France The Latest Country To Approve Internet Censorship

from the head-in-sand dept

Mon, Feb 14th 2011 4:25am — Mike Masnick

It appears that France is the latest country to approve plans to censor the internet. The excuse is pretty much the same as Russia's: focus on child pornography first, but leave out the fact that the same rules can be used to censor any content the government doesn't like. We've discussed this many times before: "filtering" content on the internet doesn't actually get rid of that content. It's just a tool for government control. In the case of things like child pornography, blocking those sites doesn't help anyone. It doesn't stop those involved in child pornography. If these governments were serious about taking on child pornography, they'd actually go after the child pornographers rather than trying to hide their sites. These laws are about one thing and one thing only: getting more control over the internet for the sake of censorship. They all focus on child pornography because that makes it easy.

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Filed Under: censorship, france, internet

40 Comments

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The eejit (profile), 14 Feb 2011 @ 4:12am

Ah, the Moral Outrage method of censorship.
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Annon, 14 Feb 2011 @ 4:44am

Stupid People
Will the general public ever understand that censorship helps no one?
What disgusts me the most is how whenever politicians want to pass legislation that everyone KNOWS is an act of censorship to keep the public under control, they mask it under the guise of "protecting the children" or "fighting child pornography".

Honestly, at this point, I agree with the notion that using "protect the children" as an excuse to do anything is the worst possible reason and usually means something terrible is behind it all.
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Lisae Boucher (profile), 14 Feb 2011 @ 5:01am

About child porn...
In the fight against child porn, all is permitted. Especially if it gives governments the chance to hide other things that could be harmful for their re-elections...
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Rich Kulawiec, 14 Feb 2011 @ 5:08am

The familiar beating of the "for the chillllldrrrrennnn" drum
The first, last, and best refuge of censors.
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Chronno S. Trigger (profile), 14 Feb 2011 @ 5:08am

Re: Stupid People
But... but INFRINGE... Uh... I mean the children.
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Planespotter (profile), 14 Feb 2011 @ 5:20am

lol, we really need to get some tech savy people in Government, these idiots haven't a clue!
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MAC, 14 Feb 2011 @ 5:27am

Censorship based on child porn...
The road to hell is paved with the souls of those who had 'good intentions'.

Go after the pornographers, call them what they are, child molesters and put them in prison. Prisoners don't like child molesters. Let them all know what they are.

They won't last long...
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big al, 14 Feb 2011 @ 5:28am

censor whom???
hummmmm....

well if the "three strike folks" have their way,france won't have anyone to censor....
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Feb 2011 @ 5:30am

but... but... CENSORSHIP!
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Berenerd (profile), 14 Feb 2011 @ 5:32am

Re:
DH for President in 2012!!!!
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Shon Gale (profile), 14 Feb 2011 @ 5:39am

You're correct France has become just like Russia, a socialist nightmare. Sarkozy sucks big ones. In fact screw the whole continent. Who needs them? They produce nothing.
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codeslave (profile), 14 Feb 2011 @ 6:07am

The Four Horsemen
It's trivial to get laws like this if you invoke one of the Four Horsemen of the Infocalypse, especially the "Think of the Children" one. Same reason why discussions of implementing Internet kill switches always focus on terrorists (and not political unrest, the only time anything like that has actually been used), and the media industry tries to tie copyright infringement to organized crime or to conflate it with counterfeiting.
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Chuck (profile), 14 Feb 2011 @ 6:17am

Canada
has always had child pornography filters. I personally find nothing wrong with it assuming they word it right. And they must word it right. Will no one reductio ad absurdum the freaking law?
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Feb 2011 @ 6:24am

Re:
Seems like they know exactly what they're doing. Doesn't mean they need to understand how a tool works to keep it out of the publics hand.
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Skeptical Cynic (profile), 14 Feb 2011 @ 6:27am

It's all about power
Any government no matter how well conceived or designed always seeks to get more and more power.
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Dark Helmet (profile), 14 Feb 2011 @ 6:41am

Re: Re:
"DH for President in 2012!!!!"

Heh, I'm MARGINALLY tech-savvy at best....
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Jeff, 14 Feb 2011 @ 6:48am

Good
It is the responsibility of the governing bodies of our nations to protect it's constituents. There is little point in having a law to prevent illegal material from being published if we don't have a legal mechanism to enforce the law.
Not all publishers of illegal material can be so easily apprehended. I wouldn't want a world where the police can't shut down a crack-house without first having to apprehend the owner.
The paranoid, anti-establishment, outraged masses who scream for freedom of "their internet" are no less destructive than the paranoid moralists who scream to control it.
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teka (profile), 14 Feb 2011 @ 7:01am

Re: Good
That's right, i wasn't doing anything with those rights anyhow.

And if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear!

I wouldn't want a world where the police can't shut down a crack-house without first having to apprehend the owner.

The comparison you are looking for is

"I wouldn't want a world where the police have to follow due process to enforce the law. I think they should be able to shut down that crack house, my neighbor's house, even my house as long as they promise that they are 'helping the children' or 'fighting terrorists'. I am sure they will never Use all of these powers, right?"
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Dave, 14 Feb 2011 @ 7:08am

Re: Good
The problem is, they're not "shutting down the crack-house". They're painting it so it's invisible. Which isn't stopping the people who know it's there.

