Censor Watch

The boss of WhatsApp says it will not lower the security of its messenger service. Will Cathcart told the BBC.

If asked by the government to weaken encryption, it would be very foolish to accept.

We continue to work with the tech sector to support the development of innovative technologies that protect public safety without compromising on privacy.

End-to-end encryption (E2EE) provides the most robust level of security, because - by design - only the intended recipient holds the key to decrypt the message, which is essential for private communication.

The technology underpins the online exchanges on apps including WhatsApp and Signal and - optionally - on Facebook messenger and Telegram. Only the sender and receiver can read those messages - not law enforcement or the technology giants.

The UK government wants phone software to scan people's phones for banned material prior to being encrypted for a message.

Cathcart explained:

Client-side scanning cannot work in practice. Because millions of people use WhatsApp to communicate across the world, it needs to maintain the same standards of privacy across every country.

If we had to lower security for the world, to accommodate the requirement in one country, that...would be very foolish for us to accept, making our product less desirable to 98% of our users because of the requirements from 2%.

What's being proposed is that we - either directly or indirectly through software - read everyone's messages. I don't think people want that.

Ella Jakubowska, policy adviser at campaign group European Digital Rights, said:

Client-side scanning is almost like putting spyware on every person's phone. It also creates a backdoor for malicious actors to have a way in to be able to see your messages.

Offsite Comment: Fixing the UK's Online Safety Bill, part 1:

We need answers.

31st July 2022. See article from webdevlaw.uk   by Heather Burns

Offsite Comment: The delay to the online safety bill

It won't make it any easier to please everyone

17th July 2022. See article from theguardian.com by Alex Hern

 

Offsite Comment: It’s time to kill the Online Safety Bill for good...

Not only is it bad for business, bad for free speech, and -- by attacking encryption -- bad for online safety

16th July 2022. See article from spectator.co.uk by Sam Ashworth-Hayes

A post on JA Physique Ltd trading as Jake Abbott's Instagram page, seen on 9 May 2022, showed front and back before and after photographs of a young male wearing only shorts. It stated Another young gun with his current update today! -- Setting the foundations for one of the most incredible natural male physiques you will see in the future -- Are you looking to transform your physique. Finally want to overcome the hurdles to fat loss and muscle gain that you've been unable to achieve alone?

The ASA, who considered the person in the ad seemed under 18 years of age, challenged whether the ad was irresponsible because it exploited young people's insecurities about their body image.

ASA Assessment; ASA view upheld

The CAP Code required marketers to ensure advertising was prepared with a sense of responsibility to consumers and to society.

The ASA noted that the advertised programme related to diet and exercise. We understood that the boy featured was 14 at the time the ad appeared and considered that the photographs showed someone clearly aged under 18.

We considered that young people who might already be more body conscious because of pre-existing societal pressures (regardless of their actual weight or size, and including those who were of a healthy weight) could be especially vulnerable to ads promoting changing body types being directed at them.

We considered teenage boys in particular would recognise the images in the ad as depicting someone of their age, and would see the after image as presenting a body shape with significant increase in muscle as desirable for someone of their age, particularly when read in conjunction with the statement Another young gun with his current update today!.

We also considered that the text stating that the child featured was Setting the foundations for one of the most incredible natural male physiques you will see in the future, further reinforced that the body shape portrayed was the ideal for males, including teenage boys.

We considered that an ad which suggested a child should change their body shape was likely to exploit young people's potential insecurities around body image, or risked putting pressure on them to take extreme action to change their body shape. We therefore considered the ad was irresponsible and in breach of the Code.

The ad must not appear again. We told JA Physique Ltd to ensure that future posts were responsible.

Major social networks operating in New Zealand have agreed to voluntarily self-censor content considered misinformation and hate speech.

Those signing up to what's known as Aotearoa (New Zealand) Code of Practice for Online Safety and Harms include Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Amazon's Twitch, Twitter, and TikTok.

The initiative comes from Netsafe, a New Zealand campaign group.

It is not stated what type of action the platforms will now be taking in order to achieve that goal, but the companies behind them will be publishing reports each year to demonstrate compliance, and will detail what tools, policies, processes and systems are being used to this end.

The list of content requiring censorship includes child sexual exploitation, bullying or harassment, hate speech, incitement of violence, violent or graphic content, misinformation, and disinformation.

New Zealand is also preparing to adopt actual new laws that would impose further censorship of content labeled as misinformation or hate speech.

Vodafone & Deutsche Telekom recently started trials with Trustpid to reintroduce persistent user tracking of their internet browsing with view to selling browsing history to advertisers.

Although Vodafone claims there is nothing to worry about, privacy officials are especially concerned about the recent involvement of network operators. Privacy advocates call it the return of the Super Cookie. This would be a massive step backward in creating an independent web where the privacy of internet users is respected.

With TrustPid, Vodafone assigns a fixed ID to a user based on someone's phone number. Website operators would then be able to call up this identifier to exactly see what websites this user has visited and create a profile to display targeted ads.

