Child pornography is the starting point for censorship of the internet, but it's not going to end there.
As this story explains, France is one of the first countries to announce that it will block websites featuring child porn, but at the same time, sites that carry "content linked to terrorism or racial hatred" will also be cut off :
The definition of what constitutes child pornography is pretty clear, but what about "content linked to terrorism" and "racial hatred"?The plan, part of a larger effort to fight cybercriminality, is to go into effect in September when a "black list" will be built up based on input from internet users who signal sites dealing with the offensive material, the minister said.
The announcement comes on the heels of a similar deal in the United States, also announced Tuesday. There, three service providers - Verizon, Sprint and TimeWarner Cable - have agreed with New York state officials to block child pornography sites nationwide.
Among other countries that have already implemented similar measures include Britain, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Canada and New Zealand.
Under the French plan, internet users, via a platform, will be able to signal inappropriate sites and the state, receiving the complaints in real time, will then decide whether the sites are to go on a so-called black list to be passed on to internet service providers to enforce site blocks.
Sites containing what appear to be blatant crimes will be referred to judicial authorities, the minister said.
As for offending sites hosted in other countries, France will pass on the information via Interpol or Europol, the two police agencies, or seize judicial authorities there...
You're about to find out. Or more to the point, you won't find out. You will go to visit an alternative news site, which carries challenging stories and opinion on history, war, terrorism and racial divisions and you might find it has been disappeared.
Obviously Al Qaeda and Neo-Nazi sites pumping intolerance and promoting violence will be targeted first, but the 'user decides' method of compiling the "black list" will allow anybody to push for a controversial alternative news site to get X-ed out of existence. The more who tag a site as dangerous, or offensive, the more likely it is to be blocked. And don't think the mainstream corporate media won't use these means to take out the upstart independent competition eating into their profits and readerships.
It's time to download those old stories you always meant to save from the rense.com, whatreallyhappened.com and prisonplanet.com archives while you still can. Just in case enough people, who hate the fact these sites dare to publish stories and opinion that unnerves and terrifies the mainstream media, mark them up for the "black list". And they will, of course.
