Peru Proposes Default Internet Censorship Requiring Opt-in To View Pornography

from the wonder-where-they-got-that-idea-from dept

Thu, Aug 1st 2013 2:03pm — Glyn Moody

Techdirt has run a number of posts about David Cameron's dangerous plans to apply default online censorship and make porn opt-in in the UK, supposedly to "protect the children". Now it looks like Peru is following suit (original in Spanish):

The Bill No. 2511/2012-CR (pdf) introduced by Congressman Omar Chehade and the Nationalist caucus raises serious questions about individual freedoms in Peru. The project aims to establish a national system of mandatory filters for all Internet providers to prevent access to pages with pornographic content. This filter would be applied by default to all users of the Internet and the only way around it would be by expressly asking the operator [to turn it off]. To do this, a group of representatives from public bodies would be responsible for determining what content would be subject to censorship. Thus, the proposal seeks to protect minors from access to pornographic sites.

It's not clear whether the Congressman was directly inspired by Cameron, but it seems quite likely, given the close similarity of the two schemes. And we've seen how bad ideas for Internet laws have a tendency to spread rapidly among politicians, notably in the case of France's "three-strikes" approach, which was taken up by the UK, South Korea, New Zealand and the US (albeit in a modified form). If more of these "for the children" censorship bills requiring opt-in to porn start turning up in the near future, we'll know whose fault it is....

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Filed Under: censorship, free speech, opt-in, peru, porn

21 Comments

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Internet Zen Master (profile), 1 Aug 2013 @ 2:15pm

Ugh...
Great. The stupid is spreading.

picardfacepalm.jpg
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S. T. Stone, 1 Aug 2013 @ 2:16pm

This won't end well.
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- Anonymous Coward, 1 Aug 2013 @ 2:52pm
  
  Re:
  In the future, when all nations have their own internets after fracturing off the main network as a whole, we'll have to install all sorts of invasive state-sponsored spyware in order to connect from one to the other to ensure our "safety" (it clogs the tubes to talk to other countries, you see).
  
  And yet people will still be able to look at porn and governments will only be able to look at the disaster they made and cry.
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  - Anonymous Coward, 1 Aug 2013 @ 6:52pm
    
    Re: Re:
    All nations having their own national networks already happened. It is in the past, the Internet quietly grew and overtook all of them.
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    - John Fenderson (profile), 2 Aug 2013 @ 10:45am
      
      Re: Re: Re:
      Since the internet is a network of networks, it did not so much overtake any of them as that they combined to form the internet. They remain independent networks nonetheless, though.
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Aug 2013 @ 2:17pm

Mark my words, these attempts at porn censorship will be a huge failure. The internet was founded on porn. I still remember when Playboy.com didn't even require viewers to enter their age in order to enter the site.

I'm not worried in the least about porn filters. Well, I'm a little worried that rape rates might increase because of this, which will be tragic.

Trying to censor porn from the internet, is like trying to stop teenagers from having sex. In other words, it's impossible.

I'm personally going to sit back and laugh at their futile attempts to censor human behavior.
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- Lord Binky, 1 Aug 2013 @ 2:38pm
  
  Re:
  It's a devious move to increase computer technical skills among citizens.
  
  "Why does everyone including my kid know how to hack this?!"
  
  "Because we took their porn away, Sir."
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Lord Binky, 1 Aug 2013 @ 2:34pm

Let's just start calling it what it really is.
Opt-In for Freedom!
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Aug 2013 @ 2:38pm

Hands off our porn.
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Aug 2013 @ 2:49pm

it's all coming down

coming down

coming down

It was nice knowing you while it lasted, internet.
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- S. T. Stone, 1 Aug 2013 @ 3:09pm
  
  Re:
  Pfft. At least go for an Evangelion reference.
  
  It all keeps tumbling down, tumbling down, tumbling do~wn�
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- Anonymous, 1 Aug 2013 @ 3:15pm
  
  Re:
  "Like the walls of Jericho, it's all coming down. The party's over, the world is on the run. We're all livin' under the gun". -Face To Face (80's band)
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Aug 2013 @ 3:10pm

and who to blame because they wont work, not as far as saving any children are concerned! i wonder what Cameron would say if the government, any government were to say to him 'we are taking over your role as a parent and dictating what you and your family can and cant do, can and cant look at'. like any other parent, he would be appalled at such a proposal. let alone any order! in fact, i am sure he would be the first one to condemn any interference and want to know what right the Government had to tell him how to bring up his kids!'
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Tim, 1 Aug 2013 @ 3:36pm

Having lived in Peru the last 5 years I can tell you that Omar Chehade is almost universally despised because of corruption. He was suspended from their congress because of it. Thankfully the people of Peru are now much more aware about their rights - witness the recent demonstrations about the trade pact negotiations
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Aug 2013 @ 3:37pm

This may sound crazy, but how about letting parents raise their own fucking kids..
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Aug 2013 @ 3:38pm

Yea that's gona work.
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McCrea (profile), 1 Aug 2013 @ 3:53pm

Me, Me, Me!
Once you opt into porn, Feds will know who they can legally investigate for child porn without further suspicion... everyone three hops from you.
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Guardian, 1 Aug 2013 @ 6:14pm

can i opt out of retarded yet
so i guess my idea to travel to see peruvian temples is out...

bolivia and equador and cuba it is then...
fuck spending my vacation money in places that are stupid.
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Ninja (profile), 2 Aug 2013 @ 3:47am

There's so much harm being done to the kids by politicians with the stupid "for the kids" mantra. I certainly don't see any benefit for the kids when you trample with free speech. If I was a kid I'd be worried with my future. Not because of the criminals but because of the politicians.

In fact I have a 10-yr-old little friend that is very politically aware (due to me, his father and other friends constantly discussing stuff near him) and we were discussing the latest political climate, the leaks and all. Children are as stupid as we make them. And honestly this boy beats Cameron and many others to a pulp in terms of sanity, sensibility, morals and ethics.
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Aug 2013 @ 6:11am

AFAIK, Peru barely has people with internet access. This is a huge waste of time.

If anything, their government should work to actually give its people conditions to access the internet before trying to sensor it.
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- Anonymous Coward, 2 Aug 2013 @ 6:12am
  
  Re:
  Grammar nazing myself: CENSOR, not sensor.
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