| 31st October |
BBFC Red Lights Elspa... |
|
| |
BBFC unsurprisingly unimpressed by Elspa symbols
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
computerandvideogames.com
|
The
BBFC has told Edge it is taking legal advice after observing
that the newly-proposed 'traffic-light' PEGI symbols bear a
striking resemblance to its own.
The BBFC believes such a system is around already. Our
classification symbols have been colour-coded since 1982.
They're very widely recognised, and in fact they are trademark
and copyright protected, a company spokesperson told Edge.
We're happy for ELSPA to make sensible improvements, but not
if they encroach on the protection of the BBFC's symbols. We
have these symbols using colours, using circles and using
numbers, so we are now taking legal advice.
|
| 31st October |
Police Should Be Ostracised... |
|
| |
Ludicrous overreaction to gag on Have I Got News For You
Permalink |
Thanks to Nick
Based on
article
from
chortle.co.uk
|
The
police are deciding whether to investigate whether a joke broadcast on
last week's Have I Got News For You was homophobic.
However, the BBC said the gag was designed to show up the persecution of
homosexuals in Iran.
One viewer complained following the comment, which came amid a
discussion over a failed Iranian bid to create to the world's biggest
ostrich sandwich.
Host Alexander Armstrong said: On the plus side they do still hold
the record for hanging homosexuals.
And guest Skinner joked that homosexuals are often ostracised.
A spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police confirmed: A member of the
public has made a complaint regarding comments made in the programme.
The complaint is currently being reviewed.
But the BBC said: The presenter never intended for this comment to be
homophobic - quite the opposite. Viewers are more than familiar with
HIGNFY use of satire - in this instance aimed at the Iranian regime and
not the Iranian gay community.
Gay rights activist Peter Tatchell said: I interpreted it as an
anti-Iran joke, exposing and mocking Iran's murderous homophobic regime.
It was parody and satire, I think, not an endorsement of executions.
|
| 31st October |
I've Also Fucked Your Auntie... |
|
| |
Heads roll at the BBC over Russell Brand prank
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
independent.co.uk
|
The
BBC has ordered a fundamental review of taste and decency standards
across the network in an attempt to end the row about the prank phone
calls that has engulfed the corporation.
The controller of Radio 2, Lesley Douglas, one of the most influential
figures in the radio and music industries, was forced to resign, while
Jonathan Ross, the highest-paid man in British broadcasting, has been
suspended for 12 weeks without pay. His Radio 2 presenting colleague
Russell Brand resigned on Wednesday.
The BBC Trust ordered an on-air apology to licence fee-payers for
serious and deliberate breaches of editorial guidelines, and asked
the director general, Mark Thompson, to write a personal apology for the
scandal. He declined to comment on the future of more junior staff
involved but promised to conduct a review of broadcasting guidelines.
Last night's edition of Never Mind the Buzzcocks was also
cancelled as it featured Brand – a subsequent version of the show was
broadcast in its place. The BBC said it had no plans to show the program
at a later date.
The BBC announced a raft of measures it was taking to prevent something
similar happening again, including a review of compliance procedures
across radio output, and a study into where the appropriate
boundaries of taste and standards should lie across all BBC output.
Sessions will be held with senior staff on the lessons to be learnt.
The director of BBC audio and music will also ensure that all
programmes are re-assessed for editorial risk and those with high
risk will have additional... oversight.
|
| 31st October |
Wowser Stephen Conroy... |
|
| |
Government struggles to find support for its internet censorship
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
theage.com.au
|
 |
|
Wowser
Stephen Conroy:
I am not a wowser
...BUT...
some material online,
[such as hardcore porn]
is illegal |
The government election promise to censor the internet looks to be in
trouble as Senate opposition grows.
The Rudd Government promised families far-reaching measures to block
prohibited content at the internet server level. However Communication
Minister Wowser Stephen Conroy extended the idea to censoring adults.
The idea now faces a concerted backlash against the proposal by the
internet industry.
If the Liberals oppose legislation imposing server-level filtering, the
Government will need the support of the Greens, Family First senator
Steve Fielding and South Australian senator Nick Xenophon.
But the Greens have added their voice to Coalition concerns about the
plan, with the Greens' communications spokesman calling the proposal
daft.
Greens communications spokesman Scott Ludlam told The Age yesterday that
he was concerned the Government was trying to implement a policy that
was technically difficult and very expensive for taxpayers. Senator
Ludlam said server-level filtering imposed a kind of censorship that
runs counter to what the internet is all about. The Government would
be better investing the filtering money in law enforcement and
education: I think it's really quite misguided.
The industry says mandatory filtering by internet service providers - as
distinct from a net nanny that families can put on their own
computers - will slow internet speeds significantly.
Nutter Senator Fielding has signalled he wants a range of material
blocked, including hard-core pornography and fetish material. Senator
Xenophon has indicated he wants access to offshore gaming sites
restricted.
The Government is still a way from producing legislation to effect its
policy, but indications are that it will be difficult to achieve
consensus in the Senate.
Communications Minister Wowser Stephen Conroy has launched a defence of
the policy, hitting back at claims by the internet industry that the
Government wants a sweeping ban on controversial content: I will
accept some debate around what should and should not be on the internet
- I am not a wowser [...BUT...] I am not looking to
blanket-ban some of the material that it is being claimed I want to
blanket-ban, but some material online, such as child pornography, is
illegal. [Hardcore porn is also illegal
on the internet in Australian but somehow Conroy doesn't say anything to
counter the idea that it should therefore be blocked]
In response to arguments that the proposal would affect basic civil
liberties and the principle that households should be able to be their
own internet policeman, he said: We are not trying to build the Great
Wall of China. We are not trying to be Saudi Arabia, and to say that is
to simply misrepresent the Government's position.
No Clean Feed
Based on
article
from
blogs.smh.com.au
If you're concerned about the government's plans for filtering the
internet, it's time to speak up before it's too late. Visit
NoCleenFeed.com, run by Electronic Frontiers Australia, for
information on how to voice your concern. Do it quickly, before some
holier-than-thou git decides you're not allowed to see it.
There are also protests planned for Saturday November the 1st outside
each state parliament house. For more details see:
|
| 31st October |
Anti-Porn Bill Passed... |
|
| |
Indonesia retreats from the civilised world
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
news.bbc.co.uk
|
 |
|
Indonesian bikini
compromise |
Indonesia's parliament has passed an anti-pornography law despite
furious opposition to it.
Islamic parties said the law was needed to protect women and children
against exploitation and to curb increasing immorality in Indonesian
society.
The law would ban images, gestures or talk deemed to be pornographic.
Artists, women's groups and non-Muslim minorities said they could be
victimised under the law and that traditional practices could be banned.
The law has prompted protests across Indonesia, but particularly on the
predominantly Hindu island of Bali - a favourite destination for
tourists.
Critics particularly do not like a provision in the bill that would
allow members of the public to participate in preventing the spread of
obscenity. We're worried it will be used by hard-liners who say they
want to control morality, Baby Jim Aditya, a women's rights
activist, told Associated Press news agency.
This law will ensure that Islam is preserved and guaranteed, said
Hakim Sori Muda Borhan, a member of parliament from President Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party.
The bill must be signed by the president before it comes into effect.
Violators face up to 12 years in prison and hefty fines.
|
| 31st October |
Extreme Campaigner... |
|
| |
CAAN welcomes Peter Tatchell
Permalink |
From
CAAN
Consenting Adults Action Network
|
CAAN
(Consenting Adult Action Network) extends a warm welcome to Human Rights
Campaigner and co-ordinator of OutRage!, Peter Tatchell, who is the
latest high profile supporter to align with their cause.
This follows their successful demonstration in Parliament Square on
Tuesday, when they joined forces with Ben Westwood, in their continuing
campaign against government attacks on individual sexuality.
Explaining his decision, Peter Tatchell said: The government has gone
way beyond a legitimate desire to stop sexual exploitation. It is now
legislating in ways that violate the sexual human rights of its
citizens.
The current bill outlawing so-called extreme pornography will
criminalise images of sexual acts that are perfectly lawful.
There is no evidence that Harriet Harman's proposed outlawing of
soliciting for sex will help rescue the victims of sex trafficking and
enslavement. It will merely drive sexual abuse and exploitation further
underground, making it even harder to regulate and police.
Clair Lewis, for CAAN, said: Our focus is on sexual interaction
between consenting adults. We have a simple statement of principle,
which politely asks government to stay out of our bedrooms. Unless
sexual activity is non-consensual, it is no business whatsoever of
government what adults get up to in private.
Despite this, recent legislation – not only on extreme porn, but also on
safeguarding vulnerable people – is designed to criminalise and exclude
from jobs anyone whose sexuality does not meet the Government's
approval.
Twenty years ago, a common accusation levelled at the Gay community,
was that children were not safe left in the company of homosexuals. We
now recognise this for the bigoted nonsense it always was. Yet
government today are attempting the same trick when dealing with
consenting adults whose sexuality does not conform to their preferences,
despite the fact that what an adult does in private bears no relation to
children's safety, whatever the adult's sexuality.
The government should be ashamed of themselves.
|
| 31st October |
Blocked Bloggers... |
|
| |
Reporters Without Borders condemns Turkey's censorship of Google’s blog services
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
rsf.org
See also
Turkish creationist threatens to sue website for an article about the
approach to blocking websites in Turkey
from
cyberlaw.org.uk
|
Reporters
Without Borders condemns Turkey's censorship of Google’s blog services,
Blogger and Blogspot, by a magistrate’s court in the southeastern city
of Diyarbakir as a result of a complaint by the Turkish TV station
Digitürk. The station claims that video footage over which it has
exclusive rights has been posted on blogs hosted by these services.
The blogs on these services were suddenly closed without any warning
to users and without any court summonses being issued, Reporters
Without Borders said: This is not just about copyright and piracy.
This is yet another example of how, in Turkey, entire websites are
closed just because of problematic content on a single page or blog. We
call for Blogger and Blogspot to be reopened. Their closure has
handicapped thousands of Internet users in Turkey.
Access to some 10 websites, including very popular ones such as YouTube,
Dailymotion and Google Groups, have been blocked in the course of this
year in Turkey as a result of court decisions. In most cases, access was
blocked under Law 5651 on the Prevention of Crime Committed in the
Information Technology Domain, which was adopted by parliament in May
2007 and took effect the following November.
Reporters Without Borders warned of the danger this law represents for
online free expression when it was approved by President Ahmet Necdet
Sezer on 22 May 2007.
Commenting on the latest developments, Reporters Without Borders said:
All this arbitrary blocking of websites has demonstrated that this
law is the main source for the deterioration in online free expression.
Furthermore, ISPs are forced to do the blocking of access to sites that
break this law. This makes them accomplices to censorship.
The press freedom organisation added: We call for Law 5651 to be
amended as quickly as possible. Rather than block an entire website,
only the content regarded as ‘sensitive’ should be the challenged before
the courts.
List of websites currently blocked in Turkey
- www.blogger.com
- www.blogspot.com
- www.youtube.com
- www.slide.com
- www.googlegroups.com
- www.antoloji.com
- www.gundemonline.com
- www.wordpress.com
- www.geocities.com
- www.kliptube.com
- istanbul.indymedia.org
- www.eksisozluk.com
- www.gazetevatan.com
- ateizm.org
- superonline.com
- richarddawkins.net
|
| 31st October |
Video Censors... |
|
| |
China orders the closure of 10 online video sites
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
itworld.com
|
China's
Internet censor has ordered 10 online video sites to shut down and
warned another 17, resuming an aggressive policy on such sites that had
been relaxed during the summer.
The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) said in a
notice on its Web site that under the Internet Audio Video Program
Service Management Regulations, there are still some Web sites posting
audio and video programs containing pornography, violence and terror,
endangering national security.
The 10 sites ordered to shut down include minor local sites, such as
TVSou.com, TSXZ.com and Feesee.com.
Another 17 sites were officially warned to comply with SARFT
regulations, including 371dvd.com, which on Tuesday prominently
displayed director Gu Changwei's banned film Spring Begins (Li Chun)
as one of its offerings, VeryCD.com and JPSeek.com.
|
| 31st October |
Not Liable to Libel... |
|
| |
Canadian court that hyperlinks to defamatory material are not themselves defamatory
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
out-law.com
|
The
publisher of a link to defamatory material does not have any liability
for that defamation, a Canadian court has ruled. Liability could only
exist if the link publisher made any statement relating to the
defamatory material itself, the court said.
Mr Justice Kelleher in the Supreme Court of British Columbia in Canada
ruled that a hyperlink was like a footnote in that it led to material
produced by a third party which the reader did not have to follow. The
publisher of the link could not be liable for someone else's content, he
said.
Although a hyperlink provides immediate access to material published
on another website, this does not amount to republication of the content
on the originating site. This is especially so as a reader may or may
not follow the hyperlinks provided, he said.
|
| 30th October |
The Battle of Newman Street... |
|
| |
Westminster Council want Banksy CCTV mural removed
Permalink |
Thanks to Nick
Based on
article
from
time.com
|
The
case of Westminster council versus Banksy raises an interesting legal
precedent. Normally permission to paint a wall is only required from a
local authority if the building is of listed historic value or the
painting is commercial in nature, but now artistic judgement appears to
come into it.
Westminster council first sought to remove Banksy's painting One
nation under CCTV on Newman street in central London on the grounds
it was an unlicensed commercial.
The owner of the property itself is apparently happy for the painting to
remain in place so Westminster council has now sought consultation with
local residents in order to prove the painting is having a detrimental
affect on the area.
Referring to the adjacent Post Office building who have sought the
paintings removal since it first appeared Banksy said I don't know
what next door is complaining about — their building is so ugly the 'No
Trespassing' sign reads like an insult.
All of which leaves the possibility for what is believed to be the first
recorded use of the 2003 Anti-social Behaviour act which for the first
time gives councils the ability to enter private premises and force the
removal of graffiti. A measure introduced by David Blunkett and which
Banksy attacked at the time in a series of paintings and statements.
|
| 30th October |
Australians Still Treated Like Children... |
|
| |
Nutter Atkinson shelved consideration of R18+ for games
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
blogs.theage.com.au
|
The
introduction of an R18+ rating for computer games has been delayed
indefinitely after South Australian Attorney-General Michael Atkinson
withdrew his support for a discussion paper and public consultation
process.
Censorship ministers in March agreed in principle to canvas
public opinion on the proposed introduction of a R18+ classification for
games and release a discussion paper on the issue, but Atkinson has
refused to agree to make the report public, effectively shelving it.
The draft discussion paper, simply titled R18+ for computer games
was sent to ministers last month and details the pros and cons of
introducing an adults-only rating for games.
The paper would have been available to the public on the internet and
provided to interested parties such as games industry groups and family
associations to seek their views.
Victorian Attorney-General Rob Hulls, who has long supported the push
for an R18+ games rating and took the lead in drafting the discussion
paper, appears resigned that no changes to the classification system for
games will be made anytime soon.
Spokesperson for Hulls, Meaghan Shaw, said whilst the issue is still
formally on the SCAG (Standing Committee of Attorneys-General) agenda,
it now appears unlikely that there will be unanimity from all
jurisdictions to proceed further at this stage with introducing an R18+
category for computer games.
At the Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs
last week, deputy chair Senator Guy Barnett said some of us are
dumbfounded as to why we do not have an R rating for video games.
We have a real problem, and this is something the Senate and the
parliament is going to have to address. If we have one state opposing
this, South Australia, then clearly we are not going to have any R
rating of video games. That simply cannot occur as a matter of course
legally.
The issue is again on the agenda for discussion at the Standing
Committee of Attorneys-General meeting next month.
|
| 30th October |
Branded as an Arsehole... |
|
| |
Brand quits and Ross suspended and 27,000 complaints and
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
broadcastnow.co.uk
Based on
article
from
guardian.co.uk
|
The
BBC's director general is to meet the corporation's governing body to
discuss lewd phone calls made on comic Russell Brand's Radio 2 show.
Mark Thompson will brief the BBC Trust on a preliminary inquiry into how
the calls to Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs came to be broadcast.
Brand has now resigned from Radio 2 and Jonathan Ross has been
suspended.
More than 27,000 people have now complained to the BBC about the
Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand phone prank.
MediaGuardian.co.uk understands that on the day the Brand and Ross's
calls to Sachs' answerphone were recorded, a producer from the BBC rang
the former Fawlty Towers actor to ask if he would mind them being used.
It is claimed that Sachs said they could be, as long as they were toned
down a bit.
The pre-recorded show was then run by a BBC executive, who approved its
transmission on Saturday October 18.
Sachs today said he was not surprised Ross and Brand had been
suspended by the BBC over their prank calls to him. He also confirmed he
was not planning to take the matter up with the police: I'm not going
to take it anywhere, I'm not out for revenge.
|
| 30th October |
Fallout Takedown... |
|
| |
Fallout 3 trailer banned from the internet
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
blog.wired.com
The cut version of the game is available at
UK Amazon
|
Games
company Bethesda recently sent out a number of e-mails asking
certain websites to remove videos containing footage of the
just-released Fallout 3.
Shacknews was among the sites contacted, and according to the
message they received, the takedown notices were in reaction to
possible violations of the ESRB guidelines on game advertising.
In connection with ESRB's advertising guidelines, you are
instructed to remove immediately any of our Fallout 3
trailers from your website, pending further notice, wrote
Bethsda's vice president of marketing Pete Hines in the e-mail
received by Shacknews.
It seems that Fallout 3 is a target for institutional
censorship.
|
| 30th October |
Pro Anti-Porn... |
|
| |
Reversing the social decay in Indonesia
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
pr-inside.com
|
 |
|
Indonesian bikini
compromise |
Hundreds of demonstrators in the Indonesian capital called on the
government Wednesday to push through a controversial anti-pornography
bill, saying it was the only way to reverse signs of social decay in the
world's most populous Muslim nation.
The nearly 300 protesters in Jakarta pointed to everything from racy
television ads and movies to touts selling Playboy magazine at
stoplights as reasons the bill must pass.
I don't want my children to go to hell because we allow pornography,
said Siti, a demonstrator.
More than 100 lawmakers stormed out of Parliament on Thursday to protest
an anti-pornography bill.
But a vote on the legislation was expected to go ahead later in
the afternoon.
The bill, which outlaws pornographic acts and images, is opposed by
members of two parties, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP)
and the Christian-based Prosperous Peace Party, which together have 122
seats in the 550-seat Parliament.
They showed their displeasure by walking out, but the speaker of the
house said a quorum had been reached, so the vote could go ahead.
|
| 30th October |
Court Sticks Pins into Sarkozy... |
|
| |
French president pained by the decision
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
thescotsman.scotsman.com
|
A
French court has rejected a demand from Nicolas Sarkozy, the president,
for a ban on a Sarkozy doll and voodoo manual that encourages readers to
stick pins in it.
The doll is decorated with some of the French leader's most famous
quotes, like Get lost you pathetic a***hole – to a bystander who
refused to shake his hand at an agricultural show in 2007.
Update:
Undignified
29th November 2008. See
article
from
thescotsman.scotsman.com
A doll representing the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, and an
accompanying voodoo manual with directions for sticking pins into
the figurine can remain on sale, a court has ruled – but it must carry a
notice saying it harms the president's dignity.
The court ruled that the kit constituted an offence against the
personal dignity of Sarkozy. But it said it would be
disproportionate and harmful to liberty of expression to ban their
sale outright.
It ruled the doll may be sold provided it carries a notice of the
judgment attached. The manufacturers must also pay the costs of the case
as well as a symbolic 1 Euro in damages.
|
| 30th October |
Ofcom Revelation... |
|
| |
No free speech even when near to commonly perceived reality
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
ofcom.org.uk
|
Vision
for Israel
Revelation TV, 18 April 2008, 15:00
Revelation TV is a religious channel that often features discussion and
personal view programmes which from time to time engage viewers with challenging
debates on topical issues.
Ofcom received one complaint from a viewer who alleged that an edition of the
programme Vision for Israel presented by theologian, teacher and author Dan
Juster, made abusive and inappropriate comments regarding Islam. Ofcom noted
that, during this hour-long programme which compared the Christian and Muslim
faiths, Dan Juster stated [it was his belief that]: Islam cannot be defined
as a peaceful, loving religion…Islam enforces its own viewpoint through the
power of the sword through death… and Islam believes that violence is a
legitimate means to establish and extend Islam.
Ofcom considered Rule 4.1 of the Code (Broadcasters must exercise the proper
degree of responsibility with respect to the content of programmes which are
religious programmes).
Ofcom Decision
In forming its decision, Ofcom bore in mind the fact that broadcasters have a
right to freedom of expression which includes the broadcaster’s right to
transmit and the audience’s right to receive creative material, information and
ideas without interference ...BUT... subject to restrictions proscribed
by law and necessary in a democratic society. This right is enshrined in the
European Convention on Human Rights. Broadcasters should therefore always take
care to ensure that material it transmits is in accordance with both the general
law and the Code.
The comments made in this programme described above were said in the context of
a specialised religious programme made for a particularly niche and
predominantly Christian audience. Ofcom has always considered that it is
possible for the follower of one religion to reject or critique other religions
in the course of sermonising or proselytising and remain within the requirements
for Rule 4.1. However, this Code Rule requires broadcasters to exercise the
proper degree of responsibility when, for example, using hyperbole which may
include more extreme views which could be deemed offensive to people in the
audience who hold different views and beliefs.
In Ofcom’s view it was a serious compliance error that Revelation TV did not
review the content of this programme prior to transmission. As a consequence of
this, the broadcaster was not able to put the potentially offensive comments
into context. The broadcaster therefore did not exercise the proper degree of
responsibility with respect to the content of this religious programme as
required by Rule 4.1.
The programme was in breach of Rule 4.1 of the Code.
Breach of Rule 4.1
|
| 29th October |
Thaily Inappropriate... |
|
| |
Thailand to buy firewall system to censor the internet
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
bangkokpost.com
|
The
Information and Communications Technology Ministry is to introduce an
internet gateway system to block websites containing content Thailand
doesn't like. ICT Minister Mun Patanotai will also hold a meeting with
webmasters today to discuss measures to suppress lese majeste material.
The gateway system, which could cost between 100 and 500 million baht,
could will be used to block websites considered inappropriate, such as
those of terrorist groups or selling pornography.
However, the ministry will focus first on websites with content deemed
insulting to the Thai monarchy, Mun said. Ministry officials are looking
into about a thousand websites, he said. Mun said the ministry has been
working with the National Intelligence Agency and the police in cracking
down on anti-royal sites.
Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat said he has assigned relevant agencies,
particularly the ICT Ministry, to take strong action against offenders.
Special Branch Police are monitoring five community radio stations that
are also airing political content that could be considered lese majeste,
a source said.
Ayutthaya Governor Preecha Kamolbut has ordered authorities to monitor
all provincial community radio and cable TV stations around the clock.
The police ordered officers to take immediate action against offenders
without waiting for complaints.
|
| 29th October |
My Traffic Lights are Better than Yours... |
|
| |
Elspa proposes its own age ratings in traffic light colours
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
news.bbc.co.uk
|
The
video games trade organisation, Elspa, has proposed a solution
to the ongoing games ratings controversy.
Elspa supports a 'traffic-light'-type system as part of its
voluntary ratings code that it says is more effective.
The BBFC dismissed the effort, saying their own colour-coded
approach is well-established.
A government consultation on the matter due to finish in
November aims to agree a legally enforceable ratings scheme.
Elspa's proposal would maintain the Pegi procedure and age
limits, but says it has taken a lead from the food industry by
adding 'traffic light' colours. Higher age limits would be red,
with more general audience titles tagged green.
We're offering this idea as a direct consequence of the Byron
review; the system needs to remove the potential for confusion
and this is what we're doing, Elspa deputy director general
Michael Rawlinson told the BBC: The system provided by Pegi
is very robust, but we want to make it clearer that something
that's for adults only should have that warning colour with it.
Sue Clark, a spokeswoman for the BBFC, dismissed the effort,
saying that colour was not the prevalent issue in the debate:
Changing the colours of the Pegi symbols is not copying the food
industry. There is a system in place already which people know
and understand and which in fact uses the traffic light colours,
and it's called the BBFC system.