Net effect: The government is creating a hiding place for people it "claims" it is trying to stop.
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Berenerd (profile), 14 Feb 2011 @ 7:42am

Re: Re: Re:
yes but I can be your "adviser". between you and me I WILL BRING PEACE TO MY NEW EMPIRE!!

Err...ummm...I mean...our new government....
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Feb 2011 @ 7:44am

Re:
Socialism is just the end result of trying to give the people what they want, all the time, no matter what. Any group calls for something, you give in. You create all sorts of social safety nets, all sorts of nanny state support systems, and then stand back and wait for your economy to grind to a halt.

Considering how much of a socialist state France is, the whole Hadopi thing is from right field. For the most part, they should be more like Spain, allowing their citizens to enjoy the bounty that others create.
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Dark Helmet (profile), 14 Feb 2011 @ 8:01am

Re: Re: Re: Re:
I find your lack of loyalty to me....disturbing....
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Kevin (profile), 14 Feb 2011 @ 8:18am

"And I Quote"
"So this is how liberty dies... with thunderous applause"
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Feb 2011 @ 8:22am

If law enforcement would do its job and catch these criminals then we wouldn't need a million censorship laws that don't work.
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Kevin (profile), 14 Feb 2011 @ 8:28am

Re:
With all of this censorship driving these criminals farther and farther underground, it is getting harder and harder to catch them.
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TDR, 14 Feb 2011 @ 9:13am

Re:
Problem is, many of the ones pushing for the filters are likely partaking of the very crime they say they want to stop. As Mike said, if they really wanted to stop it, they'd go to the source. But they don't. Only one real reason for that. Law enforcement would be likely arresting their own superiors if they were really allowed to track this stuff to the source, but they're not.
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harbingerofdoom (profile), 14 Feb 2011 @ 10:27am

Re: "And I Quote"
you forgot the claims of progress
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Feb 2011 @ 10:46am

"These laws are about one thing and one thing only: getting more control over the internet for the sake of censorship."

Any one else getting a little tired of the Chicken Little act?
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Feb 2011 @ 11:42am

Re:
If by chicken little act you mean the "think of the children" magic wand then yes I am sick and tire of this salem-witch-hunt that is used to grab power and disguise bad things they want to do.
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Feb 2011 @ 12:50pm

Re:
It's only a Chicken Little act when it doesn't come true.

Given all the precedent, odds of this being used for other censorship acts is...oh, 100%.
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IronM@sk, 14 Feb 2011 @ 1:10pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
Something something something, dark side
Something something something, complete
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Feb 2011 @ 2:22pm

Re:
It's sort of the techno-panic concept at work.

"But... but... Censorship!"

It's funny as heck when all their hand ringing just leaves them with sore hands.
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Anonymous, 14 Feb 2011 @ 4:05pm

Re:
yeah, at this point Masnick should just start posting these as "Today's FUD".
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Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2011 @ 7:43am

Re: Re:
If it was about keeping tools out of the publics hands you would of been locked-up years ago TAM-Lying-Hpyocrite.
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Anonymous Coward, 15 Feb 2011 @ 7:55am

Re:
Hi TAM! Still got that poster of Mike on your wall?
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btr1701 (profile), 15 Feb 2011 @ 12:41pm

Re: Stupid People
> I agree with the notion that using "protect
> the children" as an excuse to do anything is
> the worst possible reason and usually means
> something terrible is behind it all.

Yep. Whenever I hear "protect the children", I reach for either my wallet or my gun because it means someone's about to try take either my money or my freedom (or both).
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btr1701 (profile), 15 Feb 2011 @ 12:45pm

Re: Good
> There is little point in having a law to
> prevent illegal material from being published
> if we don't have a legal mechanism to enforce
> the law.

I've said the same thing about immigration laws for years. Why have them if no one is going to enforce them? If only the government were as zealous there as they are about copyright.
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SHAWN CULLEN, 6 Mar 2011 @ 7:47pm

child porn revelation
http://wwwthegreatfinalreport.blogspot.com/2011/02/paramount-report-2011-great-final.html

IF YOU WANT TO KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT CHILD PORN THEN CHECK OUT ADDRESS AND TELL OTHERS
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shawn cullen, 6 Mar 2011 @ 7:49pm

child porn revelation
http://wwwthegreatfinalreport.blogspot.com/2011/02/paramount-report-2011-great-final.html

IF YOU WANT TO KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT CHILD PORN THEN CHECK OUT ADDRESS AND TELL OTHERS
[ link to this | view in thread ]
shawn cullen, 6 Mar 2011 @ 7:51pm

child porn revelation
http://wwwthegreatfinalreport.blogspot.com/2011/02/paramount-report-2011-great-final.html

IF YOU WANT TO KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT CHILD PORN THEN CHECK OUT ADDRESS AND (((-TELL OTHERS-)))
[ link to this | view in thread ]