's got "three strikes" in place, he wants to take that idea even further. He's talking up the importance of further regulating the internet, calling it a moral imperative, and that without correcting "the excesses and abuses" there is "no economy," "no life in society," and "no freedom." Yes, his message appears to be that, to give you freedom online, we must first take away your freedom online. Sarkozy has, in the past, advocated taxing Google, Yahoo and Microsoft, and giving that money directly to record labels. So, once again, it certainly appears that when Sarkozy means "freedom" he really means "freedom" for a few entrenched businesses (including one that his wife is heavily involved in) to keep their business models going "free" of competition and "free" from having to adapt to modern technologies.

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team

Filed Under: france, internet, nicolas sarkozy, regulations

40 Comments

If you liked this post, you may also be interested in...

Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread

Del boy, 12 Oct 2010 @ 7:05am

Sounds Fair. Can't imagine France's economy working out without the record labels making loads of cashola. That would really damage everyones freedom.
Cough!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 12 Oct 2010 @ 7:09am

France's economy hasn't worked since de Gaulle. I would imagine that the Sarkozy government will continue to support their nonfunctional economy with crap legislation.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
N. Sarkosy, 12 Oct 2010 @ 7:09am

Del Boy
Quelqu'un heureux qu'il voit comme il est.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- interval, 12 Oct 2010 @ 7:51am
  
  Re: Del Boy
  Français pauvres sont les derniers à savoir.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - Greevar (profile), 12 Oct 2010 @ 7:56am
    
    Re: Re: Del Boy
    La vie est une chienne n'est-ce pas?
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 12 Oct 2010 @ 7:13am

Old mama France is turning into a real mofo. The loss of freedom is rampant there. It seems the great old empires that trod on people for so long are finally getting their due. The French, Spanish and English all have a lot of deaths on their hands and are going to have to account for them.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Any Mouse, 12 Oct 2010 @ 7:21am
  
  Re:
  There are plenty of other old, great empire builders. Japan, China, Russia, Germany, Italy? Come on, I'm sure others can name more. Not like the US is exactly exempt from that list, either.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
- drewmerc (profile), 12 Oct 2010 @ 7:23am
  
  Re:
  leave the spanish out of this as they seem to be the only goverment with any sort of balls (forget the past misdeeds all that matters is the future)
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - Dark Helmet (profile), 12 Oct 2010 @ 7:29am
    
    Re: Re:
    "leave the spanish out of this as they seem to be the only goverment with any sort of balls (forget the past misdeeds all that matters is the future)"
    
    No one remembers the Spanish Inquisition! Our chief element is apathy for the past!
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - interval, 12 Oct 2010 @ 7:53am
    
    Re: Re:
    "leave the spanish out of this as they seem to be the only goverment with any sort of balls..."
    
    Oh really? That's saying a lot for a country that hasn't really mattered much on the world stage since the 50's. How exactly does Spain exhibit "balls?"
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
    - drewmerc (profile), 12 Oct 2010 @ 8:13am
      
      Re: Re: Re:
      http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100623/2346509943.shtml
      http://www.techdirt.com/articles/2010060 8/1420379742.shtml
      http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100517/0116249438.shtml
      http://www.techdirt. com/articles/20100510/1542509364.shtml
      [ link to this | view in chronology ]
    - Jay (profile), 12 Oct 2010 @ 9:46am
      
      Re: Re: Re:
      As drewmarc is exemplifying, they're the only court actually standing up and noticing that copyright infringement isn't harming the industries involved. They might have more problems but beating people over the head with crap lawsuits isn't one of them.
      [ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Yogi, 12 Oct 2010 @ 9:34am
  
  Re:
  What about the Persians and Turks - that hundreds of years of slavery and disenfranchisement of other peoples.Russia has been a major imperialist force for the past few hundred years, and don't start me on the Assyrians - those bastards really have it coming to them!
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
out_of_the_blue, 12 Oct 2010 @ 7:21am

No, his *message* is fine; it's his ultimate goal that's suspect.
No need for analysis, though: he's in gov't, therefore is an authoritarian seeking yet more power.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
iamtheky (profile), 12 Oct 2010 @ 7:35am

Our two chief main elements are, apathy for the past, and a disdain for the present!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- dave, 13 Oct 2010 @ 9:15am
  
  Re:
  yes, our two chief main elements are, apathy for the past, and a disdain for the present, and a fanatical devotion to copyright law. three! our three main elements are... right, i'll go out and come in again...
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
sarkozy is actually gay, 12 Oct 2010 @ 7:36am

this guy will get shot if he keeps this up
apathy for the past more like apathy to make mistakes of the past i do not hate or fer as you say "apathy" for history.

Those that do not remember it are doomed to relive it. AND just what has france given us , french fries....OH GEEE go away sarkozy and i bet sooner rather then later hes gone one way or other...
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Niall (profile), 12 Oct 2010 @ 12:34pm
  
  Re: this guy will get shot if he keeps this up
  I think you'll notice the French have given a lot more, such as elements of language and culture and even laws. Plus, for those in Southern North America, you'd all be Canada if it weren't for the French bailing you out ;)
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 12 Oct 2010 @ 7:38am

as i said this regime is a taxation
all you have to do is raise the term lengths and it overtly is like adding taxation onto people , once they get the wiff of that smell the revolution in franc will be BACK ON THE MENU
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 12 Oct 2010 @ 7:39am

Sarkozy is so popular right now in his country I hope he has only one term, elections are near.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Dave, 12 Oct 2010 @ 7:40am

his base
Politicians demonstrate daily that they have no understanding of the Internet, although they do try to legislate in ways that will benefit themselves.