The government consultation will finish on 20 November, with a
final decision expected in the new year.
|
| 29th October |
Gordon Brown: 'Unacceptable'... |
|
| |
Britain fucker whinges at granddaughter fucker
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
independent.co.uk
See also the
transcript
from
guardian.co.uk
|
Gordon
Brown and David Cameron weighed in to the row over a series of offensive
telephone calls made by Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand to the veteran
actor Andrew Sachs on their Radio 2 show as the media regulator Ofcom
launched a major investigation into the incident.
As the number of complaints about the incident topped 10,000, Ofcom
announced its inquiry and Cameron andBrown joined other MPs in
condemning the broadcaster's actions.
Brown described the prank calls as inappropriate and unacceptable,
while Cameron called on the BBC to be transparent about how the
programme came to be broadcast, given that it was pre-recorded.
After receiving a rash of complaints about their comments, Ofcom took
the decision to launch an inquiry. In a statement, it said: All UK
broadcasters must adhere to Ofcom's Broadcasting Code which sets
standards for the content of television and radio broadcasting. It also
deals with issues such as fairness and privacy.
Ross and Brand have since issued personal apologies to Sachs, with Ross
delivering flowers and a letter to the actor's door. The BBC has also
apologised over the matter, and is launching an internal inquiry. Tim
Davie, director of audio and music at the BBC, said: We're going to
have a full investigation, look at the facts and take the appropriate
action. In an interview with the BBC, he admitted the programme was
unacceptable and said clear editorial guidelines needed to be
followed, but added that apportioning blame prematurely would be the
wrong thing to do. Asked if anyone would take the rap, Davie
said the most important thing was to conduct a fair, balanced report and
then take action.
Cameron said the BBC had some very straightforward questions to
answer. The main question is why did they allow this programme to be
broadcast, given that it was pre-recorded? he said.
The subject of the prank calls had arisen earlier yesterday during a
debate in the House of Commons, in which the Justice minister David
Hanson told MPs that the broadcast was not appropriate. Later,
the Tory MP Nadine Dorries called on the BBC to sack both broadcasters.
It was also claimed that should Sachs wish to take the matter further,
Brand and Ross could possibly be prosecuted on the grounds of
harassment.
The Metropolitan Police said it had received complaints about the
comments, but would not confirm how many had been made. This will be
looked at and a decision taken, but there is no police investigation at
this time, a police spokesman said.
Sachs last night appeared to play down the saga. Jonathan Ross has
personally delivered a letter of apology and some flowers. He made no
excuses and was very frank and open. He's in a lot of trouble and I
don't want to pile any more on him. My granddaughter hasn't heard from
either Ross or Brand and I do think they owe her an apology.
|
| 29th October |
Propaganda Street... |
|
| |
Tories want TV soaps to be used for social engineering
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
telegraph.co.uk
|
Popular
soaps such as Hollyoaks and Home and Away are failing in
their duty to tackle some of the major social problems in society,
according to the Conservatives.
Jeremy Hunt, the shadow culture secretary, will say that soap operas
such as Hollyoaks should not endorse negative social behaviour
such as binge drinking
In a speech on public service broadcasting, Hunt will criticise shows
popular among young viewers, saying they are riddled with references to
alcohol.
It's not good enough for Channel 4 to say they are doing their bit
with a Dispatches programme on alcohol abuse like Drinking Yourself to
Death when 18% of the screen time in Hollyoaks was accounted for by
alcohol references, he will tell an audience at the London School of
Economics. Nor can Five claim to be doing their bit with Diet Doctors
Inside Out when the gym instructor in Home and Away is seen with alcohol
in 50% of his scenes
He will add: I'm not saying there should be no alcohol references in
any soaps. To deliver large audiences, programmes need to reflect the
world in which we actually live and not some Truman Show fantasy of what
we would like it to be. Nor do we want to fall into the trap of
co-opting broadcasters into social engineering.
...BUT...just as it would be wrong in a plural and democratic
society to require broadcasters to produce programmes that meet
government objectives and promote social behaviour, so it is also wrong
for broadcasters to produce programmes that legitimise negative social
behaviour.
|
| 29th October |
Government Mellows Over a Fine Wine... |
|
| |
French minister supports allowing internet websites for wines
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
decanter.com
|
The
French minister of health supports changing the Evin Law to allow wine
advertising on the internet.
Despite continued fierce opposition from anti-alcohol groups, Roselyne
Bachelot told Le Figaro: When we initially drew up the Evin Law we
did not take into account the internet, because at the time it was not
as developed as it is today.
Despite this, national demonstrations against the law will still go
ahead on Thursday.
A CIVB spokesperson told decanter.com: While we welcome the news that
the internet may now be a legal method of promotion for winemakers, this
has not yet been made official – and is not the only threat to French
wine.
Demonstrators will cover up any signs for villages that also carry the
name of an appellation - such as Saint Emilion, Pauillac or Margaux - to
highlight the absurdity of the censorship.
|
| 29th October |
Googling for Human Rights... |
|
| |
Multinational computer companies unveil initiative to better support human rights
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
marketwatch.com
See
Roadmap for free expression
from
indexoncensorship.org
|
Congressman
Howard L. Berman, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, welcomed the
unveiling of the Global Network Initiative by a diverse group of information and
communication companies and human rights organizations.
The initiative recognizes that all companies have a responsibility to protect
against human rights violations, especially by authoritarian governments like
China, Iran and the UK.
It's about time, Berman said: This initiative is an important, yet
only a first step in better protecting freedoms of expression and privacy.
Technology companies and human rights groups that join the initiative agree to
abide by a set of operating principles that are based upon internationally
recognized human rights standards.
Under the agreement, participating companies would face yearly reviews to ensure
that they are advancing rights of expression and privacy in their business
operations. Members of the initiative intend to make the program a standard for
companies around the world.
|
| 29th October |
Sharia Dress Code... |
|
| |
Indonesia dress code lynch mob bill set to be passed
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
old.thejakartapost.com
|
 |
|
Indonesian bikini
compromise |
Most factions in the House of Representatives are pushing for the
controversial pornography bill to be passed Thursday, despite a threat
by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) to boycott the
move and rejection from several provinces.
The passage of the bill was made possible after eight of the 10 factions
at the House accepted the draft Tuesday. The PDI-P walked out of the
deliberation process and the Prosperous Peace Party (PDS) rejected it.
Yes, we will pass the bill on Oct. 30, chairman of the special
committee deliberating the bill Balkan Kaplale said.
The PDI-P walked out of deliberations for the second time after it was
unsuccessful in its last-ditch attempt to change the definition of
pornography and to remove an article that allows public participation in
preventing pornography.
The current draft defines pornography as man-made sexual materials
either in the forms of drawings, sketches, illustrations, photographs,
texts, voices, sound, moving pictures, animations, cartoons, poetry,
conversations, gestures, or other forms of communicative messages
through various kinds of media; and or performances in front of the
public, which may incite sexual desire and or violate moral ethics in
the community.
Articles 21 to 23 allow for the public to play a role in preventing
pornography. It will justify people taking the law into their own hands,
PDI-P lawmaker Eva K. Sundari said. Eva said she had already received
text messages from several groups saying they would ensure the law was
enforced.
It confirms our suspicion that it can spark conflict given that even
though there is no law now, some groups have dared to attack others
right under the nose of police. What will happen if they take the law
into their own hands, given our weak law enforcement?.
|
| 29th October |
Banging On... |
|
| |
Ofcom have their regular whinge about the babe channels
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
ofcom.org.uk
|
Bang
Babes
Tease Me 2, 17 March 2008; 21:00–22:00
Bang Babes is free-to-air unencrypted programming available on
the channels Tease Me and Tease Me 2. The channel broadcasts programmes
based on interactive ‘adult’ chat services: viewers are invited to
contact on-screen presenters 'babes' via premium rate telephony
services. The female presenters dress and behave provocatively.
Ofcom received a complaint about the broadcast on Tease Me 2 on 17 March
2008. It alleged that the broadcast showed simulated masturbation and
full screen images of bare breasts and nipple stimulation before 22:00.
Ofcom viewed the material. It noted that the broadcast on Tease Me 2 on
17 March from 21:43 showed prolonged close-ups and full screen images of
the presenter’s breasts and nipples, which were continuously massaged
and stimulated and thrust into the camera. In addition, the presenter
was shown lying on her back with her legs apart rubbing and touching her
genital area outside of her underwear in a sexual manner before 22:00.
There was also a brief sequence where the presenter placed her hands
inside her underwear. These sequences were all of a highly sexualised
nature.
Ofcom considered:
- Rules 2.1 (generally accepted standards)
- 2.3 (material which may cause offence must be justified by
context) of the Code.
Ofcom Decision
It is a requirement of the Code that content which is considered to be
‘adult-sex’ material must be PIN protected and encrypted (Rule 1.24). In
this case, Ofcom carefully considered whether the content complained of
was ‘adult-sex’ material. It concluded that in this case it clearly was
not.
In terms of the complaint about simulated masturbation, Ofcom noted
that the broadcaster had stressed that a presenter acted briefly outside
its own internal procedures on 17 March 2008 and that, since then, staff
had received further compliance training. Broadcasters must note, as
Ofcom has made clear on a number of occasions, that it is unacceptable
to show simulated or real masturbation in the context of free-to-air
‘adult’ chat television services.
As regards Rules 2.1 and 2.3 and the 17 March broadcast, Ofcom
acknowledges that the images and language on Tease Me 2 were materially
less explicit than in a number of examples of free-to-air ‘adult’ chat
service content that it has previously investigated. Ofcom concern on
this occasion focussed on the content and the time of broadcast.
The prolonged and close-up full-screen shots of the presenter
stimulating and massaging her bare breasts, pinching her nipples and
shaking them to camera, were in Ofcom’s opinion highly sexualised and
not suitable for broadcast before 22:00. The images of the presenter
lying on her back with her legs open, briefly simulating masturbation,
and stroking her semi-naked body were also not acceptable before 22:00.
All these images in Ofcom’s view were sexually provocative and of a
physically intrusive nature so as to be offensive, and in breach of
generally accepted standards on a free-to-air channel in the adult
section of the EPG shown before 22:00.
Breach of Rules 2.1 and 2.3
|
| 29th October |
Unappealing Dubai... |
|
| |
Prosecutors appeal for longer sentence for British couple caught kissing on the beach
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
telegraph.co.uk
|
Two
Britons who fornicated on a Dubai beach could face longer jail terms
after prosecutors appealed the sentence.
Michelle Palmer and Vince Acors were convicted at Dubai's Court of First
Instance earlier this month. They were sentenced to three months behind
bars, fined 1,000 dirhams – £155 – and issued with deportation orders.
Hassan Matter, who represents Palmer and Acors, said prosecutors have
now lodged an appeal against the sentence, saying it was not enough.
Mr Matter said the prosecution appeal would be heard on November 18 – at
the same time as the defence argument. Last week, Mr Matter lodged an
appeal against the convictions.
Following the convictions of Palmer and Acors, on October 16, senior
persecutor Faisal Abdelmalek Ahli said he was disappointed at the length
of the sentence: It's very light. It's normal for a sentence to be
six months to a year for an offence such as this.
|
| 29th October |
Censors Should be Banned... |
|
| |
Philippine censors spoil film festival showing for Imburnal
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
showbizandstyle.inquirer.net
|
The
Philippines independent movie, Imburnal, was set to premiere only
for it to be banned that day by the film censor.
The premiere at the 10th Cinemanila International Film Festival at
the Gateway mall was scrapped had to be scrapped. The Movie and
Television Review and Classification Board reviewed their decision a
couple of days later and passed the film R-13 Rebecca Zlotowski, a
member of the Selection Committee of the Directors’ Fortnight section of
the Cannes Film Festival, expressed concern over the state of Philippine
cinema: I can now understand how difficult it is for Filipino
independent filmmakers to make movies.
She noted that she finds it shocking that these wonderful movies are
not released commercially. It’s appalling, she asserted, that
these films are received well in Cannes and other international
festivals, but they can’t seem to find an audience in their own country.
Making matters worse is censorship, she said. The ‘X’ rating seems
too harsh. It’s nuts that these films can’t be shown in commercial
theaters. Update:
Uncut 23rd November 2008. See
article
from
abs-cbnnews.com
Imburnal, the controversial Cinema One Originals winning entry by
Sherad Anthony Sanchez, is set to finally be shown at the UP Film
Institute Cine Adarna uncensored.
|
| 28th October |
Branded as Obscene... |
|
| |
BBC receive 1600 complaints
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
guardian.co.uk
See also the
transcript
from
guardian.co.uk
|
|
 |
|
Just going to see Mr
Brand dear...
He's been picking on Manuel |
The BBC said today it had received 1,587 complaints by 5.30pm about the
crude messages left on actor Andrew Sachs' answer phone These were
recorded by Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross on Brand's Radio 2
programme.
The messages included Ross saying that Brand had "fucked" Sachs'
granddaughter and the pair joking that that the former Fawlty Towers
actor might kill himself as a result.
Today the BBC apologised to Sachs, who played Manuel in Fawlty Towers,
describing the broadcast as unacceptable and offensive.
The BBC also said it would review how this came about, after the
pre-recorded segment of Brand's show was cleared for broadcast by a
senior editorial figure from within the corporation.
From
Monkey's Column in the
guardian.co.uk
 |
|
Voluptua |
Fury after obscene call to TV Manuel,
the Sun spluttered today as it reported Russell Brand and Jonathan
Ross's calls to Andrew Sachs, in which the pair joked about Brand
sleeping with the Fawlty Towers star's granddaughter Georgina Baillie.
So enraged, in fact, that it dug out a
topless picture from 2005 of Georgina auditioning for Page 3.
Based on
article
from
dailymail.co.uk
The 23-year-old granddaughter of Fawlty
Towers star Andrew Sachs has been revealed as a member of a raunchy
burlesque dance group.
Aspiring actress Georgina Baillie, who goes by the stage-name
Voluptua was on a European tour with the burlesque dance group - the
Satanic Sluts - but cut short the trip following the fracas.
Satanic Sluts is made up of four female goths. They have
performed at Glastonbury in the past with routines that boast a
theatrical cheerleader massacre, voodoo sacrifice, vampire brutality
and much much more.
|
| 28th October |
Thumbs Down... |
|
| |
Left 4 Dead game sold with censored cover art in Germany
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
kotaku.com.au
Available at
UK Amazon for release on
21st November 2008
|
 The
USK are Germany's game classification board. And as you may already be
aware, they're a conservative bunch, banning games that even Australia
let slide. But this is new. Witness Germany's box art for Valve's
upcoming zombie co-op shooter, Left 4 Dead
While every other region's box art shows a left hand with the thumb
bitten off - zombies feast on the flesh of the living. On the German
version, the thumb's simply tucked in behind the hand there. No gore.
|
| 28th October |
Blood Suckers... |
|
| |
Ofcom find Revenant unsuitable for an afternoon screening
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
ofcom.org.uk
|
Revenant
Zone Horror, 2 August 2008, 16:00
Zone Horror is a channel which broadcasts free-to-air and specialises in
horror films and supernatural series. Revenant is an adult
vampire comedy set in modern day Los Angeles. It is rated as “18” by the
BBFC.
Ofcom received five complaints about the adult nature of this film which
was broadcast on a Saturday and Sunday lunchtime. In particular, viewers
expressed concerns about graphic vampire imagery, sexual scenes, drug
use, and the use of the most offensive language (“fuck” and its
derivatives).
Ofcom considered Rule 1.21 (BBFC 18-rated films must not be broadcast
before 21:00 on any service except pay per view) of the Code.
Zone Horror said it was extremely embarrassed the film was
broadcast and apologised to viewers. It acknowledged the film was not
compliant with the Code. The broadcaster said Revenant had been
restricted to a post-watershed timeslot but Zone Horror also wanted an
edited version which could be shown at any time and asked its editing
team for this to be created. In anticipation of this being feasible, the
film was scheduled for an afternoon transmission. However, after it
became clear to the channel that the film could not be edited to make
the content suitable for a daytime slot, Revenant was not removed from
the schedule and was broadcast uncut. Since this incident occurred, Zone
Horror said it has introduced more robust compliance procedures.
Ofcom Decision Breach of Rule 1.21
As an unedited 18-rated film, the content of Revenant was wholly
unsuitable for broadcast in the afternoon.
We acknowledge and welcome the steps introduced by Zone Horror to
improve compliance. However, Ofcom was particularly concerned that after
the original broadcast, the film was repeated on the next day. This was
a serious breach of the Code, all the more unacceptable because the
broadcaster was informed before broadcast that the programme could not
be edited to make it comply with the Code.
Always Crashing in the Same Car
Turner Classic Movies is a niche film channel that shows classic films
and dramas aimed at an older adult audience. Always Crashing in the
Same Car is a 10 minute film that received second prize in TCM ’s
2007 Classic Shorts film competition.
One viewer was concerned that the film contained the following strong
language: “fuck”, “fucked” and “shit”. The viewer was concerned that
such language should appear before the watershed, when young and
pre-school children might have been in the audience. On reviewing a
recording of the material provided by TCM, Ofcom noted that the film
contained over 20 separate examples of strong language, and that as well
as the above, there were several uses of “cunt” and ”cunting”.
TCM said that the scheduling of the film before the watershed was a
human error by a freelance scheduler. TCM added that, since this error
had occurred, the channel had changed its internal scheduling procedures
to make sure all schedules, completed by a person covering for a
permanent scheduler, are checked and approved prior to transmission.
Ofcom recorded this as a Breach of Rules 1.14 and 2.3
|
| 28th October |
Hyping Porn Makers... |
|
| |
Utah cinemas ban Zack and Miri movie
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
contactmusic.com
|
Seth
Rogen's new comedy Zack And Miri Make a Porno has been
banned from several U.S. cinemas - as they claim it may be too crude for
viewers.
The Megaplex Theatres in Utah towns Salt Lake City, Ogden, Lehi, and
Sandy have decided not to show Rogen's new movie because of its sex and
nudity scenes.
A spokesperson for the chain tells New York gossip column PageSix, We
feel it's very close to an NC-17 with its graphic nudity and graphic
sex.
Asked why Megaplex has no problem showing the R-rated, ultra-violent
Saw V. the chain's Cal Gunderson said: No comment.
Weinstein distribution chief Steve
Bunnell, said he was shocked by the shutout, especially since
Megaplex screened other adult comedies like The 40-Year-Old Virgin
and Knocked Up: I hate to use the word 'censorship,'
but . . .
|
| 28th October |
God, the Nation, Barcelona... |
|
| |
Moroccan youngster jailed for insult of king with a minor quip
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
news.bbc.co.uk
|
A
Moroccan youngster, aged 18, has been jailed for insulting the king,
after replacing the monarch's name with that of his favourite football
club.
He altered the phrase God, The Nation, The King on the school
blackboard to read God, The Nation, Barcelona.
FC Barcelona says it has appointed a lawyer to look into whether they
can help the boy, within the framework of Moroccan law.
The family of the boy, Yassine Belassal, is appealing against the
ruling, and his father told the BBC he was preparing to write a letter
to King Mohamed VI asking for a royal pardon.
An internet campaign is also under way to have Belassel freed.
Update:
Unappealing Result
13th November 2008. Based on
article
from
amnesty.org
The Marrakesh Court of Appeals in Morocco has upheld a lower court's
guilty verdict against an 18-year-old student for insulting the King.
Yassin Bellasal was sentenced to a one-year suspended prison term and a
fine of 1,000 dirhams (approximately US$115).
Amnesty International said that the verdict serves to confirm that the
monarchy remains a taboo topic in Morocco and shed a different
light on the image projected by the Moroccan authorities of a state,
where respect for human rights has greatly improved.
|
| 28th October |
A Fashion for Appeasement... |
|
| |
Indian film director cuts gay kiss as too much for the censor
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
thaindian.com
|
Filmmaker
Madhur Bhandarkar has dropped a gay kissing scene between actors Samir Soni and
Anil Kumar from his forthcoming film Fashion before it went to the censor
board. He, however, plans to restore it on DVD.What a beautifully-shot scene
of intimacy it is between Samir and Anil. You forget their gender. They’re just
two people in love expressing their feelings, Bhandarkar told IANS.
I took it out before taking it to the censor board. I thought portraying a
homosexual couple was bold enough. The kiss would have been too much. But now
I’m planning to restore it on the DVD, the director said.
I think we need to get over our prudery about these things. And archaic laws
are only making things worse for gay people. They’re either hiding or defiantly
flaunting their homosexuality in their clothes and body language, Samir
said.
|
| 27th October |
Guardian Causes a Scare... |
|
| |
Zombie McCall attracts complaints
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
guardian.co.uk
|
It's
not yet Halloween and the Guardian has been scaring people. There were
more than 30 complaints last week about the Guide's front page,
which showed Big Brother presenter Davina McCall made up as a zombie for
her part in Charlie Brooker's TV series Dead Set. Blood covered
her mouth, dripped down her neck and moistened her fingers, in which she
held the bloody, wet and stringy human body part she was gnawing.
Dead Set will be broadcast at 10pm, after the television
watershed. By contrast the Guide is available from early on
Saturday mornings and, since it has the TV listings for the next seven
days, it hangs around the living room all week.
A father of two children under 10 called the zombie front page a
misjudgment. I'm all for journalism that challenges us and pushes us out
of our comfort zones...BUT...I have to question the merits of
[the] cover image. Another dad, who described himself as a great
fan of all things zombie, enjoyed Brooker's piece inside the Guide,
but didn't think the cover was suitable for his eight-year-old: Are
you mad? A photo of a woman 'done up' as a zombie eating guts? I tore it
off and put it in the bin. I have a very high tolerance level but you
crossed the line on this one I think. Four children complained in
person.
The Guide's editor told me the image was thought to be
cartoonish enough not to be frightening, but he said that children
didn't feature in the discussions about it before publication.
It's perhaps not surprising that some journalists regard images made for
adult eyes as appropriate for publication without regard to their
suitability for younger children. The Press Complaints Commission code
of practice doesn't contain any guidance on the subject and neither does
the Guardian's own editorial code. The dominant view seems to be that
newspapers are written by adults for adults and that parents must act as
gatekeepers.
While it's reasonable to expect parents to be on the look-out for
disturbing pictures in the main news pages, they can't really be
expected to intercept everything the Guardian publishes. The Guide
is about entertainment, not news, and it's probable that young children
will see its front page around the house all week. It's not good enough
to say that a newspaper is not obliged to consider children when it puts
an image on a cover they are highly likely to see. Wouldn't it be
better, as one journalist suggested, to think of front pages as
before-the-watershed slots?
|
| 27th October |
Soft Headed... |
|
| |
Australian politicians push for softcore only internet
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
itnews.com.au
|
 |
|
Censor and oppressor
Stephen Conroy |
The System Administrators Guild of Australia has called on the federal
government to embrace open discussion of its proposed Internet filtering
regime, after allegations of attempted censorship of critics surfaced
last week.
The call was made after a SAGE-AU member and Internode engineer, Mark
Newton, criticised the government and its Internet filtering policy on
the Whirlpool broadband forum.
Subsequently, a policy advisor for Senator Conroy is reported to have
expressed serious concern about Newton’s comments to a board
member of the Internet Industry Association (IIA) and requested that
this concern be passed to his employer, an IIA member.
SAGE-AU president Donna Ashelford defended Newton’s right to criticise
the government’s plans, saying that SAGE-AU’s code of ethics required
its members to communicate with users about computing matters that may
affect them:
It’s reasonable to state that the issue of
Internet filtering is one of substantial impact on all Internet users
The Government's own figures indicate that all of the filtering systems
trialled would impact Internet performance, as well as availability of
legitimate services to varying degrees. To this end, Newton has
undertaken his duties under the code to the fullest, and receives the
full support for his position from the organisation.
We remain concerned that the filters tested are unable to provide an
effective, reliable filtering solution with the performance required for
modern broadband connections.
The filters tested have demonstrated an excessively high exclusion rate
of legitimate Internet content. To this end, we remain opposed to the
implementation of Internet filtering in its current form and concerned
about any attempts to silence legitimate discussion of Internet
filtering plans.
Based on
article
from
theage.com.au
Family
First Nutter Senator Steve Fielding wants X18+ hardcore pornography and
fetish material blocked under the Government's plans to filter the
internet, sparking renewed fears the censorship could be expanded well
beyond illegal material.
The Opposition said it would take a lot of convincing for it to
support the controversial mandatory ISP filtering policy, so the
Government would need the support of Senator Fielding as well as the
Greens and Senator Nick Xenophon to pass the legislation.
