EU vs ISP censorship: 460:0

Finally a sensible EU decision on internet matters

[heini]

The european parliament cast a staggering 460:0 vote against the blocking of adult, illegal and "harmful" content by ISPs.
The debate had been fueled by some precedents, where authorities had tried (and succeeded) to force ISPs to block sites.

Members of parliament acknowledged such a demand would have put a unbearable burden on european based ISPs. The distribution of adult material on the web would by such a regulation still not be hindered.
For once the EU showed some understanding of the international nature of the web.

EuroISPA press release [euroispa.org]

[buckworks]

I think it also shows some understanding that measures which intend to screen out porn etc. also prevent an unknown number of legitimate messages from getting through to the rightful recipient.

That's an even worse problem than what the blocking is trying to solve.

[IanTurner]

I wonder how it relates to this thread?

[webmasterworld.com...]

Does Google count as an ISP by EU law? or does its cache mean that it is a publisher in its own right?

[heini]

Ian good point. Even more interesting in the light of this EU decision is the ruling of the dutch court, which forces the provider to block the site.