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Venezuelan Politicians Seem To Think The Web Is Like TV: Adult Content Only Allowed At Night

from the that's-not-how-it-works dept

Fri, Dec 10th 2010 10:35am — Mike Masnick

With all the jokes we've had about how badly it seems the US government doesn't understand the internet, and often seems to want to censor the internet, it appears that politicians in Venezuela want to go even further. A lawmaker from the ruling party has put forth a bill that would regulate the internet -- in part by saying that adult content can only be available after midnight.

Yes, you read that right. Supporters point out that this is the same requirement for TV and radio, so why shouldn't it work that way for the internet? Detractors point out that... um... that's not how the internet works. Of course, the bill also lets the government directly censor websites that say things the ruling party doesn't like, which does seem like standard practice for media entities in Venezuela these days.

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Filed Under: internet, regulations, venezuela

21 Comments

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Hephaestus (profile), 10 Dec 2010 @ 10:43am

As the saying goes "its 5 pm somewhere" ...
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Anonymous Coward, 10 Dec 2010 @ 10:45am

actually this could work. Just set up dns servers in the country that only make the dns names available from midnight to 6am local time. Won't stop every one, but would make it a deterrent.
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ChurchHatesTucker (profile), 10 Dec 2010 @ 10:49am

Re:
Heh. My thought exactly *swigs*
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:Lobo Santo (profile), 10 Dec 2010 @ 10:49am

Re: It Works ...?
Yes, it worked so very well in every other country that tried.
:eye-roll:
/sarc

Also, there's a completely distributed uncensorable DNS system coming. Heard of Dot-p2p yet?
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crade (profile), 10 Dec 2010 @ 11:00am

Re:
Wouldn't that just mean the whole internet would only be available at night?
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DS, 10 Dec 2010 @ 11:01am

Is the follow up news that men everywhere (in Venezuela) are going to work half asleep?
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Anonymous Coward, 10 Dec 2010 @ 11:07am

isn't the ARD in germany doing the same thing with their catch up service? they block it before the watershed, making the service less than useful.
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Anonymous Coward, 10 Dec 2010 @ 11:07am

"Of course, the bill also lets the government directly censor websites that say things the ruling parties don't like, which does seem like standard practice for media entities in America these days."
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Ethan, 10 Dec 2010 @ 11:23am

Love the title !
lolzz....

I really loved the title !! I cracked up on that !

Thanks for making my day :)
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Gabriel Tane (profile), 10 Dec 2010 @ 11:35am

Re:
Apparently, it's ALWAYS 5pm there...
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Anonymous Coward, 10 Dec 2010 @ 11:55am

Re: Re:
"adult content can only be available after midnight."

"Wouldn't that just mean the whole internet would only be available at night?"

There's a joke here somewhere...
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Hugues Laman (profile), 10 Dec 2010 @ 11:55am

dns servers
Well people will begin to understand internet a bit more the fact that you can cache the name of a server in your personnal computer. Yes it will work for a while, put it will be quick and there will be software that help you bypass this.
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interval (profile), 10 Dec 2010 @ 12:28pm

Re:
Went to Philadelphia once, you know what? It wasn't sunny.
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cgt (profile), 10 Dec 2010 @ 12:50pm

Re: Re:
NO WAI!11one!1!six!!1
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Cixelsid (profile), 10 Dec 2010 @ 1:07pm

Re: Re: Re:
The internet isn't just porn...there are also pictures of cats.
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TheStupidOne, 10 Dec 2010 @ 1:28pm

Re:
It will work right up until the people of the country decided to use opendns, or google's dns, or any other dns that resides outside of their country
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Gabriel Tane (profile), 10 Dec 2010 @ 1:32pm

Re: Re: Re: Re:
No, it's made of cats http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zi8VTeDHjcM. Which is why the whole thing is destined to fail...

The internet is for porn
The internet is made of cats
Every time you masturbate god kills a kitten

Therefore, the internet is self-defeating
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Yeebok (profile), 10 Dec 2010 @ 8:30pm

Did anyone else read the first word in the title as vuvuzela ?
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techflaws.org (profile), 11 Dec 2010 @ 1:49am

Even worse in Germany
The JMStV is a law just passed to "protect the children" by forcing anyone to implement a rating system on their page which would automatically be blocked by parents adjusting their kid's browsers filter. If anyone does not want to rate it and they are offering content for adults (not necessarily pron) they have to make sure their content is only available after 10 p.m.

That's what you get with a bunch of clueless jerks who just don't get the internet (actually most ppl thing, they do, they only want to control it).
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David, 11 Dec 2010 @ 1:16pm

Great minds
Haven't got a clue, have they?
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Rockma, 14 Dec 2010 @ 3:21pm

Contradictions as always
Well, I am Venezuelan. What can I say? The governor is a man who criticizes US and capitalism, but he uses Twiter.
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