Industry sources said Senator Fielding's sentiments validated ISPs'
concerns that the categories of blocked content could be broadened
significantly at the whim of the Government, which is under pressure to
appease vocal minorities.
A spokesman for Senator Xenophon said, should the filtering plan go
ahead, he would look to use it to block Australians from accessing
overseas online casino sites, which are illegal to run in Australia.
The online users' lobby group Electronic Frontiers Australia expressed
fears that the internet filters could be used as a bargaining chip every
time the Government needed to pass a piece of important legislation.
Any group with an axe to grind and political clout will be lobbying the
Government to blacklist websites which they object to, EFA spokesman
Dale Clapperton said: Having all Australians' internet access subject
to a secret and unaccountable government blacklist is completely
unacceptable in a liberal democracy such as Australia.
Clapperton said most adult pornography on the internet was already
prohibited content under the Act, and pro-euthanasia, pro-anorexia
and pro-piracy websites could easily be caught by the system.
John Lindsay, carrier relations manager at Internode, said: I don't
see that what Fielding has just described to you is necessarily any
different to what the public should expect from the Government's as yet
unstated filtering regime, because we haven't got a clear explanation as
to what the Government's actual mandatory blacklist looks like.
|
| 27th October |
Spot a Nutter... |
|
| |
White Ribbon Against Pornography Week
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
christianpost.com
|
During
the 20th annual White Ribbon Against Pornography Week(WRAP),
which runs Oct. 26 to Nov. 2, Americans are being called to speak out on
the detrimental effects of pornography and inform others about ways to
remove the "garbage" from the lives of families and local communities.
For one week, people are also asked to wear or display a white ribbon in
solidarity against pornography.
WRAP Week is being promoted by the nutters of Morality in Media (MIM),
Concerned Women for American (CWA) and American Mothers.
Dr. Janice Shaw Crouse, director of CWA's Beverly LaHaye Institute, says
the pornography industry has exploded in recent years. Internet
pornography has grown around 19-fold. In 1998, there were less than
80,000 internet porn sites, notes Crouse. That figure grew to 1.5
million in 2003.
Today, over 15,000 new adult movie titles are released every year,
Crouse reports. Furthermore, recent figures reveal 35 million visits to
porn sites from American computers every month.
Since pornography is a $5 billion industry annually, it affects us
all. It harms women and children, it destroys families, and it weakens
communities, says Crouse.
Robert Peters, president of Morality in Media, says the United States
has failed miserably at protecting juveniles from pornography.
The backers of WRAP Week are asking people to complain to businesses
that distribute pornography, write letters to the editor, distribute
information to the community, educate community leaders about the
negative effects of pornography, contact their State Prosecutor and U.S.
Attorney to complain about violations of state obscenity laws, and ask
state and local legislators to curtail sexually oriented businesses.
WRAP supporters are also encouraging pastors to preach about pornography
as sin in their sermons this week.
Religious institutions should also be at the forefront of efforts to
make persons of all ages understand that from a 'faith perspective,'
viewing pornography is morally wrong (sinful, if you will) and that use
of pornography is destroying countless marriages and contributing to
other harmful sexual behavior, says Peters.
|
| 27th October |
Defenceless Artists... |
|
| |
New South Wales to remove artistic defence from child porn charges
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
smh.com.au
|
The
New South Wales Government says it will introduce tough new sex-crime
laws, and may strip artists of a defence against child-porn allegations,
in line with recommendations of a NSW Sentencing Council report.
NSW Attorney General John Hatzistergos today said the Government would
introduce a raft of changes recommended by the council.
Commissioned in September last year and chaired by retired Supreme Court
judge James Wood, the council's report into the state's sex crime laws
will now be used as a gold standard for new legislation to be
introduced this year, Hatzistergos said.
In the wake of the Bill Henson scandal, an artistic purpose defence to
charges of child pornography should be removed, the Sentencing Council
said.
Stressing the reform had nothing to do with the Henson case,
Hatzistergos said removing the defence would only apply to work that
depicts children as the victim of torture, or physical and sexual abuse.
The child nudity so controversial in Henson's work would not be affected
by such a reform, he said.
The council has recommended the introduction of a number of new
offences, including voyeurism and inciting a person to commit a sexual
offence.
NSW opposition leader Barry O'Farrell supported abolishing the artistic
purpose defence.
|
| 27th October |
Internet Snitch Foundation... |
|
| |
IWF transforms from laudable child protector to reprehensible snitch
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
news.bbc.co.uk
|
The
Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) has extended its remit and now urges web
users to snitch on illegal and obscene adult content online. Previously
the organisation had laudably concentrated on child abuse images
The awareness campaign comes in response to IWF research which suggests
77% of people who find illegal content do not know how to report what
they have seen.
Sarah Robertson, a spokeswoman for the IWF, said that in 2007 the
organisation handled 34,781 reports from members of the public who
stumbled across illegal content.
It was the IWF that reported the sex fantasy text story that is
currently being prosecuted under the Obscene Publications Act.
|
| 27th October |
Art Watch... |
|
| |
Westminster Council wound up by Banksy CCTV mural
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
cbc.ca
|
Westminster
city council in London decided to paint over guerilla-artist Banksy's
largest work in the city.
The council ordered the removal to send a message to graffiti artists.
Robert Davis, deputy leader of the council and chair, told BBC News,
If you condone this then you condone graffiti all over London.
Banksy, who conceals his identity, is famous for his political and
satirical street art. His works have been found everywhere from the Gaza
Strip to New Orleans.
The seven-metre-tall mural being removed depicts a child painting the
words One Nation Under CCTV on the wall. A dog and police officer
holding a camera are painted next to the graffiti artist.
The mural is painted on the wall of a building shared by Royal Mail and
another business.
|
| 27th October |
Violent Death of the Indian Film Industry... |
|
| |
Indian film censor whinges about violent films
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
sindhtoday.net
|
An
increase in the number of Kannada language Indian films glorifying violence is
causing concern among censor board officials here who feel the continuing trend
could lead to the downfall of the industry.
Unless the rot is stopped, the Kannada film industry may well lose its
prominence and will be looked down by its own audiences who are right now coming
to see good movies, said Chandrashekhar, chief of the regional wing of the
Central Board of Film Certification: Every one in four films censored was
given A certificates for being extremely violent.
Some of the violence-packed films that released this year include‘Maadesha,
Nanda Loves Nandita, Gaja, and Gooli.
A study report based on 2007’s Kannada films was released recently and it
highlighted a trend of increased violence in movies. Of the 127 films released
in 2007, 24% were violent compared to 4% in Tamil and 3.5% of Telugu films.
Chandrashekhar says filmmakers should try to make quality cinema. Some producers
argue that violence in movies guaranteed good business at the ticket window. But
Chandrashekhar disagrees.
It is a wrong notion to believe that violent films and gangster films ensure
good returns to the producer, the censor board official said quoting media
reports that suggest the Kannada film industry has lost over Rs.100 million in
the first nine months of this year. He maintained that increased violence kept
audiences away from theatres.
|
| 26th October |
Bollox TV Swearing Survey... |
|
| |
Nutters whinge at the few hours of grown up TV available
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
telegraph.co.uk
|
A
Sunday Telegraph investigation found widespread strong language in
programmes broadcast just after the watershed.
In the investigation, 25 programmes shown on the five terrestrial
television channels between October 17 and October 23 were monitored for
their use of swear words. All started between 9pm, the official
watershed, and 10.35pm.
In some cases, strong language began shortly after the watershed. In
all, 'fuck' and its derivatives was used 88 times, 'shit' 26 times and
'piss' 13 times.
Particularly notable was last week's episode of Jamie's Ministry of
Food, the Channel 4 series following attempts by the chef Jamie
Oliver to encourage the people of Rotherham to cook healthy food. The
programme, which aired at 9pm on Tuesday, featured the 'fuck' 23 times.
Another programme with a high count was BBC 1's Traffic Cops,
broadcast on Monday at 9pm, where 'fuck' and its derivatives were used
20 times. On Natural Born Sellers, ITV's answer to The
Apprentice, broadcast on Thursday at 9pm, the 'fuck' was used 19
times.
John Beyer [erroneously misprinted as John
Meyer], the nutter director of Mediawatch-UK, predictably
described the findings as appalling. The use of bad language
on television is now completely out of control. The fact is the public
is offended by bad language but broadcasters are doing nothing to
respond to that concern – instead they are burying their heads in the
sand and stretching the regulations to the very limit.
Obviously there are still plenty of young viewers tuning in after 9pm,
so why do broadcasters think that so many obscenities after the
watershed is OK? What is the point of the Government spending millions
trying to improve our children's language and literacy when broadcasters
are seeking to undermine it?
Beyer called for the media regulator, Ofcom, to be given greater powers
in overseeing the way online programmes are aired. It is very
worrying that children are increasingly gaining easy access to adult
programmes online. The solution is for Ofcom to have regulatory
oversight over internet downloads, as well as on air programmes.
BBC iPlayer and other on-demand services are currently regulated by the
BBC Trust and the independent regulator, The Association for Television
in Demand (ATVOD). The Government is carrying out a consultation process
on proposals to make Ofcom the complete regulator for all on-demand and
online broadcasting.
Ed Vaizey, the shadow culture minister, said: There is too much
swearing on television, particularly in certain programmes which people
construe as family viewing. Broadcasters should take the view that there
are still young viewers after 9pm, and that 9.01pm does not mean an
automatic license for bad language.
A BBC spokesman, said: The BBC has robust guidelines in place making
clear the most offensive language should not be broadcast before the
watershed and needs to be justified by the context.
Whilst we have a duty to reflect real lives and people, we are very
sensitive about what we broadcast when children are most likely to be
listening, and receive very few complaints about offensive language.
"arents have a responsibility to monitor what children watch both on TV
and online, but we have introduced an iPlayer lock to help parents
prevent younger viewers from accessing guidance-rated programming.
A spokesman for Ofcom, said: Swearing is not banned after the 9pm
watershed. However, when investigating complaints received about
programmes broadcast after the watershed, we do take into consideration
audience expectations of a programme, the size and composition of the
audience, and whether children are likely to be watching.
|
| 26th October |
Sachs and Sacks... |
|
| |
Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand 'overstep the mark'
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
dailymail.co.uk
|
Jonathan
Ross and Russell Brand have rattled a few cages over a bawdy phone stunt
involving Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs and his family.
The presenters left a series of messages on Sachs’s answer phone
claiming that Brand had had sex with his granddaughter, Georgina.
Sachs was left upset by the crude calls – which were also broadcast to
about two million listeners to Brand’s Radio 2 show.
Russell Brand said he slept with the granddaughter of Andrew Sachs
during his Radio 2 show. Jonathan Ross, who was co hosting the show
joined in the ribald comments.
Sachs’s agent said his client had been terribly hurt by the
comments and had made a formal complaint to the BBC.
The calls about his granddaughter were made during an episode of Brand’s
Saturday night Radio 2 programme, co-hosted by Ross to help publicise
his new book. Shortly before they contacted Sachs for a pre-arranged
telephone interview, Brand said: In a minute we’re going to be
talking to Andrew Sachs, Manuel actor. The elephant in the room is, what
Andrew doesn’t know is, I’ve slept with his granddaughter.
The comedian then rang Sachs. When the veteran actor didn’t answer his
telephone, Brand left a message during which Ross shouted He fucked
your granddaughter!, generating raucous laughter from the studio.
Ross subsequently speculated that Brand had enjoyed Georgina on a
swing. The pair then decided to ring Mr Sachs again to apologise. When
he repeatedly failed to answer, Ross and Brand left three further
messages, making the situation worse.
During one message, Brand said: I wore a condom. In another,
which took the form of an impromptu song, Brand sang: I’d like to
apologise for the terrible attacks, Andrew Sachs . . . I said some
things I didn’t of oughta, like I had sex with your granddaughter,
though it was consensual . . . it was consensual lovely sex. It was full
of respect, I sent her a text, I’ve asked her to marry me, Andrew Sachs.
Ross could be heard singing quietly to himself: Your granddaughter
...she was bent over the couch...
Brand’s show sometimes goes out live, but the offending episode was
pre-recorded to fit around Brand and Ross’s other commitments. According
to the BBC, a senior editorial figure signed off the programme,
including its strong language, before it was broadcast.
Tory MP Philip Davies said: I know Jonathan Ross has been handsomely
rewarded by the BBC for being rude, inappropriate and as vile as
possible, but I would hope that even the BBC would accept he’s
overstepped the mark this time. In any other walk of life, anyone who
did this type of thing would face serious disciplinary proceedings. I
hope the BBC will consider what consequences there may be if they don’t
take him to task for this.
|
| 26th October |
One of the Most Conservative Film Censors in the World... |
|
| |
David Cooke talks about the work of the BBFC
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
guardian.co.uk
|
David
Cooke is the Director of the BBFC. He told the Guardian:
There are about 40 people who are examiners at the BBFC. They watch the
films, play the games and watch the DVDs. All certification goes out
with my name on it. That's about 17,000 titles a year, which is a little
nerve-wracking. I see between one and three films a week.
We try and keep in line with public opinion and I think we're an
accurate reflection. We're not trying to lead the public but sometimes
we have to make a decision. They aren't Chris Tarrant issues; we can't
phone a friend.
We get twitchy when sex and violence come together. It's a hugely
contested area but we tend to err on the side of caution. It's an issue
the public is also worried about.
We look at sexual violence in terms of how likely it is that the scene
will encourage someone else to do it. Is the rape scene aversive? Is it
off-putting? If it is saying that rape is OK, that's when it gets
worrying and we will act.
Broadly speaking, at an adult level, people should be free to choose
what they want to watch
Some sexual acts blur the lines. Urolagnia is a sexual fetish with a
focus on urine and urination. Whether this is legal to show in a film is
a case for the courts.
The Ketchup Effect is a Swedish film about a 13-year-old girl and
her first sexual experiences. In it was a shot of an erect penis. Now we
knew the penis wasn't real and that the subject was being treated
sensitively but we had to give the film an 18 certificate. Was it the
right decision? Was it educational?
I think there are regional differences in terms of what is and what
isn't acceptable, but mainly in terms of bad language. The public don't
like bad language.
We are still one of the more conservative film regulators in the world.
French regulators come out with completely different conclusions to us.
Whereas we will put an 18 certificate on a Tarantino film, they give his
films a 12 certificate and call it art.
|
| 26th October |
Peace Means Press Freedom... |
|
| |
World rankings of press freedom
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
rsf.org
|
It
is not economic prosperity but peace that guarantees press freedom. That
is the main lesson to be drawn from the world press freedom index that
Reporters Without Borders compiles every year and from the 2008 edition,
released today. Another conclusion from the index - in which the bottom
three rungs are again occupied by the “infernal trio” of Turkmenistan
(171st), North Korea (172nd) and Eritrea (173rd) - is that the
international community’s conduct towards authoritarian regimes such as
Cuba (169th) and China (167th) is not effective enough to yield results.
Two aspects stand out in the index, which covers the 12 months to 1
September 2008. One is Europe’s preeminence. Aside from New Zealand and
Canada, the first 20 positions are held by European countries.
Bringing up the rear are the dictatorships - some disguised, some not -
where dissidents and pro-reform journalists manage to open cracks in the
walls that enclose them. The year of the Olympics in the new Asian
power, China (167th), was the year that Hu Jia and many other dissidents
and journalists were jailed. But it also provided opportunities to those
liberal media that are trying gradually to free themselves of the
country’s still pervasive police control. Being a journalist in Beijing
or Shanghai - or in Iran (166th), Uzbekistan (162nd) and Zimbabwe
(151st) - is a high risk exercise involving endless frustration and
constant police and judicial harassment. In Burma (170th), run by a
xenophobic and inflexible junta, journalists and intellectuals, even
foreign ones, have for years been viewed as enemies by the regime, and
they pay the price.
Finally, North Korea and Turkmenistan are unchanging hells in which the
population is cut off from the world and is subjected to propaganda
worthy of a bygone age. And in Eritrea (173rd), which has come last for
the second year running, President Issaias Afeworki and his small clan
of paranoid nationalists continue to run Africa’s youngest country like
a vast open prison.
Countries in bold are those mentioned on Melon Farmers most often
| 1 | Iceland |
= |
| - | Luxembourg |
nc |
| - | Norway |
= |
| 4 | Estonia |
v |
| - | Finland |
^ |
| - | Ireland |
^ |
| 7 | Belgium |
v |
| - | Latvia |
^ |
| - | New Zealand |
^ |
| - | Slovakia |
v |
| - | Sweden |
v |
| - | Switzerland |
^ |
| 13 | Canada |
^ |
| 14 | Austria |
^ |
| - | Denmark |
v |
| 16 | Czech Republic |
v |
| - | Lithuania |
^ |
| - | Netherlands |
v |
| - | Portugal |
v |
| 20 | Germany |
= |
| 21 | Jamaica |
^ |
| 22 | Costa Rica |
v |
| 23 | Hungary |
v |
| - | Namibia |
^ |
| - | United Kingdom |
^ |
| 26 | Surinam |
nc |
| 27 | Trinidad and Tobago |
v |
| 28 | Australia |
= |
| 29 | Japan |
^ |
| 30 | Slovenia |
v |
| 31 | Cyprus |
^ |
| - | Ghana |
v |
| - | Greece |
v |
| - | Mali |
^ |
| 35 | France |
v |
| 36 | Bosnia and Herzegovina |
v |
| - | Cape Verde |
^ |
| - | South Africa |
^ |
| - | Spain |
v |
| - | Taiwan |
v |
| - | United States of America |
^ |
| 42 | Macedonia |
v |
| 43 | Uruguay |
v |
| 44 | Italy |
v |
| 45 | Croatia |
v |
| 46 | Israel (Israeli territory) |
v |
| 47 | Mauritius |
v |
| - | Poland |
^ |
| - | Romania |
v |
| - | South Korea |
v |
| 51 | Hong-Kong |
^ |
| - | Liberia |
^ |
| 53 | Cyprus (North) |
^ |
| - | Montenegro |
^ |
| - | Togo |
v |
| 56 | Chile |
v |
| 57 | Panama |
v |
| 58 | Kosovo |
^ |
|
| 59 | Bulgaria |
v |
| - | Nicaragua |
v |
| 61 | Kuwait |
^ |
| 62 | El Salvador |
^ |
| 63 | Burkina Faso |
^ |
| 64 | Serbia |
^ |
| 65 | Timor-Leste |
^ |
| 66 | Botswana |
^ |
| - | Lebanon |
^ |
| 68 | Argentina |
^ |
| 69 | United Arab Emirates |
v |
| 70 | Benin |
v |
| - | Malawi |
^ |
| - | Tanzania |
v |
| 73 | Haiti |
^ |
| 74 | Bhutan |
^ |
| - | Ecuador |
v |
| - | Qatar |
^ |
| - | Seychelles |
^ |
| - | Zambia |
v |
| 79 | Albania |
^ |
| - | Fiji |
^ |
| 81 | Guinea-Bissau |
^ |
| 82 | Brazil |
^ |
| - | Dominican Republic |
v |
| - | Tonga |
^ |
| 85 | Central African Republic |
v |
| 86 | Senegal |
v |
| 87 | Ukraine |
^ |
| 88 | Guyana |
nc |
| 89 | Comoros |
^ |
| 90 | Mozambique |
v |
| - | Paraguay |
= |
| 92 | Congo |
v |
| 93 | Mongolia |
v |
| 94 | Burundi |
^ |
| - | Madagascar |
v |
| 96 | Bahrein |
^ |
| 97 | Kenya |
v |
| 98 | Moldova |
v |
| 99 | Guinea |
^ |
| - | Honduras |
v |
| 101 | Guatemala |
^ |
| 102 | Armenia |
v |
| - | Turkey |
v |
| 104 | Maldives |
^ |
| 105 | Mauritania |
v |
| 106 | Tajikistan |
^ |
| 107 | Uganda |
v |
| 108 | Peru |
^ |
| 109 | Côte d’Ivoire |
v |
| 110 | Gabon |
v |
| 111 | Indonesia |
v |
| - | Kyrgyzstan |
v |
| 113 | Venezuela |
^ |
| 114 | Sierra Leone |
^ |
| 115 | Bolivia |
v |
|
| 116 | Angola |
v |
| - | Lesotho |
v |
| 118 | India |
^ |
| 119 | USA (extra-territorial) |
v |
| 120 | Georgia |
v |
| 121 | Algeria |
^ |
| 122 | Morocco |
v |
| 123 | Oman |
nc |
| 124 | Thailand |
^ |
| 125 | Kazakhstan |
= |
| 126 | Cambodia |
v |
| - | Colombia |
= |
| 128 | Jordan |
v |
| 129 | Cameroon |
v |
| 130 | Niger |
v |
| 131 | Nigeria |
= |
| 132 | Malaysia |
v |
| 133 | Chad |
v |
| 134 | Djibouti |
v |
| 135 | Sudan |
^ |
| 136 | Bangladesh |
v |
| 137 | Gambia |
v |
| 138 | Nepal |
v |
| 139 | Philippines |
v |
| 140 | Mexico |
v |
| 141 | Russia |
^ |
| 142 | Ethiopia |
^ |
| 143 | Tunisia |
^ |
| 144 | Singapore |
v |
| 145 | Rwanda |
^ |
| 146 | Egypt |
= |
| 147 | Swaziland |
v |
| 148 | Democratic Republic of Congo |
v |
| 149 | Israel (extra-territorial) |
v |
| 150 | Azerbaijan |
v |
| 151 | Zimbabwe |
v |
| 152 | Pakistan |
= |
| 153 | Somalia |
^ |
| 154 | Belarus |
v |
| 155 | Yemen |
v |
| 156 | Afghanistan |
v |
| - | Equatorial Guinea |
v |
| 158 | Iraq |
v |
| 159 | Syria |
v |
| 160 | Libya |
v |
| 161 | Saudi Arabia |
v |
| 162 | Uzbekistan |
v |
| 163 | Palestinian Territories |
v |
| 164 | Laos |
v |
| 165 | Sri Lanka |
v |
| 166 | Iran |
= |
| 167 | China |
v |
| 168 | Vietnam |
v |
| 169 | Cuba |
v |
| 170 | Burma |
v |
| 171 | Turkmenistan |
v |
| 172 | North Korea |
v |
| 173 | Eritrea |
v |
|
|
| 26th October |
South Korean Bad Influence... |
|
| |
South Korea restricts soldier's reading matter
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
koreatimes.co.kr
|
In
an unprecedented move, a group of military law officers filed a petition
with the South Korean Constitutional Court, demanding the Ministry of
National Defense's ban on dozens of bad influence books be
lifted.
Seven officers submitted the petition, arguing the censorship infringes
on soldiers' basic rights.
It is a basic right guaranteed by the Constitution to read books for
gaining knowledge and pursuing happiness,' said Choi Kang-wook, a
lawyer representing the petitioners: There is no argument for
limiting their rights just because they are in the military, or that
they must accept unfairness because they are soldiers.'
Their action angered the ministry. It's not appropriate as the
officers are tasked with enforcing law within the military, Defense
Minister Lee Sang-hee said during a parliamentary audit of his ministry.
I will order the Army Chief of Staff to take steps after reviewing
whether their act violates work-related discipline.
In July, the ministry announced 23 books that soldiers should not read.
The seditious books include Bad Samaritans, by Chang Ha-joon,
a professor at Cambridge University, Year 501: The Conquest Continues
by Noam Chomsky, a U.S. author and linguist and Hyeon Gi-yeong's novel,
A Spoon on Earth.
Those books were categorized by the ministry into three categories and
claimed the books could have a bad influence on soldiers.
- pro-North Korea
- anti-government
- anti-U.S. or anti-capitalism
Ironically, many of the books banned by the ministry have drawn
public interest and made the best sellers list at large bookstores in
recent months.
|
| 26th October |
Denial of Critical Service... |
|
| |
Weekly magazine seized in Tunisia
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
cpj.org
|
The
Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the Tunisian government’s
decision to seize the latest issue of an opposition newspaper and to
summon an independent editor to appear before a public prosecutor.
The Interior Ministry seized the October 22 issue of Mouatinoun, the
weekly newspaper of the Democratic Forum for Labor and Liberties party,
for publishing unlawful allegations, said Tunisian
state-controlled papers. The case has been handed to the public
prosecutor, state media reported.