Also, don't forget that many of his recent actions, including this one, are also just plain and simple pandering to shore up his conservative base, as his popularity is way down.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Del Boy, 12 Oct 2010 @ 7:41am

Crazy how this turned out
All the countries slagged off here, have seeded other nations, except the US which itself is full of european seeds. So everyone has guilty roots in some respect.

Crazy how this thread twisted, by the way peeps.

One world:- against the supression of freedom. Looks more like an excuse for a slagging match.

Dam you Sarkozy - look what you have done.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
hmm, 12 Oct 2010 @ 7:46am

so...
So the french government "taxes" microsoft, which in turn has pretty much three paths to take:

1) raise the price of windows/office etc, which has a bad knockon effect for french citizens AND businesses
2) stop developing french-language versions of their software (if you're french you'll need to IMPORT windows 7/office etc and learn a new language)
3) Complain direct to the EU parliament, and since you can't unilaterally tax one person without taxing everyone else, either France would have to suffer an embarassing backdown, leave the EU or tax every single other software company at an equal rate to microsoft......crippling the french economy!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Christopher (profile), 12 Oct 2010 @ 1:23pm
  
  Re: so...
  Uh, hmm..... actually, there is NOTHING that says that you cannot tax one person or one company more than you tax another one.
  No law WHATSOEVER in either the EU or the United States, for that matter.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Shadow Six (profile), 12 Oct 2010 @ 7:47am

Kermit the Frog Legs
Man I'm glad I don't live there!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Killer_Tofu (profile), 12 Oct 2010 @ 7:54am

Sarkozy's Freedom
I do not think that word means, what he thinks it means.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
N. Sarkosy, 12 Oct 2010 @ 8:29am

Re: Re: Del Boy
Bien s�r, ne
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
N. Sarkosy, 12 Oct 2010 @ 8:32am

Re: Re: Del Boy
Sure est, D�sol� de ne pas se concentrer. Et mon fran�ais est mauvais.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 12 Oct 2010 @ 8:37am

The real kicker here is that France (and the Netherlands) are both making quite a big fuss about Iran and China filtering the internet. They themselves are on the verge (or have) implemented laws that make it easier to filter the net themselves.

hypocrites much?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
R. Miles (profile), 12 Oct 2010 @ 8:57am

Did I wake from a coma?
When did France become a government state? I could have swore there was a democracy there.

What are the people doing, sitting around and scratching their collective asses?

I'm sure a few are probably polishing their guillotines right now, as their services are about to be required thanks to a repeat in history.

Not that it matters to me, honestly. I live in the United States and there's no COICA'n way they'll do what France does. Thank goodness.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Yogi, 12 Oct 2010 @ 9:36am
  
  Re: Did I wake from a coma?
  Europe is barely alive. Any signs of vitality are quickly crushed by EC regulations.Interesting times...
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Andrew F (profile), 12 Oct 2010 @ 9:35am

Freedom is slavery.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 12 Oct 2010 @ 12:08pm

I am very weirded out by this. Why is France picking up America's "freedom" excuse habit? Are they going to start calling french fries "Freedom Fries" now? Because that would be really, really weird.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Niall (profile), 12 Oct 2010 @ 12:37pm
  
  Re:
  Since the French don't call them 'French fries' anyway (McDonalds menus notwithstanding), I doubt it'll be much of an issue. Besides, it's only you Yanks who have an inaccurate renaming fetish. Pomme frites, anyone?
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
hmm, 12 Oct 2010 @ 2:57pm

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/en/treaties/dat/12002E/htm/C_2002325EN.003301.html Article 23: 1. The Community shall be based upon a customs union which shall cover all trade in goods and which shall involve the prohibition between Member States of customs duties on imports and exports and of all charges having equivalent effect, and the adoption of a common customs tariff in their relations with third countries. Meaning France can't just "go it alone"...for a special microsoft-tax to apply, every other nation would have to sign up to it also...so it's an EU-wide or nothing proposition.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
hmm, 12 Oct 2010 @ 3:00pm

Article 25 also states no EU member is allowed to charge taxes between other EU members, so if Windows was imported from for example Germany or the UK then France isn't allowed to add extra taxes (which would be an anti-competitive move).

Article 30 is also clear that no "arbitrary discrimination" or "disguised restriction" on trade between members is allowed.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 12 Oct 2010 @ 6:31pm

I swear to fuck, Sarkozy needs to be imprisoned. Is there not a more blatant example of a fucking ginormous conflict of interest in the universe than this? To maliciously try to fuck over an entire country so he can hang on to his bitch wife... wow. Just fucking wow.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
RandomGuy (profile), 12 Oct 2010 @ 8:35pm

Get used to this, echoes of this story can be heard across an increasing number of Western nations (Australia and the US are two other examples, but expect a lot more in very near future).

While this can be looked at as a kickback for big content, that is essentially a side effect, as there are bigger issues at play. Stemming the free flow of information is vital for the oligarchy to maintain their positions. A coordinated, informed electorate is exactly the opposite of what the current crop of world leaders want.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
el Musho, 13 Oct 2010 @ 12:08am

Freedom is slavery.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 24 Oct 2011 @ 1:19pm

I dream to see Sarko and his whore wife been dragged dead like Gadafi. Soon.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]