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UK Culture Minister Proposing International Norms for Anglophone Internet

December 28, 2008 - 5:23pm — StephenK

Proposing to better police the Internet so as to protect children, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media, and Sport in the United Kingdom's cabinet is proposing international legal norms for websites. At present Secretary Burnham does not believe the UK itself has a body to undertake classifying websites although he is interested in a film-style rating system. Burnham's proposal would involve talks with the incoming Obama administration to lay the groundwork of international legal norms to force change in industry.

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December 28, 2008 - 6:43pm — Book Calendar (not verified)

UK does not have 1st Amendment or Freedom of Speech

The United Kingdom does not have freedom of speech. This would impinge on the ability to speak freely on countries outside of their jurisdiction. It is not a good idea. What is acceptable speech in New Zealand for example might not be so acceptable in Australia. I find it to be political grandstanding.

December 28, 2008 - 7:03pm — Walt

War is peace, as usual

Wow.
Quoting:

He said some content should not be available to be viewed.

"This is not a campaign against free speech, far from it; it is simply there is a wider public interest at stake when it involves harm to other people. We have got to get better at defining where the public interest lies and being clear about it."

After all, Think About The Children and turn off the rest of your brain. That first quoted sentence is the kind of oxymoron that politicans excel at. And, frankly, the idea that "the public interest" overrules free speech, except in extraordinarily narrow cases ("shouting Fire in a crowded theater" or inciting to riot), is both offensive and absurd...at least in the U.S. I'm guessing the odds of Obama's administration treating this seriously are roughly 0%. Hope I'm right.

Well, given mandatory filtering in Australia and this kind of mendacity in the UK, guess I'll stick with the U.S.

December 28, 2008 - 7:13pm — mdoneil

Kyoto

Yep, that will go on about as well as the Kyoto Protocol.

We can't even get nations go agree on what time to serve lunch, and he wants to keep people from their freaky porn. Please.

December 29, 2008 - 8:15pm — Anonymous (not verified)

Lets hope Obama agrees

Might be nice if Mr Burnham had some letters waiting for him when he goes back to work.

His contact details are here

www.chronojohn.com/censorship

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