Mustapha Ben Jaafar, editor of Mouatinoun, said the seizure was tied to
an opinion piece by Neziha Rejiba, editor of the news Web site Kalima.
In her piece, Rejiba accused the Tunisian government of being behind the
recent destruction of Kalima’sWeb site. She wrote that the government
gave instructions to hit our Web site because it is a regime of corsairs
and highway men.
Rejiba, one of the country’s most critical journalists, has been
summoned to appear before the Tunis public prosecutor on Monday. The
appearance could be a precursor to criminal charges. Under Article 49 of
the press law, Rejiba could face up to three years in prison and a fine
for publishing false news.
|
| 26th October |
The Slippery Slope... |
|
| |
Internet censorship in Canada
Permalink |
See
article
from
xtra.ca
|
For
most people sex and the internet are as natural a pairing as apple pie
and motherhood.
But increasingly the easy access to pornography that so many have
enjoyed for so long is being regulated, filtered and censored by a
combination of government, law enforcement, internet service providers
(ISPs) and moral busybodies.
Free speech activists say what we're seeing now is the beginning of
internet censorship, with the regulation and removal of child porn as
the initial motivation.
There are efforts to combat images of the sexual abuse of
prepubescent children and the major ISPs are involved, says Nart
Villeneuve, a research fellow at the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab
— which has done work with Chinese bloggers and dissidents on how to
avoid internet censorship — in an email. "They filter access to a
small amount of sites that host this stuff and have review/complaint
procedures and do not appear to be overblocking.
But once the infrastructure for filtering is in place — for any reason,
though porn is usually the first excuse — there is an incentive to
increase its use. I see 'mission creep' all the time where once in
place, filtering is extended to cover content areas that were not in the
original mandate.
...Read full
article
|
| 25th October |
Maid to Apologise... |
|
| |
Apologies all round for Enfield's Filipina maid gag
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
newsflash.org
See the
sketch
|
The
BBC has apologized to the Philippines for the skit in the comedy show
Harry and Paul that was said to have portrayed Filipino women
as sex objects.
BBC director general Mark Thompson apologized, in a letter dated Oct.
10, 2008, to Philippine Ambassador to the Court of St. James Edgardo
Espiritu, for the offense caused by the episode of Harry and Paul.
The apology came following a letter sent last Oct. 3 by Espiritu to BBC
Trust Chairman Sir Michael Lyons expressing the ambassador’s dismay.
The episode angered some of the 200,000-strong Filipino community in the
United Kingdom and prompted some leaders of the community to put up an
online petition where Filipinos could lodge their protest against BBC
and the show’s producer, Tiger Aspect Productions. The online petition
gathered more than 2,000 supporters within three days.
Simultaneous silent vigils were also held on Oct. 17 in front of the BBC
office in White City, just outside central London, and Tiger Aspect
Productions in Soho in central London.
Tiger Aspect Productions Chief Executive Andrew Zane issued an apology
before the members of the Filipino community who joined the Soho vigil:
We’re sorry to anyone who was in any way offended by the programme.
This certainly was not our intention.
|
| 25th October |
A Hotbed of Illicit Imagery... |
|
| |
Bahrain councillors get all het up over underwear
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
gulf-daily-news.com
|
Advertising
across a large area of Bahrain could soon be torn down for being too
sexy.
The Central Municipal Council is drafting a law that would allow them to
ban advertising that is too provocative, claiming it was
equivalent to pornography.
It is also seeking a clampdown on lingerie shops that display immoral
skimpy underwear in their windows, which councillors have claimed flouts
religious values.
Street advertisements are getting outrageous, said councillor
Sadiq Rabea'a, who co-sponsored the proposal: Some are crossing the
line with women wearing tight-fitting dresses, dancing around and
legalising sexual scenes for our children to witness.
Councillor Abdulrazzaq Al Hattab also sponsored the initiative, saying
his constituency in Riffa was a hotbed of illicit imagery: Showcasing
lingerie for everyone to see is against our Islamic culture and is
considered immoral.
The issue has now been referred to the council's technical and financial
committee, which will study the proposal and present a report at the
council's next meeting.
|
| 25th October |
Blogger Repression... |
|
| |
Turkey blocks considerable number of bloggers at Blogger.com
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
cyberlaw.org.uk
|
As
of today access to the popular blogging website Blogger.com has been
blocked in Turkey.
A blocking order was issued by Diyarbakir First Criminal Court
of Peace.
The reason for issuing the order ban is unknown but a considerable
number of Turkish users are affected.
Update:
Football Rights Freakery
27th October 2008
It is now being reported by Turk.internet.com that the blocking order
is related to an intellectual property infringement. Digitürk is a
subscription based digital TV platform in Turkey which owns the right to
transmit the live coverage of the Turkish football league games.
Digitürk obtained the blocking order through the Diyarbakir court
according to the Turk.internet.com news as there were blog entries
providing information and links to known websites which transmit pirated
transmission of the live football league games.
|
| 25th October |
Malaysian Cultural Backwaters... |
|
| |
PUSPAL: Official body dedicated to censoring foreign performers
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
thenutgraph.com
|
Indonesian
Inul Daratista is only one example in an extensive list of popular foreign
artists who have had their Malaysian performances frustrated or banned
altogether on apparently moral grounds.
In 2003, American rap-rock band Linkin Park was allowed to play in Bukit
Kiara, on the condition that they did not go bare-chested, wear shorts or
jump.
Iin early 2004, then-PAS Youth wing leader Ahmad Sabki Yusof criticised a
concert by Mariah Carey as condoning values that are totally contrary to
our way of life and our culture.
The Malaysian leg of pop burlesque group the Pussycat Dolls' 2006 World Tour
saw their promoters, Absolute Entertainment, slapped with an RM10,000 fine.
Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim was quoted as
saying: I believe the way the Pussycat Dolls behaved onstage amounted to
gross indecency.
Such reactions, and well as attendant official actions, have intensified in
recent years. So much so that Malaysia has set up censors specifically to
deal with foreign performers.
The main agency concerned with processing approvals for foreign performers
is the Central Agency of Application for Filming and Performance by Foreign
Artists (Puspal).
It was set up by the Malaysian cabinet in 2001, under what is now the
Ministry of Culture, Arts, Heritage and National Unity. Its function is to
receive and process approvals for foreign artistes to participate in film
shoots and performances.
In Puspal's criteria for approving applications is a six-point code of
ethics for performers. These guidelines range from "behaving improperly"
(jumping about, shouting) to "sexual innuendoes".
Clearing the Puspal hurdle is merely the first step. Immigration matters
aside, what follows is delicate negotiation between the production company
and a byzantine web of local authorities — such as the local police and
municipal authorities — from whom it must obtain entertainment permits.
This is often the most difficult step, as documents of consent arrive at the
eleventh hour — if they do at all.
The repercussions over an unpredictable process for approving foreign
artists reach beyond performance organisers. Two high-profile artistes have
already given Malaysia a miss. They have opted for more hospitable venues in
the region, where the enforcement of entertainment licenses are relatively
clearer and less easily manipulated by moral outcry.
Christina Aguilera's 2007 Back To Basics tour included stops in neighbour
Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, but she refused to perform here;
Beyonce Knowles, also in 2007, swapped her Kuala Lumpur concert for one in
Jakarta.
Whither then Malaysia, with its aspirations towards an international
performing arts platform? Abdul Nasir put it tersely: We are really the
backwaters.
|
| 25th October |
A Culture of Violence in Barbados... |
|
| |
Nutters think a video game ban will help
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
gamepolitics.com
|
Head
of the National Organisation for Women called for a ban on violent games and
toy weapons.
In lobbying for a ban, Yvonnes Walkes said that the National Organisation
for Women were using a multi-dimensional approach to combat what Deputy
Commissioner of Police Bertie Hinds called a culture of violence in
Barbados.
We have to start with the children, the schools and the parents...We have
to be aware and be vigilant to get measures in place. This will also be one
of our main focuses during our 16 Days of Activism Against Violence Against
Women...
|
| 25th October |
The Jails of Algeria... |
|
| |
Author censored by Algerian police
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
ifex.org
|
The
Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) has condemned a recent
Algerian police order which prevents the publication of respected Algerian
journalist Mohamed Benchicou's book, The Free Man's Journal (Journal
d'un homme libre). The injunction has prevented the journalist from
presenting his book at the 13th International Book Fair in Algiers.
This is the second time that Algerian police have used such brutal
censorship against the author. At the same time last year, police issued an
order to stop the production of Benchicou's book, The Jails of Algiers.
This is a blatant intervention in publishing affairs, which are legally
protected by the Algerian constitution, which outlaws censorship unless it
happens as a result of a judicial order.
The refusal to print Benchicou's new book is part of a systematic campaign
of harassment against him by the Algerian government. He was held in prison
from 2004 to 2006 and his newspaper Le Matin was closed down two
years ago in retaliation for releasing a book called Bouteflika: The
Algerian Trick in 2004. In this book, Benchicou courageously criticised
the prevailing corruption in Algeria under current president Abdelaziz
Bouteflika.
|
| 25th October |
Dangerous Travel... |
|
| |
US based Nigerian blogger detained
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
news.bbc.co.uk
|
A
US-based Nigerian news blogger is being held without charge by Nigeria's
secret service.
Jonathan Elendu was taken into custody on Saturday when he arrived in the
capital, Abuja, on a family visit.
Elendureports.com is one of a number of diaspora-run citizen reporting
websites about Nigeria and is known for publishing controversial stories.
The State Security Service (SSS) said he was being investigated for "acts of
sedition", but refused to give details.
Elendureports.com operates from Lansing in Michigan and publishes often
controversial stories about Nigerian politicians, accusing some of them of
corruption and other crimes. Their stories are often based on anonymous
sources.
Another US-based Nigerian news website, Saharareporters.com, quotes
anonymous sources as saying Mr Elendu may have been arrested because of
photographs it published a few months ago showing President Umaru Yar'Adua's
son.
The Saharareporters.com pictures, which caused a stir in the local media at
the time, showed 13-year-old Musa Yar'Adua waving wads of money around and
holding a policeman's gun.
Update:
Released
13th November 2008. Based on
article
from
pbs.org
Late on Thursday, October 29, reports began to appear that Elendu had been
released and was receiving medical treatment. While this is excellent news for
him and his family, the actions of the SSS and the Nigerian government are not
what one would expect from a so-called democracy.
|
| 24th October |
Filtering Criticism... |
|
| |
Australian minister caught leaning on internet filter critic
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
brisbanetimes.com.au
Based on
article
from
inquisitr.com
|
 |
|
Censor and oppressor
Stephen Conroy |
Australia's Government is attempting to silence critics of its plan to
censor the internet, which experts say will break the internet while
doing little to stop people from accessing illegal material such as
child pornography.
Internet providers and the government's own tests have found that
presently available filters are not capable of adequately distinguishing
between legal and illegal content and can degrade internet speeds by up
to 86%.
Documents obtained by Fairfax Media show the office of the
Communications Minister, Stephen Conroy, tried to bully ISP staff into
suppressing their criticisms of the plan.
Conroy said that the Government was looking at forcing ISPs to implement
a two-tiered filtering system. The first tier, which internet users
would not be able to opt out of, would block all illegal material
[which includes adult hardcore porn]. The second tier, which is
optional, would filter out content deemed inappropriate for children.
But neither filter tier will be capable of censoring content obtained
over peer-to-peer file sharing networks, which account for an estimated
60% of internet traffic.
Colin Jacobs, chair of the online users' lobby group Electronic
Frontiers Australia said: I'm not exaggerating when I say that this
model involves more technical interference in the internet
infrastructure than what is attempted in Iran, one of the most
repressive and regressive censorship regimes in the world.
Mark Newton, an engineer at Australia ISP Internode, has heavily
criticized the Government and its filtering policy on popular Australian
broadband forum Whirlpool.
The Ministers office wrote to the Internet Industry Association (IIA)
board member Carolyn Dalton based on Newton working for Internode,
despite his criticism being offered in a personal capacity.
“In your capacity as a board member of the
IIA I would like to express my serious concern that a IIA member would
be sending out this sort of message. I have also advised [IIA chief
executive] Peter Coroneos of my disappointment in this sort of
irresponsible behaviour”
The email was accompanied by a phone call demanding that the message
be passed on to senior Internode management.
Although this shouldn’t come as a great surprise, it is none the less
unacceptable in a democratic country that a Minister would seek to
censor critics who are doing nothing more than exercising their rights
to publicly disagree.
Enough is enough. I call on the Minister to resign, or should he not do
so, I call on the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, to sack the Minister at
the first available opportunity. This abuse of power has no place in a
modern, free and democratic society in the 21st century.
|
| 24th October |
Killing Me Softly... |
|
| |
Another euthanasia book under consideration by Australia's censor
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
canberratimes.com.au
|
A
book by euthanasia campaigner Philip Nitschke, Killing me
softly, could be banned in Australia after a Classification
Board hearing expected to take place next week.
Dr Nitschke said Attorney-General Robert McClelland had referred
the book to the board. The board's decision to hold a
classification hearing is unusual, given Penguin Australia
published the book more than three years ago.
It is understood the Attorney-General was reacting to newspaper
reports that a Perth mother, Erin Berg, who committed suicide in
May after travelling to Mexico, had read the book, which
describes euthanasia drugs sold overseas. Mrs Berg was suffering
from serious post-natal depression but was not inflicted with a
terminal illness.
The Classification Board has the power to ban the book
altogether, restrict its sale and distribution, or make it a
crime to sell or display it.
The chief censor, Donald McDonald, contacted Penguin Australia
earlier this month and asked the publisher to submit a copy of
the book that was written by Dr Nitschke and his partner Fiona
Stuart.
Dr Nitschke, who was on his way back to Australia from Britain
after establishing an on-line site for his controversial The
Peaceful Pill Handbook, said Mr McClelland was reacting to
pressure from what he claimed was a campaign being organised by
the family of Mrs Berg.
The book Killing me Softly has about one sentence referring
to the fact that people go overseas to obtain euthanasia drugs,
Dr Nitschke said, the book was largely a discussion of the issue
and had been used in school curriculum.
Penguin Australia publishing director Robert Sessions said any
ban on the book could cause significant disruption. There were
few copies of the book in bookstores and the ban would mostly
inconvenience libraries.
|
| 24th October |
Kicked in the Rear Admiral... |
|
| |
D-Notice history book censored by D-Notice committee
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
entertainment.timesonline.co.uk
|
 |
|
Spell checker & censor
Air Vice-Marshal Vallance |
There is a long tradition of the military suppressing news that
it considers detrimental to national security by slapping a
D-notice on it.
But when the D-notice committee decided that the time was ripe
to publish its own official history, nobody imagined that it
would fall victim to its own system. The history of the D-notice
committee has, in effect, had a D-notice slapped on it by the
D-notice committee.
Secrecy and the Media, written by Rear-Admiral Nick
Wilkinson, who was secretary of the committee from 1999 to 2004,
should have been hitting all good bookshops this month,
according to the academic publisher Routledge’s website.
The book will now be published in May, but without its final
five chapters. These cover the Blair years, charting the
winding-down of the Irish terrorist campaigns and the War on
Terror.
The censored chapters will eventually be published in a later
edition of the book after a change of administration.
The Times has learnt that the manuscript was cleared for
publication by all the relevant government departments – MI5,
SIS, GCHQ and the Foreign, Home and Cabinet offices, as well as
the Treasury Solicitor and the Attorney-General. However, when
it arrived at the Ministry of Defence it was passed not to the
department’s security and legal experts but to the current
D-notice secretary, Air Vice-Marshal Andrew Vallance.
He advised that the book be withdrawn altogether for reasons
of style and structure, and that a new official history
should be commissioned, to be written instead by a trained
historian, a source has told The Times. He said: It’s
poorly presented history. It’s very thorough, but it’s just
difficult to read.
The air vice-marshal’s view was endorsed by the MoD
|
| 24th October |
Prize Whinge... |
|
| |
China whinges at human rights award for jailed dissident
Permalink |
Thanks to Nick
Based on
article
from
telegraph.co.uk
|
Beijing
has furiously denounced the award of a major European Union human rights
prize to a "criminal" Chinese dissident as a major Europe-Asia summit on
the financial crisis begins in China.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has denounced the European Parliament for
giving the prestigious Sakharov Prize to Hu Jia, an imprisoned human
rights activist.
We express strong dissatisfaction at the decision to issue such an
award to a jailed criminal in China, in disregard of our repeated
representations, said a foreign ministry spokesman: This is gross
interference in China's domestic affairs.
Hu received a three and half year jail sentence last April for
subversion, becoming China's best-known human rights campaigner for
his work highlighting government abuses, environmental degradation and
the plight of China's HIV-Aids sufferers.
Hans-Gert Poettering, the president of the European Parliament, made it
clear on Thursday that the prize sent out a signal of clear support
to all those who defend human rights in China. Hu Jia is one of the real
defenders of human rights, he said.
|
| 24th October |
The Hugh Hefners... |
|
| |
Winners of the 2008 Hugh Hefner First Amendment Awards
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
xbiz.com
|
The
Playboy Foundation named a high-school student, a retired technician and
an attorney as the winners of the 2008 Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment
Awards.
These winners have shown extraordinary commitment to preserving the
First Amendment rights of all Americans, said Christie Hefner,
chairman and CEO of Playboy Enterprises Inc, Their example is an
inspiration to everyone who cares about the fundamental civil rights on
which our democracy is based.
- Heather Gillman, 17 received a $10,000 award for speaking out on
behalf of the rights of gay students. Gillman successfully sued the
local school board after her high school principal banned students
from wearing T-shirts, stickers, buttons or symbols showing support of
equal rights for gay students.
- Mark Klein, a retired AT&T technician, received a $10,000 award
for speaking out against the National Security Agency's covert,
illegal computer spying operation, which used AT&T to secretly
intercept billions of private Internet communications sent and
received by Americans.
- Greg Lukianoff, New York-based attorney and president of the
Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, received the new
$25,000 Freedom of Expression Award in recognition of his efforts to
defend First Amendment rights of students and faculty on college
campuses across the U.S.
This year, the Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Awards were selected from
60 nominees representing traditional and digital means of expression,
including law professors, website creators and student journalists.
The Playboy Foundation supports local and national nonprofit
organizations that protect the rights of the individual in a free
society. Since its inception in 1965, the foundation has awarded nearly
$20 million in grants and in-kind contributions to organizations
concerned with First Amendment freedoms, civil liberties and social
justice.
|
| 24th October |
BBFC Do the Dirty... |
|
| |
Cuts to Dirty Weekend
Permalink |
Thanks to Ricky
|
Dirty
Weekend
is a 1993 UK drama by Michael Winner (Polygram)
The 1995 video release was cut (same print re-released for
the 2006 DVD)
Cuts were made in four scenes as follows:
- number of blows to head reduced to two only
in scene during which Bella kills sleeping man with hammer
- asphyxiation of fat man reduced by
minimising close sight of him struggling for breath
- forcible oral rape in car park reduced to a
minimum by removing shots showing man's pleasure, Bella's head bobbing
and sight of Bella spewing up
- final sexual assault on pier reduced to
establishment only.
We were asked to consider the film for video release
shortly after some amendments had been made to the Video Recordings Act to
tighten up what was permitted in videos. Therefore the Board made some
cautious cuts to reduce the impact and offensiveness of the film. It is
perhaps less likely that they would be required today.
Previously, the 1993 cinema release was passed uncut
|
| 24th October |
Breaking the Back of Freedom... |
|
| |
Director of Public Prosecutions warns of Labour's database monstrosity
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
timesonline.co.uk
|
The
Director of Public Prosecutions has given a warning of the dangers of
plans for a massive expansion of Big Brother state surveillance
and of the growth of a security state.
Sir Ken Macdonald, who heads the Crown Prosecution Service, said that
the enormous powers of access to information that technology had
given the state should be used with great care: We need to take very
great care not to fall into a way of life in which freedom’s back is
broken by the relentless pressure of a security state.
Technology gave the state enormous powers to access to knowledge and
information about each one of us. And the ability to collect and store
it at will; every second of every day, in everything we do.
But Sir Ken, giving the inaugural Crown Prosecution Service lecture in
London, called for level-headedness and legislative restraint.
We need to understand that it is in the nature of state power that
decisions taken in the next few months and years about how the state may
use these powers, and to what extent are likely to be irreversible They
will be with us forever. And they in turn will be built upon on. So we
should take very great care to imagine the world we are creating before
we build it. We might end up living with something we can’t bear.
|
| 24th October |
Poetry Censors... |
|
| |
Burma magazines suffer bans on their poems
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
seapabkk.org
|
The
Rangoon-based humour magazine, Pyaw Pyaw Shwin Shwin had to
postpone publication of its October issue as the censor board rejected
one-fourth of its contents.
They cannot publish in time as the censorship on this month's issue
is too heavy. Most of the censored sections are from poems and stories.
They are likely to suspend publishing for about two months, a person
close to the magazine said. But the magazine refused to release any news
regarding the censorship for fear of retaliation.
The censor board, popularly known as Literary Kempetai named
after the Japanese military intelligence during World War 2 in Burma,
did not give any reason for the censorship. But media sources speculated
that the authorities censored the contents because they did not
understand what the poems meant. To justify their decision, the censor
board said the poems were not in accordance with the government's
guidelines.
Similarly, many poems from this month's issue of Kalyar, Cherry,
Myanmar Thit, Mahaythi and other magazines were also rejected.
Many poems were censored this month. Only four poems appeared in this
month's issue of Kalyar. Only five poems were passed by the
censor board out of a total of 11 submitted by Mahaythi, while
only two poems appeared in Myanmarthit. Earlier, at least seven
poems used to appear in these monthly magazines, a writer from one
of the magazines said.
|
| 23rd October |
You're Making It Up... |
|
| |
The Obscene Publications used against text story
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
news.bbc.co.uk
|
A
man from South Tyneside has appeared in court over a text story which
detailed the kidnap, torture and murder of the pop group Girls Aloud.
Darryn Walker is accused of writing and posting the Girls (Scream)
Aloud story on a sex stories site.
He is charged under the Obscene Publications Act.
No pleas were entered at the hearing at Newcastle Crown Court. A trial
was set for 16 March.
Walker was granted unconditional bail until the trial.
|
| 23rd October |
Gearing Up for Censorship... |
|
| |
Gears of War 2 banned in Germany and maybe Japan
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
edge-online.com
Available at
UK Amazon for release on
7th November 2008
|
A
Microsoft spokesperson has told Edge that Epic’s long-awaited Gears
of War 2 game will not be released in Japan.
We can confirm that Gears of War 2 will not be available in Germany
or Japan indefinitely said the spokesperson.
The reasons why the game will not be released remain unclear. In May
this year Germany’s ratings organization declined to issue the game an
age certificate.
The BBFC passed Gears of War 2, 18 uncut.
Update: Evidently this story is causing
waves within Microsoft. A spokesperson has contacted us to clarify
that no announcement has been made about plans for Gears of
War 2 in Japan.
|
| 23rd October |
Fear of Fallout... |
|
| |
Fallout 3 banned in India
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
gamingindians.com
The cut version of the game is available at
UK Amazon
|
Microsoft
India has announced that it has cancelled its plans to release
Fallout 3 for the Xbox 360 in India. A press statement
issued by Microsoft states that the game included certain
content that could potentially hurt Indian sensibilities.
Here’s the statement from Microsoft India:
Microsoft constantly endeavors to bring the best games to Indian
consumers in sync with their international release. However, in
light of cultural sensitivities in India, we have made the
business decision to not bring Fallout 3 into the
country.
Games fail to release in India for various reasons - high
prices, lack of distribution - but cultural sensitivities
is a first.
Perhaps something to do with the ever more
unstable country next door with nuclear weapons.
|
| 23rd October |
Safe Internet... |
|
| |
European internet gets safer for children by $71 million
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
hollywoodreporter.com
See also further details on
Safer Internet Programme
|
The
European Parliament on Wednesday agreed on a $71 million, five-year plan
to protect children from illegal content on the Internet and online
bullying.
The Safer Internet program, which runs between 2009 and 2013, will cover
Web 2.0 services such as social networking sites Facebook and MySpace as
well online multiplayer gaming. It also will fight harmful behavior such
as bullying.
