| Amake |
03-23-2009 03:54 PM |
EU presents report on "Human rights on the Internet"; Europeans rejoice
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/...EN&language=EN
I'm not entirely sure what this is, but they tell me it's basically orders for the nations of the union at an early stage of formation. It's a lot of sensational directives, concerning Internet censorship, the permission of the state to control or survey the individual's Internet use, the responsibility and freedom of expressing political views on the Internet and the importance of education for everyone from children to lawmakers.
Some of the more interesting parts go like this:
Quote:
*Participate in efforts to make the Internet an important tool for the empowerment of users, an environment which allows the evolution of ‘bottom up’ approaches and of e-democracy
*Ensure together with other relevant actors that security, freedom of expression and privacy, as well as openness on the Internet, are approached not as competing goals, but instead are delivered simultaneously within a comprehensive vision that responds adequately to all these imperatives
*Proceed to the adoption of the directive on criminal measures aimed at the enforcement of intellectual property rights while simultaneously prohibiting, in pursuit of that purpose, the systematic monitoring and surveillance of all users’ activities on the Internet
*Ensure that the expression of controversial political beliefs through the Internet, including with regard to terrorism, is not subject to criminal prosecution
*Recognise the danger of forms of Internet surveillance and control aimed also at tracking every ‘digital’ step of an individual, with the aim of providing a profile of the user and of assigning ’scores’
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And this was voted for unanimously. Sounds like we're on the road to free culture I think.
Here in Sweden the media makes it sound like at least half this report is being told at us on account of a recently proposed law that would allow a systematic control of all data being transmitted to or from the country, including SMS and email. That law has made me and everyone I know worry about our future as a paranoid police state, so I'm glad to see it challenged by a higher authority.
Meanwhile, in the United States, I understand they're voting for making the Internet pay-pew-view and owned by the highest bidder. I predict a wave of refugees from the West within the next ten years. :)
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