The proposed new programme will:
- Reduce illegal content and tackle harmful conduct online: actions
to provide the public with national contact points for reporting
illegal content online and harmful conduct, focusing in particular on
child sexual abuse material and grooming.
- Promote a safer online environment: fostering self-regulatory
initiatives in this field. To stimulate the involvement of children
and young people in creating a safer online environment, in particular
through youth panels.
- Ensure public awareness: actions targeting children, their parents
and teachers. Encourage a multiplier effect through exchange of best
practices within the network of national awareness centres. Support
contact points where parents and children can receive advice on how to
stay safe online.
- Establish a knowledge base by bringing together researchers
engaged in child safety online at European level. Establish a
knowledge base on the use of new technologies by children, the effects
these have on them, and related risks. Use this to improve the
effectiveness of ongoing actions within the Safer Internet Programme.
|
| 23rd October |
Harrowed by Nudes... |
|
| |
Artists boycott Harrow Council Arts Centre
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
harrowtimes.co.uk
|
Artists
are walking out en masse from Harrow Arts Centre in a storm over the
censorship of five paintings.
Melvyn Leach, censor and business manager at the arts centre, had the
paintings depicting nude figures removed from an exhibition the night
before it was due to open.
Artists from across the borough have reacted in horror at the decision
and some have threatened to walk away from the arts venue because of the
censorship.
Shanti Panchal, a distinguished artist said: I think it is terrible,
it sounds like something from the middle ages. I was so shocked when I
heard and think all artists should stand up and speak out about what’s
happening.
The rebellion is being led by Cheryl Gould, an artist with long-standing
ties to the centre. She was furious after Leach told her and fellow
artist Jonathan Hutchins to remove their artwork, which they had offered
to be in the exhibition. She is now calling for a boycott of the arts
centre until the council rethinks its position.
She said: The paintings and drawings were not rude, crude or remotely
suggestive. They were just what you would expect to see from any normal
life class anywhere.
Her calls for a boycott have been backed by a host of artists from
across Harrow and beyond, including members of the Harrow Visual Arts
Forum and the Wembley Arts Society.
Norma Stephenson, chairman of the Harrow Arts Society, which is putting
on the exhibition at the arts centre until October 26, has called on the
council to clarify its position, which at the moment is undefined.
She said: Is it really that bad for children to walk past pictures of
people with no clothes on?
Councillor Chris Mote has continued to defend the decision taken by
Leach and has said nude works could be displayed in a private room in
the arts centre with a health warning on the door.
|
| 23rd October |
Internet Big Guns... |
|
| |
Who's behind the mysterious shutdown of jihad sites
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
guardian.co.uk
|
 |
|
No Comment |
Websites being used to disseminate propaganda by al-Qaida appear to have
come under systematic cyber-attack, forcing the closure of three for
well over a month and fuelling speculation that governments are
targeting them in a shadowy new front in the war on terror.
Al-Ekhlas, al-Buraq and al-Firdaws, all linked to al-Fajr - the media
distribution arm of al-Qaida - have been down since just before
September 11, when the broadcast of a video commemorating the 2001
attacks was inexplicably delayed.
All have suffered occasional disruption but this is the longest period
they have been out of action. Al-Fajr blamed technical problems and
denied that the sites had fallen into the hands of the enemy.
Yet suspicions of a deliberate disruption campaign have been fuelled by
the fact that a fourth website, al-Hesbah, continues to operate
unimpeded, with several experts suggesting it may be being used by Saudi
intelligence to monitor and entrap jihadi militants.
But the episode remains shrouded in mystery. All four sites posted
material produced by as-Sahhab, al-Qaida's slick media production arm -
mostly video clips of martyrdom operations in Iraq, Afghanistan
and elsewhere - as well as statements by Osama bin Laden and his
Egyptian deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri.
Two of the sites suffered problems in June but then resumed normal
service. I think what happened in June was a trial run for what took
place in September, said William McCants, a consultant at West Point
military academy who runs the Jihadica.com website.
Rumours of joint Anglo-US operations have surfaced but neither
government will confirm involvement. Such sabotage would be illegal. UK
security officials have spoken of an aggressive new effort to
counter al-Qaida internet propaganda.
I think it's probably being orchestrated by several governments and
it would have to be on the black operations [illegal but deniable] side,
McCants said. Whoever is doing this knows what they are doing. They
are being surgically precise.
Anne Hennesen, of Norway's Defence Research Establishment, said:
There must be a big organisation behind this. It seems to me perfectly
reasonable to assume that this is the work of an intelligence agency.
Another theory is that al-Qaida sympathisers closed the forums
themselves because they were too good a source of intelligence for their
enemies.
|
| 23rd October |
FCC Chills... |
|
| |
News Corp boss defends TV companies against indecent FCC censorship
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
tvweek.com
|
News
Corporation boss Peter Chernin is unleashing a broad defense of
broadcasters against FCC indecency enforcement and warning starkly about
the danger that a Supreme Court case could pose to First Amendment
freedoms.
Chernin said there could be devastating repercussions to the wrong
ruling in a case in which the FCC found Fox stations' airing of Nicole
Richie’s and Cher’s live 'profane' comments in two Billboard Music
Awards in 2002 and 2003 amounted to indecency violations.
In prepared remarks, he called the case, to be heard by the high court
November 4th, an absolute threat to the First Amendment. The case
hinges on utterances that were unscripted on live television. If we
are found in violation, just think about the radical ramifications for
live programming—from news, to politics, to sports … in fact, to every
live broadcast television event. The effect would be appalling.
The court case stems from the FCC’s attempt to ramp up indecency
enforcement by starting to regard fleeting expletives as indecent. The
FCC generally had overlooked expletives uttered in live unscripted shows
in the past.
In the high court case, the FCC is appealing an appellate court ruling
that overturned the FCC’s policy change.
Chernin conceded that he is defending some less than ideal material in
the high court case and others, including one over episodes of
Married by America that showed strippers. Still, he said, his
company has no choice because the government is trying to act as censor:
I vow to fight to the end our ability to put occasionally
controversial, offensive and even tasteless content on the air.
Chernin also accused groups claiming to be interested in protecting
children of helping the government in its attempts to censor
television. The job of protecting children is far too important to leave
to government bureaucrats or so-called public interest groups. The job
of protecting children lies with parents.
Update:
Oral Arguments
1st November 2008. See
Supreme Court to hear case about indecent speech on TV
from
edition.cnn.com
The court case will commence on 4th November 2008
Lawyers from both sides expect Tuesday's oral arguments to be filled
with the "indecent" language at issue, so expect to see a lot of f-bombs
being tossed around by the justices, all in the name of legal clarity,
of course.
The case is FCC v. Fox Television Stations (07-582)
|
| 23rd October |
Do You Think there are Too Many Shallow Surveys on TV?... |
|
| |
Taste and decency survey in the Radio Times
Permalink |
See
article
from
radiotimes.com
|
Over
4,500 readers of Radio Times responded to a Taste and Decency
survey.
1. Do you think there's too much swearing on TV?
Yes 69%
No 31%
2. Do you think there's too much sex on TV?
Yes 52%
No 48%
3. Do you think there's too much nudity on TV?
Yes 40%
No 60%
4. Do you think there's too much violence on TV?
Yes 74%
No 26%
...Read full
article
|
| 22nd October |
Extreme Injustice... |
|
| |
Ben Westwood and CAAN protest against the Dangerous Pictures Act
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
news.bbc.co.uk
See also
CAAN
Consenting Adults Action Network
|
Models
wearing chains, stockings and gags have been led around Westminster in
protest at laws to make owning extreme pornography illegal.
From next year, possession of images such as those depicting a threat to
life or serious injury to a person's genitals will be banned even if
staged by actors or special effects.
Demonstrators opposite Parliament described this as the government
interfering with people's sex lives.
The demonstration, organised by the Consenting Adult Action Network, was
led by photographer Ben Westwood, son of fashion designer Dame Vivienne
Westwood.
He paraded two "slaves" - models called Jade and Dolly Blowup - across
the road from Westminster underground station and around Parliament
Square, with police having to hold up the traffic.
A group of about 20 marchers carried placards with messages including
No to thought crime, Penalise crime, not sex and Depiction harms
no-one.
Westwood said to the BBC: Why are the government doing this? I think
they are just mucking about. They want to seem as though they are doing
something to help society, that they must seem strong on law and order.
Coming from a government that lied about going into war in Iraq, that
seems strange. There are more important issues to be debated than this.
I think that people might be worrying that what they have got in
their video collection might be breaking the law. People are going to
get a bit nervous.
I hope our demonstration does change some minds.
Campaigners say the new law risks criminalising thousands of people who
use violent pornographic images as part of consensual sexual
relationships.
Bruce Argue, of the group Esinem, said: We want to draw attention to
what is an unfair and ill-thought-out law.
The act comes into force on 1 January.
|
| 22nd October |
Afghan Court Insults Islam... |
|
| |
20 Years of injustice for distributing article about women's rights
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
thescotsman.scotsman.com
|
An
Afghan appeal court yesterday overturned a death sentence for a
journalism student accused of blasphemy and instead sentenced him to 20
years in prison.
A three-judge panel jailed 24-year-old Parwez Kambakhsh after a day of
arguments between the student's defence lawyer and state witnesses.
Kambakhsh was studying journalism at Balkh University in the northern
city of Mazar-i-Sharif and writing for a local newspaper when he was
arrested in October 2007.
Prosecutors alleged that Kambakhsh disrupted classes by asking questions
about women's rights under Islam. They also said he illegally
distributed an article he printed off the internet that asks why Islam
does not modernise to give women equal rights. He also allegedly
scribbled his own comments on the paper.
A lower court sentenced him to death in a trial critics have called
flawed in part because Kambakhsh had no lawyer representing him.
The head of Tuesday's panel, Abdul Salaam Qazizada, struck down the
lower court's death penalty but said the decision can be appealed to the
Supreme Court.
|
| 22nd October |
Lads Mags Nags... |
|
| |
One woman campaign against lads mags
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
paisleydailyexpress.co.uk
|
Anti-porn
campaigner Margaret Forbes is urging fellow nutters to boycott
supermarkets displaying lads’ mags.
The one-woman crusader has already persuaded supermarket giants
Morrisons to put men’s magazines on the top shelves out of sight of
children.
She is now calling on Tesco and Somerfield to follow and place men’s
mags like Nuts, Zoo, FHM and Loaded on shelves which are out of reach
and sight of children.
She claimed: Magazines like these are just pornography and extremely
degrading to women. I tried on a number of occasions to have them put on
the top shelf where they belong but they didn’t do it. But when I last
spoke to the Express and said I hoped fellow Buddies would join me in
boycotting this supermarket they listened. I would encourage people to
do the same at other supermarkets such as Tesco and Somerfield who have
failed to listen.”
Forbes – who is a member of the Scottish Women Against Pornography group
– said: The woman who pose in these magazines have a responsibility
for their own actions. But I am not saying they shouldn’t do what they
do. Nor am I saying these shops should not be selling them or people
should not be allowed to buy them. But these magazines should not be on
sale on the lower shelves where children can see them. Children should
be protected from sexually explicit material.
These magazines send out a bad message to young boys.
There is a definite link between soft porn and attacks on women.
A spokeswoman for Somerfield said: It is important to stress these
are titles that have high readership levels of both men and women, are
not classed as pornographic and are not subject to legal age
restrictions. We are sensitive to the feelings of many who are not
comfortable with the depiction of women.”
A spokesman for Tesco’s said: These Lads’ mags are positioned towards
the top tier of our magazine racks. We keep a close eye on our
customers’ views. But we are not receiving many complaints over this.
|
| 22nd October |
Gambling on Domain Forfeiture... |
|
| |
Kentucky sets sights on seizing porn domain names
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
xbiz.com
|
A
policy expert warns that Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear may soon apply
the same tactic to online adult websites that he has applied to Internet
gambling — having them forfeit the domains to the state by taking owners
to court.
In a post discussing Beshear’s lawsuit against 141 gambling websites on
Reason Magazine’s website, senior editor Radley Balko predicts the next
move with just one ominous sentence.
Seems like the Internet porn industry would be the next logical
target, Balko writes.
According to an article in the Louisville Courier-Journal, Franklin
Circuit Judge Thomas Wingate on Oct. 16 denied a motion to dismiss
Beshear’s lawsuit against the gambling sites. Wingate ruled Beshear
has the right to decide whether control of the sites must be forfeited
to the state, according to the newspaper.
Wingate set the next hearing date for Nov. 17.
Beshear filed suit last month to force the sites to block access by
Kentucky users and pay damages, or forfeit the site’s domain name.
|
| 22nd October |
Sticking Pins in Sarkozy... |
|
| |
French president gets wound up by voodoo doll
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
dailymail.co.uk
|
French
President Nicolas Sarkozy has threatened to sue a publishing company
unless it withdraws a Sarkozy doll that comes with a voodoo manual
telling readers to plant pins in it.
The doll is emblazoned with some of Sarkozy's most famous quotes such as
Get lost you pathetic arsehole -- his words to a bystander who
refused to shake his hand at a farm show last year.
Readers are encouraged to plant pins in the quotes.
Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy has instructed me to remind you that, whatever his
status and fame, he has exclusive and absolute rights over his own
image, his lawyer Thierry Herzog wrote to publishers K&B in a letter
published by newspaper Le Monde.
Herzog said Sarkozy would sue the publishing firm if it didn't
respond and pull the product. K&B has issued 20,000 copies of the manual
and doll.
|
| 22nd October |
Withdraw the Communications Bill... |
|
| |
And halt the slippery slope towards an Orwellian 1984 nightmare
Permalink |
Sign the
petition at
petitions.number10.gov.uk
|
We
the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to withdraw the Government's
support for the Communications Data Bill
The Communications Data Bill would give the Government the legal
authority to collect a database of every phone call, e-mail and time
spent on the internet by the public. Even though the Government insists
that this bill would reduce terrorism (which it probably will not), this
is an intolerable intrusion into the privacy of free citizens and a step
towards a dystopian "Big Brother" state. The Bill must be quashed to
protect civil liberties and halt the slippery slope towards an Orwellian
1984-type nightmare.
Closes 30th May 2009
|
| 22nd October |
Political Ratings in India... |
|
| |
Young people should not watch a film on an issue that was better buried and forgotten
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
bollyspice.com
|
Shonali
Bose's first feature film, Amu. Starring Konkona Sen Sharma, tells a
daring tale of a forgotten part of Indian history--the riots of 1984 that left
several Sikhs massacred.
The film gained great exposure after being invited to countless film festivals
including the Toronto International Film festival and the Berlin International
Film Festival.
For Shonali, it was a huge struggle to get the film released and even when she
managed to get the finances, Amu faced several hurdles at the Indian
Censor Board. Recently, Aamir Khan launched the DVD of the film after the Censor
Board deemed the film unfit for Indian TV broadcast.
In an exclusive to BollySpice.com, we speak to this promising director about the
difficult yet rewarding journey behind the making of a powerful film like Amu.
You have had to deal excessively with the Indian Censor
Board for the film. When they proposed cutting out parts of Amu, how did this
make you feel after having worked so hard to make the film in the first place?
Absolutely ENRAGED. I wanted to explode and I had to just politely argue with
them. It is preposterous that our films should be censored. The government has
no right to do this. Audiences are mature enough. All that they can advise
really is what rating a film should get.
It was said that Anupam Kher was one person who
supported your film at the Censor Board and lost his job for it. Is this what
happened?
Definitely the film was cleared because he was the head of the censor board and
liked and supported the film. However, he could have taken one step further and
got the film cleared with a "U" certificate. This is what insiders have told me
about the power of the censor board chief. I was grateful though that at least
it got cleared and that was definitely thanks to him.
With regard to losing his job, I was watching NDTV and Rajdeep Sardesai was
interviewing Anupam. He said on air that he had been fired for clearing a film
on the '84 riots. Actually, I think the changeover would have taken place anyway
as government had changed from BJP to congress, and the censor board is always
changed at this time (which is ridiculous)!
What do you have to say about the fact that the censor
board also won't allow the film to be shown on television unless you cut several
vital scenes?
Beyond outrageous! There was a rule passed that "A" films cannot be shown on TV,
and Anupam's board had given Amu an "A". In fact, him not giving us a "U" at the
time really came back to bite us. By the way, the "A" was given because the
board said "Young people should not watch a film on an issue that was better
buried and forgotten" and not because there were sex scenes or nudity or bad
language! Ironically, the film won the Teenage Choice Award in Italy, was
selected by the AFI Film Festival as specially appropriate for high schoolers
and was hailed by students and teachers alike - class 8 upwards in many schools
in Delhi where we did private screenings. In fact, this is a film for young
people which made the "A" cert and its subsequent ban from TV particularly
pernicious.
So we resubmitted the film to the new censor board to get a "U", and this was
when they wanted 10 minutes of vital scenes, all to do with '84, to be removed
which we refuse to do.
|
| 22nd October |
Respect and Privacy... |
|
| |
Council or Europe issues guidelines for ISPs and online game providers
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
cyberlaw.org.uk
See also guidelines
online games providers [pdf]
See also guidelines
Internet service providers [pdf]
|
The
Council of Europe today launched, in close cooperation with European
online game designers and publishers and with Internet service
providers, two sets of guidelines which aim to encourage respect and
promote privacy, security and freedom of expression when, for example,
accessing the Internet, using e-mail, participating in chats or blogs,
or playing Internet games.
|
| 22nd October |
Any Remote Chance of Freedom?... |
|
| |
Trojanised Home Sec comes home to infect Parliament
Permalink |
See
article
from
theregister.co.uk
by John Ozimek
|
 |
|
Jack & Jacqui
Jack: Nice one Jacqui, but
weren't you a bit secretive?
Jacqui: No, I had the proposals on my
hard drive for all the world to see |
Is the UK Government about to turn world class hacker? It's going to
have to if the Germans succeed in getting their domestic programme of
planting Trojans onto suspects computers adopted by the EU.
A written statement before parliament last week revealed that our Jacqui
Smith had recently attended the latest meeting of the G6 and United
States Counter-Terrorism Symposium in Bonn.
This latest get-together discussed general aspects of counter-terrorism,
diplomatic assurances, the right to self-defence, and remote searches of
computer hard drives.
A much less cuddly, more matter-of-fact version of what was discussed
was provided by the German Interior Ministry.
The interior ministers note that almost all
partner countries have or intend to have in the near future national
laws allowing access to computer hard drives and other data storage
devices located on their territory. However, the legal framework with
respect to transnational searches of such devices is not
well-developed. The interior ministers will therefore continue to seek
ways to reduce difficulties and speed up the process in future.
...Read full
article
|
| 21st October |
Softcore Liberals... |
|
| |
Nutters and the adult trade lobby for stricter censorship
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
theaustralian.news.com.au
Based on
article
from
theaustralian.news.com.au
|
Nutter
senator Barnaby Joyce has tabled a collection of hardcore pornography to
illustrate how easy it is to pick it up from petrol stations and corner
shops.
Senator Joyce ludicrously said the pornography was encouraging
pedophilia.
These have received classification, it pertains to an insinuation
that these girls are actually underage, he said.
NotSoLiberal Senator Julian McGauran said corner stores and service
stations were abusing the classification system controlled by the
federal government.
McGauran said as he questioned bureaucrats from the Classification
Review Board during senate estimates hearings today: Category one
classification is being abused.
Category one allows a softcore publication to be sold over the counter,
sealed in an opaque wrapper. Category two allows hardcore publications
to be sold in shops with adult only restrictions.
The classification board's acting director Olya Booyar was grilled for
about an hour on what was being done to counteract the publications:
The board doesn't go looking for publications which should be submitted
(for classification).
Enforcement of classifications was a state and territory government
responsibility, the hearing was told.
Meanwhile adult trade lobbyist, the Eros Association, has backed
coalition senators in urging an overhaul of the national classification
regime for pornographic magazines and movies.
Eros chief executive Fiona Patten said the system as it now stood
wasn't working, with inappropriate material sold through convenience
stores and service stations.
Ms Patten said Eros supported Nationals senate leader Barnaby Joyce's
action in raising the issue of magazine classifications during the
Senate estimates hearing yesterday.
It's time for the federal government to overhaul the national
classification scheme for publications, she said in a statement.
Ms Patten said all adult magazines and books were supposed to be
submitted to the federal government for classification, but less than 5%
of such publications sold in Australia had actually undergone
classification. She said classification cost some $500-$700 per
publication and for an importer bringing in just 10 copies of a
specialist magazine, that would require a cover price of $70 to cover
costs: So, clearly, they cannot comply with the law or they will go
broke.
Frequently the same publication was imported by two or three businesses.
But because a publication needed to be classified only once, the first
to do so was actually covering the costs of competitors, Ms Patten said.
It's time the government reformed the classification scheme to create
a more uniform adult category called non-violent erotica that spans
films, publications and computer games that all fall under the same set
of guidelines, she said.
Update:
3 Week Shutdown
22nd October 2008
A three-week shutdown should be forced on businesses that sell
wrongly classified hardcore porn, Nationals Senate leader Barnaby Joyce
says.
|
| 21st October |
Censorial Silence... |
|
| |
Nutters write to presidential candidates about their views on porn
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
xbiz.com
|
The
nutters of Morality in Media have sent a letter to the Democratic and
Republican vice president candidates seeking their stance on the
enforcement of federal obscenity laws.
In his letter to Joe Biden and Sarah Palin, Robert Peters, president of
MIM, pointed out that although many pressing issues face the
nation, pornography negatively affects women and children and should be
prosecuted.
Peters is asking the vice presidential contenders to weigh in on the
issue because Barack Obama and John McCain have been closed-mouth
about obscenity law enforcement.
The American people deserve to know where the presidential candidates
stand on this vital issue, Peters wrote in his letter.
|
| 21st October |
Online Role Playing Games... |
|
| |
Microsoft play 'the censor'
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
redherring.com
|
Microsoft
has been granted a patent to filter and censor undesired words in
real-time. The automatic system would process everything being said
during online games chat and alter the unwanted words so that they are,
according to the patent, either unintelligible or inaudible.
The company, then, is opting to either lower the volume below
audibility, replacing the word with an acceptable word or phrase, or
taking out the word completely.
While TV networks usually delay feeds by a few seconds so that someone
can stand by and bleep out anything they deem offensive,
Microsoft’s proposed technology would make everything work in real-time
– a practical solution when it comes to the many simultaneous
conversations that take place in online multiplayer games.
|
| 21st October |
Aqsa Axed... |
|
| |
Plug pulled on Hamas YouTube look alike
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
blog.wired.com
|
A
few weeks ago, Western intelligence officials discovered that the
Palestinian jihadist group Hamas had set up a video-sharing site. Now,
that radical Islamic answer to YouTube is offline. And jihadists are
blaming the FBI for the takedown.
AqsaTube mimicked the mainstream video site. Users could watch clips,
and upload their own. The Hamas site, however, is devoted entirely to
propaganda and incitement, explained Israel's Intelligence &
Terrorism Information Center, or ITIC.
This is the second time in a little more than a month that an extremist
video distribution network has been taken offline. The al-Ekhlaas
network of sites had long been a primary distributor of videos from al-Sahab,
al-Qaida's propaganda arm. Then, on Sept. 11, al-Ekhlaas.net was
suddenly re-registered. All of its content vanished.
As in the case of the al-Ekhlaas takedown, militant forums blamed
Western intelligence agencies for the unplugging of AqsaTube. But it
appears a little sunlight may have done the trick, instead.
AqsaTube's internet service provider was the French firm OVH. The
company initially denied hosting AqsaTube, according to the BBC,
but later confirmed that the website had been hosted by them and had now
been taken offline
|
| 21st October |
The Evil that Smith Can Do... |
|
| |
Establishment rails at New Labour's Database monstrosity
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
timesonline.co.uk
|
 |
|
Jack & Jacqui
Jack: Good one Jacqui, but
isn't it a little expensive.
Jacqui: Wait until you see my
proposals for Citizen
Data Non Disclosure Charges |
Jacqui Smith, the home secretary, faces a revolt from her senior
officials over plans to build a database monstrosity holding information
on every telephone call, e-mail and internet visit made in the UK.
A significant body of Home Office officials dealing with serious and
organised crime are privately lobbying against the plans, a leaked
memo has revealed.
They believe the proposals are impractical, disproportionate,
politically unattractive and possibly unlawful from a human rights
perspective, the memo says.
Their stance puts them at loggerheads with the spy-masters at GCHQ, the
government’s eavesdropping centre in Cheltenham, who have been driving
through the plans.
The Home Office rebels appear to have forced Smith to stall plans to
announce a bill in the Queen’s speech authorising the database. She has
instead ordered her officials to review the proposals.
This weekend a top law enforcement body further dented the government’s
case for the database. Jack Wraith, of the data communications group of
the Association of Chief Police Officers, described the plans as
mission creep. He said there was an inherent fear of the data
falling into the wrong hands: If someone’s got enough personal data
on you and they don’t afford it the right protection and that data falls
into the wrong hands, then it becomes a threat to you.
Smith is already studying less explosive but equally effective
alternatives. One option involves a system based on sending automated
requests to databases already held by telephone and internet firms.
Update:
DPP Unimpressed
22nd October 2008. See
article
from
independent.co.uk
Sir Ken Macdonald, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), told
ministers not to "break the back of freedom" by creating irreversible
powers that could be misused to spy on individual citizens and so
threaten Britain's hard-won democracy.
|
| 21st October |
Government Internet No Go Gone... |
|
| |
UK government says: Regulate the internet
Permalink |
See
article
from
theregister.co.uk
by John Ozimek
|
Answering
questions from the floor at the Royal Television Society conference in
London last month, Minister for Truth Andy Burnham said: The time has
come for perhaps a different approach to the internet. I want to even up
that see-saw, even up the regulation [imbalance] between the old and the
new."
The idea that the internet was beyond legal reach and a space
where governments can't go was no longer the case.
In his final annual lecture for Ofcom last week Lord Currie expressed a
belief that tighter regulation was coming. He said: Ask most
legislators today and, where they think about it, they will say that
period [of forbearance] is coming to an end.
...Read full
article
|
| 20th October |
Dangerous Pictures... |
|
| |
NSPCC push for pre-installed internet filters
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
news.bbc.co.uk
|
Three
out of four children have seen images on the internet that disturbed
them, an NSPCC poll suggests.
The charity is renewing its call for computer manufacturers and
retailers to install security to stop children finding violent or sexual
content.
The NSPCC, which polled visitors to its children's website There4me.com,
said it was alarmed by the accessibility of potentially
disturbing material.
The NSPCC wants social networking and video hosting sites to remove
offensive material within hours of finding it.
Policy adviser Zoe Hilton said the NSPCC was alarmed by how easy
it was for children to access disturbing internet material.
Children are just a few clicks away from innocently stumbling across
upsetting or even dangerous pictures and films such as adult sex scenes,
violent dog fights, people self-harming and children being assaulted.
Ms Hilton said that every child should be using a computer with child
protection software. High-security parental controls installed in
their computers would help shield them. Currently computer manufacturers
and retailers leave it to parents to find and install software that
filters out material unsuitable for children. This can be a complicated
process for customers.
The charity wants retailers to ensure the software is installed before
selling computers, and also manufacturers to start building such
controls into their products.
She added: Social networking sites must also put more effort and
resources into patrolling their sites for harmful and offensive material
and ensure their public complaints systems are clearly marked,
easy-to-use and child-friendly. We would also recommend they give
information on their sites about sources of help and advice, such as
Childline, for children who have been affected by what they have seen.
|
| 20th October |
MrWhitehallSource vs MrMickeyMouse... |
|
| |
Anonymous government sources whinge at internet anonymity
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
timesonline.co.uk
by Hugo Rifkind
|
So
I was reading about the security services' concern over internet
anonymity, and something was bothering me. There was a line in The
Guardian. 'People have many accounts and sign up as Mickey Mouse and
no one knows who they are', a Whitehall source had said. 'We have to do
something.' And I was perturbed.
Reading it again, though, it hit me. A Whitehall source? Call me a
conspiracy theorist, but I had a sudden hunch. Maybe, I found myself
thinking, a Whitehall source was not this person's real name.
Anonymity is the great democratic boon of the internet age. And yes,
some people will exploit it in order to join social networking groups
called People Who Want To Bathe In the Blood Of The Slaughtered
Infidel, or whatever. Most, though, do not. They just use it in
order to express views that they hold dearly, and perhaps passionately,
without having to fear that those who oppose these views will come and
lurk with a chainsaw in the shrubbery of their front gardens. Or arrest
them. Or associate them forever with some comment which, on reflection,
makes them look like a bit of a berk. You'd think Mr Whitehall Source
would understand that. Even better than most.
|
| 20th October |
Propaganda School... |
|
| |
Turkish military to 'teach' journalists about terrorism reporting
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
turkishdailynews.com.tr
|
A
proposal by the head of the television and radio watchdog to enlist the
military to 'teach' reporters about writing articles on terrorism has
raised fear among journalists who believe this may lead to censorship or
self-censorship
The first striking thing about the proposal is that it covers only
terrorism news, said Ercan Ipekçi, the chairman of the Turkish
Journalists' Union: and secondly, it is run by an institution that
has authority over the public. It is not a vocational training. It will
tell journalists how to censor news on terrorism rather than how to
write it objectively.
Zahid Akman, president of the Supreme Board of Radio and Television, or
RTÜK, proposed several days ago that reporters be given 'education'
seminars on terrorism at the National Security Academy: We are doing
this to prevent coverage that does not help combat terrorism.
|
| 20th October |
Repression Dressed Up... |
|
| |
Indonesia dress code bill to exempt tourist bikinis
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
old.thejakartapost.com
|
 |
|
Indonesian bikini
compromise |
The Indonesian House of Representatives' special committee debating the
controversial 'pornography' bill will allow tourists to wear bikinis at
tourist resorts in a bid to ensure tourism is not negatively affected by
the controversial legislation.
Tourists are allowed to wear bikinis in tourism resorts like Bali and
Parang Tritis beach (in Yogyakarta). The porn bill will treat
recreational and leisure areas differently, lawmaker Husein Abdul
Azis of the Democratic Party said.
There have been fears among domestic tourism operators that the bill
would deter tourists from visiting because it would recquire them to
wear appropriate covering.
Head of the House's special committee deliberating the morality bill,
Balkan Kaplale, said his team had made some changes to contentious
articles in the bill, finalizing the terms before lawmakers begin their
recess period starting on Oct. 30.
I can say there have been drastic changes in the bill, said
Balkan of the Golkar Party. The changes act as a compromise to the
growing opposition movements to the bill.
Lawmakers are still discussing the much criticized definition of
pornography which includes anything in life even remotely sexy. Article
1 of the bill defines pornography as any man-made work that includes
sexual material in the form of drawings, sketches, illustrations,
photographs, text, sound, moving pictures, animation, cartoons, poetry,
conversations or any other form of communicative message.
|
| 20th October |
Leaving Fear Behind...Not... |
|
| |
Filmakers detained over interviews with Tibetan residents
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
cpj.org
|
The
Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the detention in western China
of a filmmaker and his assistant, who have been held for nearly seven
months after taping interviews with Tibetan residents about their lives
under Chinese government rule. Police in the western province of Qinghai
arrested filmmaker Dhondup Wangchen and assistant Jigme Gyatso, a
Buddhist monk, in March, their production company, Filming for Tibet,
recently disclosed.
The arrests came shortly after they sent footage filmed in Tibet to the
production company, which is headed by a relative of Wangchen in
Switzerland. A 25-minute film titled Jigdrel, or Leaving Fear
Behind, was produced from the footage and is available online. The
film was intended to shed light on the lives of Tibetans in China in the
run-up to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
|
| 20th October |
Supreme Nonsense... |
|
| |
Indian Supreme Court petitioned to censor TV
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
itexaminer.com
|
The
Supreme Court of India is displeased with the quality of television
programmes shown these days, and after hearing a Public Interest
Litigation by an NGO, is considering regulating TV programmes to curb
obscenity.
The NGO raised the question, Can there be a day in 365 days a family
can sit together and watch TV without an assault on basic values?.
On receiving the petition, the court immediately issued a notice, in
response to which TV channels have formed a separate body, headed by
former Chief Justice of India JS Varma, for self regulation. State
government is now being consulted on the proposed bill to regulate TV
channels.
The petition so far has received mixed reactions from Judges on the
bench. Justice Aftab Alam said, It is a delicate issue. I cannot be
deciding what people want to see and appoint myself a guardian.
Justice GS Singhvi’s reaction seemed to be in favour of regulation. He
referred to two unforgettable incidents shown on TV: a person in Patiala
immolating himself , and a man in Hyderabad who threw himself from the
fifth floor of a building.
The judges have three weeks to consider the case, but it is hard to see
how strict rules can be applied. Indian epics such as the Mahabharata
contain a considerable amount of bloodshed and violence. Will such shows
disappear from television?
|
| 20th October |
An End to the Libel Tourist Trap... |
|
| |
Proposed US law to end the use of UK libel courts by Americans
Permalink |
See
article
from
guardian.co.uk
|
The
A US bill should put a stop to 'libel tourists' - the rich and famous
from abroad who use UK defamation laws to their advantage. Only a
handful oppose it
In a spare half-hour while discussing bailing out American capitalism,
the US House of Representatives recently voted through an extraordinary
bill with far-reaching implications for Britain's courts. Yet it has
received no publicity here and few of Britain's lawyers even know of its
existence.
By amending the legal code three weeks ago in order to prohibit the
recognition and enforcement of foreign defamation judgments in the US,
politicians sealed off America's newspaper and book publishers from
libel tourism - the use of British libel laws by non-nationals to sue
foreign-owned publications such as books, newspapers and magazines that
are distributed in Britain, even if only a few copies are involved.
Britain's libel laws are widely considered to be among the most severe
on publishers - and have been used by people from around the world, and
increasingly by Hollywood celebrities, because American defamation laws
give publications much greater licence.
Steve Cohen, the congressman who drew up the new US legislation,
believes it will prevent the exploitation of defamation laws in Britain
and other countries that lack the broad protections guaranteed by the US
first amendment.
...Read full
article
|
| 19th October |
Cooking Funts... |
|
| |
Whingers rant at Jamie Oliver's Ministry of Food
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
dailymail.co.uk
|
Jamie
Oliver has received complaints from television viewers 'offended' by his
repeated use of strong language in his latest programme.
The chef’s
website has received messages accusing him of using gratuitous
obscenities throughout Jamie’s Ministry Of Food.
Some suggest he is trying to usurp Gordon Ramsay as TV’s most colourful
chef.
Last week’s episode of Oliver’s Channel 4 programme, which follows his
attempts to encourage the people of Rotherham in South Yorkshire to cook
healthy food, was peppered with swearing. In one five-minute segment he
used the word ‘fucking’ six times.
Last night, the usual nutters questioned why Channel 4 did not cut some
of the obscenities out of the final edit of the show, which is broadcast
at 9pm.
John Beyer of Mediawatch UK said: The issue of bad language is
something people are very sensitive to. Research suggests that the
majority of people find the repeated use of obscenities extremely
offensive.
For Channel 4 - a public broadcaster - to continue to broadcast a
programme in which Oliver continually uses obscene language in the face
of so much offence being caused to the public is extraordinary.
Dominique Walker, Channel 4 commissioning editor, said: The language
does need to be seen in the context that the series is a post-watershed
observational documentary and features Jamie at his most passionate.
A spokesman for Ofcom said: Our guidelines state that the most
offensive language must not be broadcast before the watershed when
children are likely to be watching. This programme is after the
watershed.’
|
| 19th October |
Growing Up... |
|
| |
Indian film censor asks for more rating options
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
|
The
Censor Board of Film Certification of India has written to the
information and broadcasting ministry, asking it to introduce a greater
number of categories for film certification.
Films in India are now certified:
- A (can be viewed by adults above 18)
- U (can be viewed by everyone)
- U/A (children can watch these films if they are accompanied by
adults).
The CBFC wants two more categories introduced for films that can be
watched by those between 13 and 15 years of age and those between 15 and
18 years. CBFC regional officer Vinayak Azad said: We have written to
the ministry to create more categories like in the West.'
The CBFC decision follows film director Madhur Bhandarkar's outburst
after his film, Fashion, got an A certificate. I will lose at
least 25% of my audience because of the A certificate,' he says.
|
| 19th October |
Downwardly Mobile... |
|
| |
The government will register all UK pay as you go phones
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com
See also
UK.gov plans 'consensus' on PAYG phone registry
from
theregister.co.uk
by John Ozimek
|
 |
|
Jack & Jacqui
Jack: We'll need an army to sift
through this überdatabase
Jacqui: Funny you should say that,
take a look outside! |
Anyone buying a new mobile phone will have to show a passport as proof
of identity and be registered on a national database, it was claimed
last night.
But civil rights organisations warned the move represented another
serious step on the way to creating a surveillance society in the UK.
It is understood any such move would apply to Scotland because it would
come under the terms of the Data Protection Act, which is reserved by
Westminster. It would also have to apply to the whole of the UK if it
was to be effective in tackling terrorism.
According to a newspaper report last night, the office of Richard
Thomas, the information commissioner, said it anticipated that a
compulsory mobile phone register would be unveiled as part of a law
which ministers would announce next year.
A spokeswoman was quoted as saying: With regards to the database,
that would contain details of all mobile users, including pay-as-you-go.
We would expect that this information would be included in the database
proposed in the draft Communications Data Bill.
The creation of the register would affect the owners of all 72 million
mobile phones in the UK. But it is the owners of the country's 40
million prepaid mobiles who are the real target.
The move aims to close a 'loophole' in plans being drawn up by GCHQ, the
government's eavesdropping centre in Cheltenham, to create a huge
database to monitor and store the internet browsing habits, e-mail and
telephone records of everyone in Britain.
The 'Big Brother' database would have limited value to police and MI5 if
it did not store details of the ownership of more than half the mobile
phones in the country.
Simon Davies, of Privacy International, was quoted as saying he
understood that several mobile phone firms had discussed the proposed
database in talks with government officials.
The article claimed that contingency planning for such a move is already
thought to be under way at Vodafone, where 72% of its 18.5 million UK
customers use pay-as-you-go.
|
| 19th October |
Any Remote Chance of Privacy?... |
|
| |
EU G6 plus USA ministers discussing "remote searches of computer hard drives"
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
p10.hostingprod.com
|
 |
|
Yes Gordon, of course
people will
believe this is all about terrorism.
Make the lie big,
make it simple,
keep saying it,
and eventually they will believe it |
This supposedly "informal" G6 group usually seem to manage to "policy
launder" their decisions via the wider, full membership of the European
Union, and then they can pretend that their latest Orwellian control
fantasy which they are inflicting on our freedoms and liberties, has
somehow been imposed on them by the EU, and is necessary to meet
"international commitments", even though they themselves instigated
the original policy.
From Hansard:
Written Ministerial Statements Wednesday, 15
October 2008
Home Department G6 and United States Counter-Terrorism Symposium
Jacqui Smith (Home Secretary; Redditch, Labour)
The informal G6 group of Interior Ministers from France, Germany,
Spain, Italy, Poland and the United Kingdom met in Bonn, Germany on 26
and 27 September 2008, along with the United States State Secretary of
the Department of Homeland Security. This was the third G6 plus US
counter-terrorism symposium meeting. I attended on behalf of the
United Kingdom.
The symposium was divided into four substantive discussion sessions:
[...]
remote searches of computer hard drives;
[...]
Is this a further development of what the German government has been
attempting recently ?
Presumably this involves intrusive access to remote computers, by means
of some sort of spyware, computer virus, trojan horse backdoor etc., or
by on the fly deep packet inspection and sniffing of passwords or other
security credentials,
|
| 19th October |
Snapshot of Repression... |
|
| |
Beijing to demand photos of internet cafe users
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
technology.timesonline.co.uk
|
All
visitors to internet cafés in Beijing are to be required to have their
photographs taken in a stringent new control on the public use of
cyberspace.
According to the latest rules, by mid-December all internet cafés in the
main 14 city districts must install cameras to record the identities of
their web surfers, who must by law be 18 or over.
It has been several years since internet cafés were required to register
users to ensure that customers were not under-age. All photographs and
scanned identity cards will be entered into a city-wide database run by
the Cultural Law Enforcement Taskforce. The details will be available in
any internet café.
The Times searched for online comments on the rules but was unable to
find any — often a sign that most commentary has been critical and has
therefore been erased. However, a survey by the internet version of the
People's Daily showed that 72% of respondents were opposed to the
measure, calling it an infringement of their rights. Just over 26%
supported the photographing because it would benefit children.
|
| 19th October |
A Database of Propaganda... |
|
| |
Das überdatabase: Inside Wacky Jacqui's motherbrain
Permalink |
See
article
from
theregister.co.uk
by Chris Williams
|
 |
|
Good morning Mr Smith,
citizen 14Z3J373/d.
Your children were monitored
visiting musicSharing.com.
Please surrender your children to the
NewLabour Re-allocation &
Re-education Facility.
Rejoice that your family is
protected from terrorist threat! |
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith isn't known for the clarity of her
pronouncements on technology. And as she confirmed the government's plan
to proceed with the Interception Modernisation Programme (IMP), she
limited herself to the spin of building a universal communications
surveillance apparatus.
The details of the accompanying Communications Data Bill will be opened
to consultation in the new year, she said, with the aim of achieving
consensus with "interested parties". Smith was keen to emphasise the
content of every phone, internet and mobile communication will not be
harvested, but the details of who contacts whom, when and where. That
distinction is likely be the cornerstone of attempts to sell IMP to MPs
and a public wearied by the erosion of civil liberties and major
government data losses.
The follow-up propaganda push has already begun. In The Times an unnamed
source, clearly with a strong desire to see IMP built, spoonfed a
dubious and old story about the threat posed by Skype and other VoIP
applications to counter-terror operations. The hungry Thunderer hacks
swallowed the security services' line that internet phone calls are
crippling fight against terrorism. No quotation marks in that
headline, no opposing view in the story: it's being crippled people -
fact.
...Read full
article
|
| 19th October |
In Prison for Dancing... |
|
| |
Artists battle censorship in Islamist-ruled Nigerian state
Permalink |
See
article
from
dailystar.com.lb
|
Last
year, the Kano State Censorship Board, under the leadership of its new
director general, Abubakar Rabo Abdulkarim, had issued new, strict
guidelines to both filmmakers and writers in the state.
Article 97 of the censorship regulations states that Any person who
... publicly exhibits any indecent stage show or performance, play or
any show or performance tending to corrupt public morals, is guilty of
an offense and is liable to imprisonment for three months or to a fine
or to both.
The imprisonment clause has been put into effect many times since.
A standoff between writers and the censorship board is escalating. A
letter directed to the five writers' organizations in Kano dated August
12 confirmed a request first made on June 5 for each writer in the state
to register individually with the board before they can publish or
distribute writing. The requirements included submission of a
comprehensive list of association memberships, biographical data and
past publications of every member, and individual subject files to be
created for each author.
In response, the writers' associations, under the leadership of Ado
Ahmad Gidan Dabino, chairman of the Kano Association of Nigerian
Authors, went "on strike" for three weeks. The strike ended on August
16, with the writer's associations promising, in a general communique,
that by next week new titles would flood the market.
In an email update to the Association of Nigerian Authors, Yusuf Adamu
called on members to demand Rabo's sacking. Write in the papers
please, people write.
After an August 25 meeting with both state and national leaders of the
ANA, the censorship board agreed to require registration of writers'
associations rather than individuals.
...Read full
article
|
| 18th October |
Little Minds... |
|
| |
LittleBIGPlanet game delayed due to Qur'anic expressions
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
joystiq.com
|
Sony
has confirmed a worldwide delay to their new children's game
LiitleBIGPlanet.
The game has been delayed one week in the US. It will
now released during the week of October 27.
Sony said: During the review process prior to the
release of LittleBigPlanet, it has been brought to our attention that
one of the background music tracks licensed from a record label for use
in the game contains two expressions that can be found in the Qur'an. We
have taken immediate action to rectify this and we sincerely apologise
for any offence that this may have caused.
We will confirm the new launch date shortly.
Update:
UK Release
21st October
The release date of LittleBigPlanet has now been
rescheduled for 5th November 2008
|
| 18th October |
Consenting to Change... |
|
| |
Foreign press interviews will continue to not need Chinese government consent
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
news.bbc.co.uk
|
China
has extended some of the rules that gave foreign reporters greater
freedom during the Beijing Olympics.
State news agency Xinhua said the temporary arrangement for the games,
due to expire on Friday, would become standard practice.
It means journalists can continue to conduct interviews without applying
to the authorities for permission.
Correspondents say the move to extend the rules has been eagerly awaited
and is a sign of China's commitment to allow foreign journalists more
freedom to report on a permanent basis.
But it is not clear whether other measures will remain in place, such as
those which allowed journalists to travel freely around the country
without the supervision of a foreign ministry official.
They were introduced in January last year and covered foreign
journalists who wanted to report on Olympic-related issues.
|
| 18th October |
A Collage of Protests... |
|
| |
International protests against the surveillance society
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
advocacy.globalvoicesonline.org
|
Mass
surveillance is threatening the fabric of a democratic and open society
and a healthy Internet. Mass surveillance is also endangering the work
and commitment of civil society organizations - on and offline. That is
why many conscious people got together on the 11th October to
commemorate Freedom not Fear Day, with a variety of peaceful protests:
In Berlin the greatest protest march against surveillance in Germany’s
history took place: Participants in the 2 km long, peaceful protest
march carried signs reading
- You are Germany, you are a suspect
- No Stasi 2.0 - Constitution applicable here
- Fear of Freedom?
- Glass citizens, brittle democracy.
Apart from related music tracks, loud chants of Belittle it today, be
under surveillance tomorrow or We are here and we are loud
because they are stealing our data could be heard. During the
protests, which were supported by more than 100 civil liberties groups,
professional associations, unions, political parties and other
organisations, artists played parodies on surveillance society.
It all started with the opposition to a Data Retention directive in EU.
Now it has evolved and become global, as expressed by the Electronic
Frontier Foundation (EFF):
Freedom Not Fear has evolved into a more general warning: showing how
fundamental freedoms like privacy, freedom of expression, and democratic
participation lose when reactionary surveillance systems penetrate our
open networks, justified by a hyperbolic rhetoric of fear.
Events took place in more than a dozen countries around the World, and
hopefully in the years to come more voices will join to act against such
abuses from Governments and companies.
From
a big picture unveiled by Open Rights Group in London, to a meeting of
up to 100,000 people in Berlin, activities in Argentina, articles in
Chile, an informative talk in Guatemala, and a rally followed by a
Statement for October 11, 2008 in U.S., many people joined efforts to
express their opposition to the increasing surveillance and controls by
governments and also against data retention.
The most important messages were to affirm international human rights,
including freedom of expression and privacy protection, repeal legal
authorities that permit warrantless surveillance, unconstitutional
monitoring and tracking of individuals, and a call to end the culture of
secrecy that allows government officials to hide mismanagement, fraud,
and incompetence behind the veil of homeland security, i.e. a
call to transparency.
|
| 18th October |
Offensive Policing... |
|
| |
Police make up their own blasphemy law
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
new.edp24.co.uk
|
An
offensive photograph of Madonna in a window of a Norwich gallery
has prompted a formal request for its removal following further
complaints to the police.
The image of the singer posing on a crucifix and wearing a crown of
thorns has adorned the St Giles Street Gallery for more than a week as
part of a retrospective of celebrity photography.
The gallery owner David Koppel moved the picture into the window on
Saturday and less than 24 hours later had received a telephone call from
an officer following up a single complaint that it had caused offence.
He refused a request to remove it from public view and was then visited
by two officers. I'm obviously such a threat to society that they
thought it necessary to send two police officers, said Mr Koppel:
They formally asked me to take the picture down or turn it round, which
is rather pointless, and I have refused. I've no doubt they will be
back. They said they had had complaints, plural, but I find that
absolutely unbelievable.
|
| 18th October |
Pandering to the Easily Offended... |
|
| |
Harrow Council gets all stuffy over nude paintings
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
harrowobserver.co.uk
|
Three
nude paintings have been moved out of general public view at Harrow Arts
Centre to avoid offending nutters.
The trio of pictures by Jonathan Hutchings was due to go up alongside
less controversial works in the corridors of Elliot Hall as part of
Harrow Arts Society's annual exhibition that began on Monday.
But Harrow Council stepped in on the day the artists hung their pieces
to demand the three are shown separately in a side room, the board room,
which is still accessible on request.
Harrow College employee Hutchings' paintings each measure 30in by 24in
and are figurative illustrations made during a weekly life drawing class
he has attended at the arts centre in Uxbridge Road, Harrow Weald, for
the past eight years.
Margaret Mountstephens, exhibition co-ordinator for Harrow Arts Society,
said: I'm disappointed and I wanted to have a nice exhibition. The
council are being stricter than they have been. Two or three years ago
the life class paintings went on show and they OK'd it. I think the
paintings may be 'questionable' but it depends on who's calling it
offensive.
The Observer understands the council was concerned about the sensitivity
of displaying the pictures in a corridor that was generally accessible
to the public.
Harrow Arts Centre is not a dedicated gallery space and is run as much
more of a community centre nowadays with multicultural family activities
taking place together with one-off events like weddings.
|
| 18th October |
Wrong Robes... |
|
| |
Large fines over satirical magazine article about an Egyptian cleric
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
cpj.org
|
The
Committee to Protect Journalists condemns an Egyptian court’s decision
to levy steep fines against an editor and reporter for an independent
weekly that published a satirical piece about a prominent cleric.
A criminal court ordered El-Fegr editor Adel Hammouda and writer Mohamed
al-Baz to pay fines of 80,000 Egyptian pounds ($14,341) apiece on
charges that they had defamed Sheikh Mohammed Sayyed al-Tantawi.
The court also ordered al-Baz to pay 5,000 Egyptian pounds ($897)
directly to al-Tantawi. Al-Tantawi is the sheikh of Cairo’s Al-Azhar
University, one of the most prominent educational institutions in the
Arab world.
Defense lawyer Nashaat Agha described the size of the fine as
unprecedented in press cases. This is a negative message to
newspapers, Agha said, noting that he would appeal.
This verdict sends a chilling message to Egyptian journalists that
criticism of religious institutions is off-limits, said CPJ Deputy
Director Robert Mahoney. Satirical journalism is a vital component of
a healthy democracy. We urge the courts to overturn this conviction on
appeal.
The case dates to March 2007 when the newspaper published a satirical
piece claiming the sheikh was planning to visit the Vatican. The piece
was accompanied by a picture depicting al-Tantawi in papal garb,
according to news reports.
|
| 17th October |
Chain Gang... |
|
| |
Ben Westwood and CAAN protest against the Dangerous Pictures Act
Permalink |
From
CAAN
Consenting Adults Action Network
|
You
are invited to join the demonstration:
Chain Gang
Tuesday 21st October 12:40pm
Westminster Tube Station, London
Campaigners fed up with the Government’s increasingly puritanical
attitudes toward sex, will be out in force next week, as fashion
photographer, Ben Westwood, takes a chain of slaves for a walk in
central London.
The “chain gang” will include models and activists from the Consenting
Adult Action Network (CAAN) and all, apart from Ben, will be bound and
gagged in a visual protest against recent government legislation
restricting adults’ sexual choices.
Ben Westwood believes the time for action is long overdue. He said:
Government gets away with murder when it comes to “legislating about our
sexual behaviour, because we are a strait-laced nation and far too many
of us are embarrassed talking about sex.
A spokesperson for CAAN added: Our campaign is not just about
individual sexuality: it is also about people’s livelihoods. Over the
last ten years, government has been intruding ever more actively into
what adults may or may not do with other consenting adults in the
privacy of their own bedrooms.
Recent legislation on extreme porn is just one instance of that. Far
more serious are new laws that mean half the workforce could be fired
simply for having sexual tastes that are unacceptable to the prudes in
power.
We say: enough is enough. The fact that Harriet Harman finds
something uncomfortable or “icky” is no reason for clamping down on
personal freedom.
|
| 17th October |
Who Are CAAN?... |
|
| |
And why are they fighting the government's interference in our sex lives
Permalink |
From
CAAN
Consenting Adults Action Network
|
Who
we are - Why we're fighting
Consenting Adult Action Network (CAAN) is a loose-knit network of groups
and individuals who believe in the right of adults to express themselves
sexually with other adults, without interference from government.
We run campaigns on issues as they arise. Not every supporter of CAAN
agrees with every campaign we run. We ask only that supporters sign up
to a simple statement of principle:
We believe in the right of consenting
adults to make their own sexual choices, in respect of what they do,
see and enjoy alone or with other consenting adults, unhindered and
unfettered by government.
We believe that it is not the business of government to intrude into
the sex lives of consenting adults.
We are aware that no matter how we draft such a statement, there will
be dissent: for example, we believe there is debate to be had on the
issue of "harm"; but equally, a society that tolerates two grown men
beating each other up in the confines of a boxing ring is not well
placed to lecture adults on a shared interest in sado-masochistic sex.
Outwardly, the UK is more open, more sexually liberated than ever
before. Behind the headlines lies another story: ten years of government
progressively clamping down and criminalising behaviour that harms
no-one, but offends the sensibilities of Ministers who are still
uncomfortable talking about real sexual activity.
Our aim is to create a counterbalance to the current moral majority
in government.
The Issues
Over the past ten years, Government has been passing more and more laws.
One consistent theme to this non-stop stream of law-making has been an
obsession with tightening up rules that are intended to micro-manage our
sexual activity.
These include:
- criminalising the possession of images depicting perfectly legal
sexual activity
- putting in place a Committee of Public Safety whose job it
will be to vet nearly half the workforce - and remove them from their
jobs if they possess any porn that is sexual and violent in nature
- proposing to make it a criminal offence for an adult
to pay for sex
- clamping down on lap-dancing and other erotic displays
Each of these proposals, in isolation, represents a serious erosion
of personal liberty for no better reason than the government are
uncomfortable with the activity involved. Taken together, and in
combination with a great deal more government tinkering in this area,
they begin to look like a serious attempt to return the UK to a
Golden Era of sex-free purity.
Key Campaigns
CAAN is currently most active on two of these issues - although in fact
they are closely related.
- we are asking the government not to commence the extreme
porn law, passed in the Criminal Justice Act 2008.
- we are asking the government to think again about its witch-hunt
that began with provisions in the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act
2006 allowing it to sack approximately half the workforce for
possessing sado-masochistic material of any kind.
The first of these pieces of legislation criminalises individuals for
possessing material that is produced for the purposes of sexual arousal,
depicts realistic violence, and is grossly offensive. The legislation
itself has already been exposed by many commentators as ludicrous:
- it is believed to breach the Government's own Human Rights' Laws
- it will criminalise individuals for owning pictures depicting
wholly legal and consensual activity
- it is inconsistent, with some of the most (theoretically) harmful
material allowed - and up to three years in jail for less harmful
material
- it actually encourages behaviour that is far more dangerous and,
if the government's own publicity is to be believed, more likely to
lead to sexual violence.
- In terms of its effects on the growing BDSM (Bondage & Discipline,
Dominance & Submission, Sadism and Masochism) communities in the UK it
is likely to be equally disastrous
- it is already souring relationships with the police, and therefore
is likely to make future policing of the scene far more
difficult
- it is having a chilling effect on individuals prepared to
write about safe practices, thereby increasing future risk
- it is law that will encourage blackmail
- it is replacing material produced by individuals with experience
and a genuine dedication toward their activity with commercial
material produced by companies that have provided significant
financial supporters to New Labour in the past
- worst of all, there is evidence already that the Government attack
on this lifestyle is impacting upon safety and leading to greater risk
for vulnerable people involved (case studies available on request).
The second piece of legislation is having an even more disastrous
effect on individuals whose sexuality does not fall within the norms
prescribed by government. At the very last minute, in 2006, government
amended the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act to give it the power to
exclude from a wide range of jobs anyone with a serious interest in sado-masochistic
material.
The effects of this legislation are already being felt, as
individuals wishing to pursue a career in areas as diverse as plumbing,
teaching and admin find themselves quizzed at interview about their
sexual interests. The clear implication is that anyone with bdsm
interests is no longer welcome as part of the workforce or as a
volunteer.
If you would like further details about CAAN, our statement of
principles or our campaigns, please go to:
www.caan.org.uk, you can also email us at
info@caan.org.uk
|
| 17th October |
Hoon, Enemy of Freedom... |
|
| |
Hoon prepared to go quite a long way to undermine liberty
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
telegraph.co.uk
|
 |
|
Good morning Mr Chips,
citizen 14Z3J373/d.
You were monitored visiting spanking.com.
This is deemed 'inappropriate' for the
teaching profession.
Your teaching licence is permanently
revoked forthwith.
Rejoice that your economic prosperity
is safe from terrorist attack. |
Plans to create a database monstrosity of mobile phone and internet
records were defended last night by the Transport Secretary, Geoff Hoon,
who said critics of the scheme were giving a licence to terrorists to
kill.
Speaking on the BBC's Question Time programme, Hoon admitted he
was prepared to go quite a long way in undermining civil
liberties to stop people being killed, and added the biggest civil
liberty of all is not to be killed by a terrorist.
Hoon insisted the Government aimed to extend powers that already exist
for ordinary telephone calls to cover data and information relayed over
the internet: If [terrorists] are going to use the internet to
communicate with each other and we don't have the power to deal with
that, then you are giving a licence to terrorists to kill people.
|
| 17th October |
Porno Sensitive... |
|
| |
Censorship advertises Zack and Miri Make a Porno
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
contactmusic.com
|
Kevin
Smith's comedy, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, may have been granted
an R-rating by the MPAA, but the marketing department of the Weinstein
Co., which is distributing the film, says that 15 newspapers and several
TV and cable outlets are refused to carry commercials for the film.
Josh Rawitch, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Dodgers, told the
Associated Press that commercials for the film were removed from Fox
Sports channel during Dodgers games after viewers complained.
The city of Philadelphia refused to permit posters for the movie on its
bus stops, despite the fact that they now use stick figures to represent
the actors. (The city's deputy mayor told AP that the ads were
unacceptable because of the word "porno.")
The studio has now developed a poster that reads, Seth Rogen and
Elizabeth Banks made a movie so outrageous that we can't even tell you
the title.
|
| 17th October |
Nonsense Censorship... |
|
| |
Turkey blocks major newspaper website after complaints from creationist nutter
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
guardian.co.uk
|
The
website of Turkey's third largest-selling newspaper has been blocked
after a complaint by an Islamic creationist.
Turkish internet users are now denied access to the Vatan newspaper's
website,
gazetevatan.com, after a court decided it had insulted Adnan Oktar,
a prolific nutter writer who disputes the theory of evolution. It is
believed to be the first major newspaper site to be blocked. About 850
sites are already blocked.
Oktar, who last month successfully had the website of the British
evolutionist Richard Dawkins blocked in Turkey, complained that he had
been defamed in readers' comments to stories on the online edition of
Vatan, a liberal publication.
His spokeswoman, Seda Aral, claimed the comments included obscenities
and said the newspaper had ignored requests to remove them. We are
trying to protect ourselves, she said: Vatan is always
propagating against Mr Oktar and constantly publishes allegations about
him. When people read these they are provoked into using these insults
against him.
Critics say Turkey's penal code makes it too easy to obtain blocking
orders, although in practice prohibitions are often easily overcome
through proxy servers.
|
| 17th October |
Do You Want to Live Forever?... |
|
| |
Yes, BBC make less islam jokes than other religions
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
telegraph.co.uk
|
BBC
boss Mark Thompson nonsensically claimed that because Muslims are a
religious minority in Britain and also often from ethnic minorities,
their faith should be given different coverage to that of more
established groups.
His comments come after the comedian Ben Elton accused the BBC of being
scared of making jokes about Islam, while Hindus have claimed it favours
Muslims over other religions.
But Thompson, speaking at the annual public theology lecture of the
religion think-tank Theos, insisted the state broadcaster would show
programmes that criticised Islam if they were of sufficient quality.
The director general, whose corporation faced accusations of blasphemy
from Christians after it allowed the transmission of the musical
Jerry Springer -The Opera, also said his Christian beliefs guided
his judgments and disclosed that he had never watched the Monty Python
film Life of Brian which satirises the story of Jesus.
In his speech last night, Thompson claimed there are now more programmes
about religion on BBC television and radio than there have been in
recent decades, whereas coverage has declined on ITV.
But asked whether it was correct that the BBC let vicar gags pass but
not imam gags, as Elton claimed, he admitted it did take a different
approach to Islam, which has 1.6million followers in Britain, compared
to its approach to the Church of England or the Roman Catholic Church.
Thompson said: My view is that there is a difference between the
position of Christianity, which I believe should be central to the BBC's
religion coverage and widely respected and followed. What Christian
identity feels like it is about to the broad population is a little bit
different to people for whom their religion is also associated with an
ethnic identity which has not been fully integrated. There's no reason
why any religion should be immune from discussion, but I don't want to
say that all religions are the same. To be a minority I think puts a
slightly different outlook on it.
Earlier this year Thompson had warned of a growing nervousness about
discussion about Islam and said no debate about religion should be
censored.
Thompson said the broadcast of Jerry Springer - The Opera, which
features Jesus as a talk show guest who admits to being a bit gay,
had been the most controversial programme he had dealt with during his
time at the corporation.
No political issue has so far come near Jerry Springer in terms of
anger and emotion. It wasn't politics that put a security guard outside
my house, it was a debate about how the BBC handles religion.
However despite the storm over the programme, Thompson, a practising
Catholic, said his beliefs do play a part in the editorial judgments he
makes and disclosed that he dislikes watching shows about the Bible.
He also dismissed the idea that television is a wellspring or
accelerant of immorality in society, and also that the BBC gives too
much weight to the secular ideals of science or employs moral
relativism when covering contentious issues such as medical ethics.
Thompson defended programmes that have been accused of promoting
selfishness or nastiness, such as The Apprentice and The
Weakest Link, claiming that viewers know they are only entertainment
and do not ape the behaviour shown on them.
Comment:
Not a Fully Integrated Theory
17th October 2008. Thanks to Alan
Mark Thompson justifies greater sensitivity to Muslim sensibilities on
the ground that:
What Christian identity feels like it is about to the broad population
is a little bit different to people for whom their religion is also
associated with an ethnic identity which has not been fully integrated.
There's an element of truth in this, but the same has historically been
true of Polish and Irish Roman Catholics in the UK. I suspect that the
decline in Mass attendance can in part be ascribed to
sociological/demographic change as people are now less likely to see
being a practising Roman Catholic as part of their identity as a Pole or
Irishman/woman.
|
| 17th October |
Corrupt Justice... |
|
| |
Vietnam locks up reporters for revealing corruption
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
cpj.org
|
Nguyen
Viet Chien, a reporter for the Vietnamese daily newspaper Thanh Nien who
broke major stories on high-level government corruption in 2006, was
sentenced today to two years in prison after being found guilty of
abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the state,
according to news reports.
Nguyen Van Hai, a reporter with the daily Tuoi Tre, pleaded guilty to
the same charge and received a non-custodial, two-year re-education
sentence. The Hanoi People’s Court also convicted two police officers
who had provided information to the press related to the graft scandal.
Lt. Col. Dinh Van Huynh was given a one-year sentence for
deliberately revealing state secrets. Pham Xuan Quac, a now retired
general who headed the government’s corruption inquiry, was given an
official reprimand.
The sentences handed down today to journalists Nguyen Viet Chien and
Nguyen Van Hai are shameful, said Bob Dietz, CPJ’s Asia program
coordinator: By uncovering a major government corruption scandal,
these journalists have performed a public service. The court’s decision
is unfair and vindictive.
|
| 17th October |
Denial of Rights... |
|
| |
The freedom of historical debate is under attack by the memory police
Permalink |
See
article
from
guardian.co.uk
by Timothy Garton Ash
|
Among
the ways in which freedom is being chipped away in Europe, one of the
less obvious is the legislation of memory. More and more countries have
laws saying you must remember and describe this or that historical event
in a certain way, sometimes on pain of criminal prosecution if you give
the wrong answer.
What the wrong answer is depends on where you are. In Switzerland, you
get prosecuted for saying that the terrible thing that happened to the
Armenians in the last years of the Ottoman empire was not a genocide. In
Turkey, you get prosecuted for saying it was.
What is state-ordained truth in the Alps is state-ordained falsehood
in Anatolia.
...Read full
article
|
| 16th October |
New Labour Database Monstrosity... |
|
| |
The innocent have nothing to fear...unless they share music, pay for sex, enjoy swinging, porn or fundamental religion
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
telegraph.co.uk
|
Jacqui
Smith plans broad new Big Brother surveillance powers. Telephone
calls, internet use and email will be monitored by the police as part of
a broad extension of the ability of the state to snoop on citizens.
Ministers were already planning a massive Big Brother database to
log data contained in emails and phone calls but have decided to go even
further in view of the current threat level.
The original proposal, which was this week criticised by Lord Carlisle,
the independent reviewer of anti-terror laws, had been due to be put
before MPs in the Communications Data Bill next month.
However, in a speech, Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, announced that
she was delaying the Bill in order to expand the extent of surveillance
powers open to the security services, while consulting further on the
best way to win public support for the plan.
In the speech to the IPPR think tank, Smith said communications data was
not at present being routinely stored, and needed to be if terrorists
and serious criminals were to be prevented from striking. The plan would
not include recording the contents of people's messages and appropriate
safeguards would be put in place, but Smith said it was "vital" to
maintain Britain's capacity to combat terrorism.
She added: There are no plans for an enormous database which will
contain the content of your emails, the texts that you send or the chats
you have on the phone or online. Nor are we going to give local
authorities the power to trawl through the database in the interests of
investigating lower level criminality under the spurious cover of
counter-terrorist legislation.
Snooping extension to gaming and social
networking sites
Based on
article
from
guardian.co.uk
The
government is drawing up plans to give the police and security and
intelligence agencies new powers to access personal data held by
internet services, including social network sites such as Facebook and
Bebo and gaming networks.
At present, security and intelligence agencies can demand to see
telephone and email traffic from traditional communications services
providers (CSPs), which store the personal data for business purposes
such as billing.
The rapid expansion of new CSPs - such as gaming, social networking,
auction and video sites - and technologies such as wireless internet and
broadband present a serious problem for the police, MI5, customs and
other government agencies, the security sources say.
Sites such as Bebo and Facebook provide their services free, relying
mainly on advertising for income. They do not hold records of their
customers, many of whom in any case use pseudonyms.
Criminals could use a chat facility - they are not actually playing
the game but we can't actually get hold of the data, said one
official.
Criminal terrorists are exploiting free social networking sites,
said another Whitehall security official, who added that the problem was
compounded by the increasing use of data rather than voice in
communications: People have many accounts and sign up as Mickey Mouse
and no one knows who they are. We have to do something. We need to
collect data CSPs do not hold.
Whitehall officials say that with the help of GCHQ - the electronic
eavesdropping centre with a huge information storage capacity - the
government is looking at different options that will be put out for
consultation. They declined today to spell out the options but said that
whatever is decided will need new legislation.
Despite this reticence, it is clear that the government wants to be able
to demand that the new generation of CSPs collect data from their
customers so the security services can access them The response from the
networks is likely to be hostile, not least because of the potential
costs involved.
If the government, as expected, offers to pay for any new data access
scheme, it is likely to cost taxpayers billions of pounds.
The plan will need international cooperation since many of the new CSPs
are based abroad, notably in the US.
Opposition: Winston Smith vs Jacqui Smith
Based on
article
from
independent.co.uk
Jacqui
Smith faces a parliamentary backlash over Orwellian plans to
intercept details of email, internet, telephone and other data records
of every person in Britain. Labour MPs joined opposition parties in
expressing doubts about plans announced by the Home Secretary which
could lead to a vast database of information about Britons' calls and
internet habits.
They warned that MPs, emboldened by the Government's decision to ditch
plans to hold terrorist suspects for up to 42 days without charge, would
not accept this extension of state power.
The scale of the Government's ambitions to hold data on email, internet
and phone use emerged as government sources made it clear they needed
new powers to obtain details of social networking sites on the internet,
video sites, web-based telephone calls and even online computer games.
Civil liberties campaigners have expressed horror at the plans. Keith
Vaz, chairman of the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, warned:
Extreme caution needs to be taken. The Government needs to ensure that
information-gathering is targeted and wiped and not collected just
because it's possible."
Labour left-winger John McDonnell called the proposals Big Brother
gone mad, while Ian Gibson, Labour MP for Norwich North, added:
There is not a lot of confidence that we can hold on to data we collect
already.
The plans were condemned by the Government's own terrorism watchdog.
Lord Carlile of Berriew QC, the independent reviewer of anti-terrorist
laws, said the raw idea of the database was awful and
called for controls to stop government agencies using it to conduct
fishing expeditions into the private lives of the public.
|
| 16th October |
Quantum Cuts... |
|
| |
Quantum of Solace pre-cut to keep BBFC at bay
Permalink |
See
decision
from
bbfc.co.uk
|
Quantum
of Solace was originally seen by the BBFC in an unfinished version, for
advice as to the film's suitability at '12A'. The BBFC advised the
company that the film would most likely receive a '12A' as it was, but
that care should be taken when finishing the film not to increase the
intensity of certain scenes.
When the completed version of the film was
submitted for classification, reductions to one of those scenes had been
made and the film was passed '12A' without cuts.
|
| 16th October |
Bad Omens... |
|
| |
TV censor looks to becoming internet censor
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
guardian.co.uk
|
Outgoing
Ofcom chairman David Currie has said that his successor should expect
the communications censor to have an expanded remit with responsibility
for stricter control over internet content.
Currie, making what will be his final annual lecture for Ofcom before
leaving at Easter next year, said there was an appetite among
legislators for putting a tighter rein on the net now the medium had
moved beyond its formative stages.
Echoing comments last month by culture secretary Andy Burnham, who
argued that it was time for a different approach to tightening up
taste and decency online, Currie said Ofcom was likely to find its
remit expanded, following his departure, to encompass digital media.
Ask most legislators today, and, where they think about it, they will
say that period [of forbearance] is coming to an end. To say this is not
Ofcom going looking for trouble ... but a marker for my successor that
Ofcom is likely to find its remit being stretched, he added.
Currie made it clear that any scenario that saw an expanded Ofcom remit
would not simply import old broadcasting-style regulation to the
internet.
|
| 16th October |
Boring Birgitta... |
|
| |
Ryanair takes on Sweden's feminist censor
Permalink |
Thanks to Donald
Based on
article
from
thelocal.se
|
Budget
airline Ryanair went on the attack, mocking Swedish feminist politician
Birgitta Ohlsson’s call for a boycott of the airline because of its
allegedly sexist advertising practices.
This really is a storm in a D cup! said Ryanair spokesman Stephen
McNamara in a statement: We’re sure that Boring Birgitta will be
overrun by the flood of right minded, liberal, people who support
Ryanair’s determination to defend the rights of girls and boys to get
their kit off – if they want to.
The airline’s rebuttal comes hot on the heels of a call by Ohlsson for
consumers to boycott the airline for refusing to apologize for an
advertisement deemed sexist by Sweden's Trade Ethical Council against
Sexism in Advertising (ERK).
It’s my duty as a feminist politician to name and shame companies
like this, the NotSoLiberal Party politician told The Local.
The airline said it would celebrate Ryanair’s sexy Swedish ad by
launching one million €10 mid week seats. We will also be sending
free tickets to Boring Birgitta so that she can take a nice relaxing
break, loosen up a little and stop calling for silly boycotts, said
McNamara.
|
| 16th October |
Ofcom Updates Censorship Code... |
|
| |
Minor updates to program code, adult TV still banned
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
ofcom.org.uk
See also
Ofcom Broadcasting Code October 2008 [pdf]
|
The
TV censor, Ofcom has re-published its Broadcasting Code to include
amendments and changes that have been made since its original
publication.
|
| 16th October |
Film and Publications... |
|
| |
Ireland censors to merge
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
rte.ie
See also
banned books list [word]
|
Ireland's
Department of Justice has introduced a series of cutbacks to save €11m
across 20 bodies.
One of many measures is that the Film Censor's Office and Censorship of
Publications Office are to be amalgamated.
The Censorship of Publications Board
Based on
article
from
citizensinformation.ie
The Censorship of Publications Board is an independent board in
Ireland established by law to examine books and periodicals for sale.
The Board may prohibit the sale and distribution of books and
periodicals if they are found to be obscene. A prohibition on the sale
and distribution of a particular publication means that it is illegal
for this book to be bought, sold or distributed around the country.
Books that are prohibited may be appealed to the Censorship of
Publications Appeal Board. Both the Censorship of Publications Board and
the Appeals Board consist of five members each. Members of both boards
are appointed by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform.
Posts on these boards are without remuneration (i.e., they are unpaid).
Rules
The Censorship of Publications Board will examine any book or periodical
referred to it by a Customs and Excise officer and any book referred to
it by a member of the public. It may also examine any book or periodical
on its own initiative. In Ireland, there is no category of restricted
access - a publication is either prohibited or it is not prohibited. The
Board does not prohibit publications very often, and in some years,
nothing is prohibited.
The Board has regular meetings to discuss publications referred to it.
Every member of the Board will have read the publication before the
meeting. For a book to be prohibited, at least three members must agree
with the decision and only one can dissent (i.e., disagree). If the
prohibition is passed, it comes into effect as soon as it is announced
in Iris Oifigúil (Ireland's official State gazette). A prohibition order
on a book ceases on the 31 December following a period of 12 years
beginning on the date of the order coming into effect.
Books are prohibited if the Censorship of Publications Board
considers them to be indecent or obscene. Periodicals are prohibited if
the Censorship of Publications Board considers them to be frequently or
usually indecent or obscene. Both books and periodicals may be
prohibited if the Board considers that they advocate abortion or ways of
carrying out abortions. Periodicals may also be prohibited if the Board
is of the opinion that they have given an unduly large proportion of
space to matters relating to crime. In practice, however, publications
are usually only reported to the Board for obscenity. The Board will
measure the literary, scientific or historical merit of the publication.
It will take note of its general tenor, the language in which it is
written, its likely circulation and readers and anything else it feels
is relevant. It may take into account any communication with the author,
editor or publisher.
The Gardai may be issued with a search warrant if they suspect that
prohibited books or periodicals are being kept anywhere for sale or
distribution. If they find prohibited publications, they may remove
them. If you are convicted of possessing prohibited publications, you
may be liable for a fine of 63.49 euro or six months imprisonment.
|
| 16th October |
Censorship Zone... |
|
| |
Zone Horror channel cuts Millennium
Permalink |
Thanks to Liberty_Stink on the Melon Farmers Forum
|
NUTS
to Zone Horror for their much self-hyped showing of TV series
Millennium has only resulted in them showing very heavily censored
versions of every episode so far.
A mass of the more grisly footage has been shorn away, resulting often
in scene confusion, shortened dialogue exchanges, sloppy jump cuts and
even phrases like Son of a bitch have bitch muted.
AVOID!
For all the positive aspects of the channel, like uncut previously cut
by the BBFC showings of certain films and even non-BBFC approved
films...their insistence on showing edited for daytime versions
of other films in the afternoon and the cutting of other TV series like
Tales form the Crypt is annoying and bewildering.
|
| 16th October |
Less Free in Malaysia Today... |
|
| |
Jailing Malaysia’s Risk-Takers
Permalink |
See
article
from
cpj.org
by Shawn W Crispin
|
The jailing of Raja Petra Kamarudin, a self-described risk-taker who has led
Malaysia’s lively blogging culture, has come to symbolize the government’s new
assault on Internet expression. On September 12, police raided Raja Petra’s
residence, seized documents, and arrested the popular blogger under the
draconian Internal Security Act, which allows for detention without trial.
Two weeks later, Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar ordered the detention extended
for two years on charges that Raja Petra published seditious and anti-Islamic
articles on his blog, Malaysia Today. The government, signaling a wider
crackdown on dissent, detained a newspaper journalist and an opposition
politician the same day.
...Read full
article
|
| 15th October |
Free but not Free... |
|
| |
Spectrum allocated for free broadband with the proviso that it be censored
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
avn.com
|
The
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has given preliminary approval
to the proposal for a free, nation-wide broadband service.
Providers interested in making use of the available band will be
required to ensure it remains pornographic and obscenity free.
An auctioning off of the spectrum is expected to begin in 2009. Any
company winning the bid for the AWS-3 network must stick to a graduated
plan of execution and filter out obscene or pornographic material
dictated by contemporary community standards.
The broadband network is expected to be available to 50% of the USA
within four years and 95% within 10 years.
|
| 15th October |
Patron Saint of Gamers... |
|
| |
US Police wound up by Saints Row 2
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
nydailynews.com
|
A
blood-soaked new video game boasts enough violence, guns and gratuitous
sex to make send cops hopping mad.
The over-the-top Saints Row 2 encourages players to butcher cops
with chain saws, smoke drugs, annihilate rival gangsters and run
prostitution rings.
Many in law enforcement and politics don't find any of it remotely
entertaining.
These horrible and violent video games desensitize young people to
violence while encouraging depravity, immorality while glorifying
criminal behavior, said New York Police Department union boss
Patrick Lynch.
The game, which is rated "mature," hits stores Tuesday for the Xbox 360
and the PlayStation 3 consoles.
Despite the outrage, some of the scenarios depicted in the game seem
hilariously over the top. Players can commit insurance fraud by faking
injuries, spraying the contents of a septic tank to bring down property
values or appearing on a "Cops"-like reality TV show. If things get
boring, competitors can just strip and run around naked.
Gamemaker THQ insisted the new video is not intended to be taken
seriously: Saints Row 2 is not a gang simulation game. It's a
tongue-in-cheek game.
|
| 15th October |
TV Censor Sharpens its Knives... |
|
| |
Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares underrated in Australia
Permalink |
Thanks to Heath
Based on
article
from
variety.com
|
Australia's
Nine Network has been called to account by the Australian Communications
and Media Authority (ACMA) after chef Gordon Ramsay's language was
deemed too strong for its time slot.
The main problem is that Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares goes out
with an "M" (Mature) rating when the TV censor says it should have been
in the stronger "MA" bracket, which means it screens later at night.
Web also got into trouble for the sexual content in crime show
Underbelly.
ACMA has ordered Nine's classification officer Richard Lyle to attend a
meeting on Friday to ensure the network complies with censorship rules
after receiving complaints about both shows, many from nutters.
|
| 15th October |
Nutters Pull a Fast One... |
|
| |
Subverting domestic violence awareness month
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
christianpost.com
|
Nutters
are being encouraged to participate in a media violence fast this
week in conjunction with the YWCA’s Week without Violence.
Sponsored by the media justice arm of the United Church of Christ (UCC)
and the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, the Oct. 12-18 fast was designed to
provide a time for families with children and their supporters to take a
stand against violent media by making a conscious decision not to watch
it and seeking other methods of entertainment and intellectual
stimulation for themselves and most importantly for their children.
For this one week, starting Sunday, we are asking people to seek
other forms of programming and intellectual stimulation, and to reflect
on what it means to purposefully distance oneself from violence as
entertainment, stated the Rev. J. Bennett Guess of UCC.
This (the fast) is not about censorship, Guess said in a released
statement: Instead, we want people to pause and consider how the
saturation of violence on our TV screens also affects our spiritual
lives, our relationships with others, how we see the world and how we
promote peace as a religious value, starting with our remote controls.
This year marks the fast’s second year and is being promoted in
partnership with the nation’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month and the
YWCA’s “Week without Violence.”
|
| 14th October |
Europe with Even More Frontiers... |
|
| |
EU Audio-Visual Media Services Directive to be adopted by Council of Europe
Permalink |
Thanks to CyberLaw
Blog
Based on
article
from
out-law.com
See also
Revision of the European Convention on Transfrontier Television [pdf]
|
The
Council of Europe (CoE) is a larger body than the EU with 47 rather than
27 member states.
It intends to extend the scope of a convention that affects the
regulation of TV broadcasting to include video on-demand services and
some online video. The changes will match those already made by the
European Union.
The most important change to the rules will relate to their coverage.
The regulations will no longer apply simply to television content, but
to video on demand services.
The Convention does not include home-made audio visual material, such as
that which someone would post to a sharing site such as YouTube. It only
includes commercial material.
The Convention also governs the retransmission of services and orders
states to allow material which complies with the rules in the Convention
to be re-transmitted into their country, with exceptions for material
which breaks the rules of the Convention or broadcasting rules in the
country of first broadcast.
On the subject of content restriction it proposes:
- television broadcasts do not, include
programmes which might seriously impair the physical, mental or moral
development of minors, in particular those that involve pornography or
gratuitous violence7. This provision shall be extended to other
television programmes which are likely to impair the physical mental
or moral development of minors, except where it is ensured, by
selecting the time of the broadcast or by any technical means, that
minors in the area of transmission will not normally hear or see such
broadcasts.
- on-demand services which might seriously
impair the physical, mental or moral development of minors are only
made available in such a way that ensures that minors will not
normally hear or see such on-demand services.
The Government has asked for responses to the initial consultation by
31st October, and the CoE has said that a more formal consultation will
take place at the end of the year.
|
| 14th October |
Fucking Psycho Bastard Nut Case... |
|
| |
Ofcom whinge at description of Guns n' Roses' Axl Rose
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
ofcom.org.uk
|
Guns
N’ Roses
Biography Channel, 11 August 2008, 12:20
A viewer complained about bad language during an interview with Guns N’
Roses where the singer, Axl Rose, said I guess being a fucking psycho
bastard nut case helps my career. The viewer believed it was not
appropriate to broadcast this language at this time.
Ofcom considered Rule 1.14 of the Code (the most offensive language must
not be broadcast before the watershed).
Ofcom Decision: Breach of Rule 1.14
The Code requires that broadcasters avoid broadcasting the most
offensive language before the watershed. The word “fuck” and its
derivatives are clear examples of such language.
While noting the broadcaster’s admission of human error, Ofcom judged
that the language was clear in this programme and that the broadcaster
should have been more alert to the possibility of bad language when
interviewing a member of a rock group.
This is the second occasion where material has been inappropriately
scheduled (see Bulletin issue number 80). Ofcom has therefore recorded a
breach of Rule 1.14 for transmitting the most offensive language before
the 21:00 watershed.
|
| 14th October |
Australia Groomed for Filtering... |
|
| |
Australian internet filtering will be mandatory
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
cio.com.au
|
Australians
will be unable to opt-out of the government's pending Internet content
filtering scheme, and will instead be placed on a watered-down
blacklist, experts say.
Under the government's $125.8 million Plan for Cyber-Safety, users can
switch between two blacklists which block content inappropriate for
children, and a separate list which blocks illegal material.
Pundits say consumers have been lulled into believing the opt-out
proviso would remove content filtering altogether.
A spokesman for Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said the filters
will be mandatory for all Australians.
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) contacted by Computerworld say blanket
content filtering will cripple Internet speeds because the technology is
not up to scratch.
Online libertarians claim the blacklists could be expanded to censor
material such as euthanasia, drugs and protest.
Internode network engineer Mark Newton said many users falsely believe
the opt-out proviso will remove content filtering: Users can opt-out
of the 'additional material' blacklist (referred to in a department
press release, which is a list of things unsuitable for children, but
there is no opt-out for 'illegal content'. Newton said advisers to
Minister Conroy have told ISPs that Internet content filtering will be
mandatory for all users.
The government reported it does not expected to prescribe which
filtering technologies ISPs can use, and will only set blacklists of
filtered content, supplied by the Australia Communications and Media
Authority (ACMA).
According to preliminary trials, the best Internet content filters would
incorrectly block about 10,000 Web pages from one million.
|
| 14th October |
An Image of Unfairness... |
|
| |
German copyright cases goes against Google Image Search
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
blogoscoped.com
|
Bloomberg
reports that Google lost two court cases in Germany over the display of
thumbnails in their image search results.
Google’s preview of a picture by German photographer Michael Bernhard
violates his copyrights, the Regional Court of Hamburg ruled, his lawyer
Matthies van Eendenburg said in an interview today. Thomas Horn, who
holds the copyrights on some comics that were displayed in Google search
result.
“It doesn’t matter that thumbnails are much smaller than original
pictures and are displayed in a lower resolution,” the court said in
its ruling for Bernhard. By using photos in thumbnails, no new work
is created, that may have justified displaying them without permission.
In the US, fair use laws make it possible to offer such third-party
services without specifically asking for permission. Adult magazine
Perfect 10 once lost a case against Google in these regards, after an
original decision was reversed. (In any case, Google’s bots respect the
“robots.txt” protocol, where webmaster can disallow the spidering of
images.)
A Google rep said: The ruling of the Regional Court of Hamburg is bad
for internet users and users of image search engines in Germany in
general – just as it’s bad for thousands of site owners who based their
business on image searches.
Charges were also brought against other provides of image searches, such
as AOL, T-Online, Yahoo. With this ruling, the court of Hamburg throws
German internet users back into the digital stone age. And this is not
just in regards to Google image search, but all of them. We are
confident that the Regional Court will correct the ruling in the appeals
procedure.
|
| 14th October |
Nutters and Low Standards... |
|
| |
Rock bottom community standards in Australia due to sexy adverts
Permalink |
Nutters always claim that 'standards' will fall in the future.
Surely if the whingers are correct then 'standards' should have fallen
alreadyBased on
article
from
smh.com.au
|
Catholoc
nutters are stepping up the fight to ban "sexualised" advertisements
from billboards.
Matthew Restall and Bridget Spinks have 4000 signatures, including that
of Archbishop of Sydney Cardinal George Pell, and are hoping to collect
as many as 100,000 by January, when they will be submitted to the NSW
and Victorian parliaments to be tabled.
Restall said he took the action after seeing an advertisement on the
side of a vehicle advertising a car wash, showing a scantily clad woman
lying in a suggestive position. It was offensive. The aim of
the campaign is to remove all forms of sexualised advertisements from
billboards and sides of vehicles.
The campaign has been backed by The Catholic Weekly.
Spinks said: Who knows what our children are having to deal with. By
2040, if no one does something now, the level of our community standards
is going to drop.
|
| 14th October |
Bali Dancing... |
|
| |
Balinese protest again against pornography bill
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
afp.google.com
|
Thousands
of protesters rallied on the Indonesian holiday island of Bali on
Saturday to demonstrate against an anti-pornography bill denounced by
critics as a threat to national unity.
More than 5,000 protesters surged through the streets of the mostly
Hindu island's capital in opposition to the bill under deliberation in
Jakarta.
The bill, which looked set to be passed several weeks ago but has been
pushed back amid a public outcry, criminalises all public acts and
material capable of raising sexual desires or violating community
morality.
Protesters denounced the proposed law as too broad and a threat to local
customs on the island, where naked temple statues proliferate and
skimpily dressed foreign tourists relax on beaches.
Demonstrators turned up to the rally in traditional Balinese clothes
including semi-see-through temple blouses, saying such clothes could be
deemed too suggestive if the law was passed.
|
| 14th October |
Sudanese Corruption... |
|
| |
Newspaper editor arrested
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
afp.google.com
|
A
local newspaper editor said he was being held by southern Sudanese
authorities for publishing an article critical of corruption in the
semi-autonomous, post-conflict region.
Nhial Bol, editor of The Citizen, said police arrested him on
Friday for a story printed October 7, which lay corruption accusations
against the ministry of legal affairs and constitutional development in
southern Sudan.
This should be a civil case, but I have been told I will be held for
three days without bail, Bol told AFP.
Sudan has tightened restrictions on local media in recent months,
demanding that newspapers based in the south move their head offices to
Khartoum.
Newspaper censorship is practiced daily. In Khartoum, the powerful
security apparatus inspects newspaper editions nightly, while editors
who refuse to remove articles deemed offensive risk a ban on their
publications.
Update:
Ajras Al Hurriya Newspaper Censored
31st October 2008. Based on
article
from
allafrica.com
The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI) condemns
outright the removal of seven proofs from Ajras Al Hurriya"
newspaper by an intelligence officer responsible for proof censorship.
The incident took place on 23 October 2008. This action so outraged the
newspaper that it suspended its circulation for the day as a protest
against the blatant censorship.
The proofs addressed the issues of abducted Chinese citizens and the
crisis in Darfur, and criticized the Sudanese president's statement
excluding some Sudanese tribes from holding citizenship, amongst other
controversial views.
|
| 13th October |
Beyer Recommends... |
|
| |
Apparitions
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
telegraph.co.uk
|
 |
|
Beyer Recommends
Apparitions |
A new BBC series depicts a man possessed by the devil and being
skinned alive in a gay sauna. Another episode shows a father threatening
to sexually assault his daughter while in another, Mother Teresa is seen
on her death bed.
The series, called Apparitions, was the idea of the actor Martin
Shaw, who also stars in it as a Roman Catholic priest.
He said he realised the programme would be controversial but added:
I'm not going to pretend this is the most positive show on Earth. We're
talking about the end of all things but the message is that love
conquers all. It doesn't show a wholly positive message, otherwise it
would be Songs Of Praise and people would switch off. It is going out at
nine, an acknowledged watershed.
Catholic bishops advised the scriptwriters and production company to
help them portray the exorcism accurately, but a spokesman for the
Catholic Bishops' Conference said: I will not watch the drama myself,
it is not tasteful I haven't seen it but people might well be shocked. I
have to stress, it is a work of fiction. The Catholic Church would not
have chosen the drama form to explain the issue of exorcism.
John Beyer, the director of the nutter group Mediawatch-UK, said the
programme was bound to cause controversy: This series is likely to be
a clear breach of the Broadcasting Code. I'm surprised the BBC consented
to a show like this as a way of depicting the battle between good and
evil. There must be better ways of doing that. They've got people
sitting on crucifixes. It will cause very serious offence. This will
create the same type of furore the BBC caused when it screened Jerry
Springer The Opera.
A BBC spokeswoman said: Apparitions is a post-watershed drama and the
scenes are a vital part. Representatives of the Catholic Church were
invited to ensure accurate depiction of all religious rituals. They read
all the scripts.
|
| 13th October |
Ofcom Teletubbies... |
|
| |
TV censor to research possible harms of toddlers TV
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
independent.co.uk
|
Pre-school
programming has undergone a boom in recent years thanks to series such
as Teletubbies and In The Night Garden and dedicated
channels such as the BBC's CBeebies.
However, amid rising concern that television is being used by some
parents as a form of babysitter, the TV censor is carrying out a review
into the potential for harm. A spokesman for Ofcom said it had been made
aware of concerns regarding TV programming aimed at very young children.
There are elements we are considering now.
In a report published in July, French researchers found that watching
television undermined the development of children under three,
encouraged passivity, delayed language acquisition, increased agitation,
reduced concentration and increased the incidence of sleep disorders.
The same month, the French broadcasting authority Conseil Superior
Audiovisuel (CSA) banned TV channels from marketing shows aimed at
toddlers and ruled cable programmes for the very young must now come
with the stark warning: Watching television can slow the development
of children under three, even when it is aimed specifically at them.
The CSA passed on the concerns to Ofcom, resulting in the current
investigation.
But Claude Knights, director of the children's charity Kidscape,
called for Ofcom to make parents aware of the dangers. He said: It is
really sad when the TV is used as a babysitter or a means of controlling
very young children. There may well be parents that don't realise the
cumulative effects of exposure to TV. Ofcom should state the case and
give the concerns about possible harm revealed in this research.
The controller of CBeebies, Michael Carrington, defended toddler TV.
No-one can argue when they see a child's face light up watching In The
Night Garden that such carefully-made programmes have done any harm. Our
programmes are produced by experienced pre-school programme makers and
we call on developmental and educational experts developing ideas.
Guidance is also sought from the Early Learning Goals and School
Curricula.
|
| 13th October |
ERKed by Sweden... |
|
| |
Swedes inflicting failed sexist ad bans on the rest of Europe
Permalink |
Thanks to Donald
Based on
article
from
thelocal.se
|
Britain is outraged at dastardly foreign attempts to banish busty beauties
from the nation’s billboards. The root of their anger was Swedish
politicians who, having failed to get sexist ads banned on the home front,
scored a win in Brussels.
The Daily Mail, an organ never to miss an opportunity for a bit of
Euro-bashing, was justifiably breathless with indignation after a committee
of Euro-MPs demanded that EU countries put a stop to any ads that reinforce
gender stereotypes.
The person behind this nutter plan is none other than Eva-Britt Svensson, a
Swedish Left Party MEP and vice chairperson of the European Parliament’s
women’s rights committee.
The author of the report seems to have swallowed an undergraduate gender
studies textbook: Gender stereotyping in advertising straitjackets women,
men, girls and boys by restricting individuals to predetermined and
artificial roles that are often degrading, humiliating and dumbed down for
both sexes.
So it’s ‘Goobye Boys’ from Wonderbra, but also from yummy Diet Coke
builders, Calvin Klein-clad footballers and the rest.
Actually, the chances of any country being forced to ban anything is close
to nil (no law has been passed – the European Parliament’s women’s rights
committee has just recommended a course of action that governments are free
to ignore, as they no doubt will.
If you’ve been in Sweden for the past few years, the proposal had a familiar
ring. The Swedish Council against Sexual Discrimination in Advertising (ERK)
has long waged a battle against ads depicting scantily-clad models.
ERK’s rulings have led to accusations that it was trying to act as the
thought police. They have also raised a number of questions: is sexy
advertising always sexist? Why should advertisers be expected to be more
politically correct than the consumers they target? Whatever happened to
free speech? And besides, surely the whole business should be
self-regulating: consumers won’t buy products if the ads are offensive?
The controversial nature of ERK’s work also has the self-defeating
side-effect that the ads it censures are guaranteed lots of free publicity
in the tabloids.
ERK’s rulings don’t have the force of law, but earlier this year an official
committee proposed going one step further and banning all material with a
commercial aim that could be construed as offensive to women or men.
Equality minister Nyamko Sabuni refused to adopt the report’s findings,
saying: I don’t want to infringe on fundamental human freedoms and rights
for a law the efficacy of which I question. This is not the way to win the
fight for gender equity. Defeated on home soil, it looks like Svensson
is seeing whether the battle can be won elsewhere. She probably shouldn’t
hold her breath – in the UK, at least, even the left-wing papers are
subjecting the idea to ridicule.
Svensson’s poorly-presented arguments might leave an open goal for her
opponents, but the failure to pass a similar law in Stockholm must beg the
question: if rules like this haven’t worked in politically correct Sweden,
how on earth could they be made to work elsewhere?
|
| 13th October |
Tunisia National Free Blogging Day... |
|
| |
Protesting against Tunisia's block of YouTube and Dailymotion
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
advocacy.globalvoicesonline.org
See also
November 4th: A National Day for Blogging Freedom
|
Tunisian
bloggers are rallying for a National Day for Freedom of Blogging on November
4. The day will coincide with a court hearing for a lawsuit filed by the
journalist and blogger Zied El Heni against the Tunisian Internet Agency
(ATI).
It all started when Tunisian internet surfers welcomed with happiness the
repeal of a ban placed on video sharing sites YouTube and Dailymotion. Many
Tunisian bloggers celebrated this repeal of the ban by posting videos of
songs downloaded from those two video websites on their blogs. But their
happiness was cut short as the repeal did not last more than 24 hours. The
repeal of the ban, which had been welcomed with such enthusiasm, was
actually just an accident and a mistake.
Meanwhile, journalist and blogger El Heni is suing the ATI for the
censorship of Facebook, which had lasted for 16 days. The trial will take
place on November 4 and as a sign of solidarity with his action, a group of
bloggers decided that this date will henceforth be baptized as a national
day for blogging freedom.
To support the initiative, Facebook user Bassem Bouguerra created a Facebook
group entitled: November 4th: A National Day for Blogging Freedom.
Members on the Facebook group are exchanging ideas about the best methods to
overcome censorship and limits on freedom of expression.
Update:
Robbed
15th April 2009. See
article
from
advocacy.globalvoicesonline.org
The house of the Tunisian journalist and blogger Zied el-Heni has been
raided last night (April 10, 2009). In a blog post published today, Zied
wrote that his laptop and CDs which contain all his work have been robbed.
|
| 13th October |
Youthful Censor... |
|
| |
New film censor appointed in Pakistan
Permalink |
Based on
article
from
app.com.pk
|
The
social and literary circles welcomed Barrister Malik Shahnawaz Noon for
assuming charge as Chairman of the Pakistan Central Film Censor Board.
Spokesmen said, Shahnawaz Noon is an educated youth having positive
thinking and expressed the confidence that he would be able to project
true picture of our culture and take effective steps to help film
industry stand on its feet.
|
|