Recent privacy laws are currently challenging Google and Apple's current solutions for selling users' browser history to advertising. Many web browsers block third-party cookies, and even Google Chrome is phasing out third-party cookies next year. Apple is cracking down on user tracking, costing Facebook billions in revenue.

It has become more challenging to monetize customer data, so the advertising market is looking for new solutions to tap into. They do not want to go back to non-personalized advertising, so they are pushing the frontier to see what's still possible. The Trustpid trial is an example of this.

See further details from blog.simpleanalytics.com

Carry On Nurse is a 1959 UK comedy romance by Gerald Thomas
Starring Kenneth Williams, Hattie Jacques and Kenneth Connor

Cut by the BBFC for U rated cinema release in 1959. Most of the cuts persisted onto PG rated home video releases.

Summary Notes

An idiosyncratic group of patients wreak havoc in the men's surgical ward of Haven Hospital. They decide to take their revenge on the frosty Matron, and there is even a spot of DIY surgery!

Versions

best available  cut:   run: 86:37s pal: 83:09s		UK: Passed PG for mild innuendo and slapstick violence: 2006 Optimum R2 DVD at UK Amazon UK: Passed PG: 2001 Warner video 1988 Warner VHS From IMDb. Part of the shaving scene cut from cinema release was restored but otherwise the cinema cuts persisted onto video.
category cuts cut:   run: 85m pal: 82m		UK: Passed U after BBFC category cuts: 1959 cinema release Thanks to Vince. The BBFC cuts list read: Reel 1 - In the scene where the male patient is shaved, end the episode immediately after the words "I'm not going to shave your face" have been spoken. Reel 2 - After the nurse's words "What a fuss about such a little thing", remove the shot of the patient peering under the sheet. Reel 5 - Remove "Get the doctor to give you something to make you sleep." Reel 7 - Remove "Yes, you can pick up Mr. Hickson's balls."

Treasure Of The Four Crowns is a 1983 Spain/US/Italy fantasy adventure by Ferdinando Baldi
Starring Tony Anthony, Ana Obregón and Gene Quintano

BBFC category cuts were required for a PG rated cinema release in 1983. Then uncut and 15 rated on home video.

Summary Notes

A group of adventurers are gathered together to retrieve some mystical gems which are in the possession of a deadly cult.

Versions

uncut run: 99:44s pal: 95:45s		UK: Passed 15 uncut: 1987 Video Collection International VHS US: Passed MPAA PG uncut for: 2022 Kl Studio Classics RA Blu-ray via UK Amazon #ad and at US Amazon #ad
cut:   run: 98m pal: 94m		UK: Passed PG after BBFC cuts: 1983 cinema release Thanks to Scott. The BBFC cuts list read: 76 1/2 mins After long shot sight of man in red trousers clapping boards, remove both close shots of woman's forehead branded with steaming knife. 79 mins Later in same sequence remove three close ups of woman's screaming face. 88 3/4 mins After initial close shot of bearded man's face being burnt with laser, remove all subsequent close ups of his face disintegrating. 89 mins Immediately following, reduce sight of guards on fire staggering towards door.

The video game monetisation method of loot boxes will not be banned in the UK, despite a government consultation claiming evidence of an association between the features and problem gambling.

Loot boxes have attracted comparison with gambling because they allow players to spend money to unlock in-game rewards, such as special characters, weapons or outfits, without knowing exactly what they will get.

The features, popular in games such as Call of Duty and the Fifa football series, were effectively banned in Belgium in 2018, but the censorship culture minister, Nadine Dorries, said the UK would not follow suit.

Instead, after a 22-month consultation, she said the government would discuss tougher industry-led protections with the UK's gaming trade. Dorries explained the decision saying that

Legislating to impose curbs or a prohibition on loot boxes as part of an expected overhaul of the UK's gambling laws could have unintended consequences.

For example, legislation to introduce an outright ban on children purchasing loot boxes could have the unintended effect of more children using adult accounts, and thus having more limited parental oversight of their play and spending, the government said, in a response to the consultation published in the early hours of Sunday morning.

While the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) stopped short of proposing legislation, Dorries said:

Children and young people should not be able to purchase loot boxes without parental approval.

Russia has fined Google 21.1bn rouble ($373m) for failing to restrict access to material about the war in Ukraine that Russia does not like.

Roskomnadzor, the country's communications regulator, cited information that discredited Russia's military and posts urging people to protest.

Google's local subsidiary declared bankruptcy last month. The move came after Russian authorities seized its local bank account to extract 7.2bn roubles that the firm had been ordered to pay for similar reasons last year.

The fine was calculated as a share of the firm's local revenue, marks the biggest penalty ever imposed on a tech company in Russia, according to state media.

Surely the fine can't be paid lest it gets used to kill and maime people of Ukraine.

The Chinese property sector has been struggling of late and some provincial banks have failed as a consequence. And people unable to withdraw or have lost their savings have unsurprisingly been protesting.

The Chinese authorities don't like their failures to be publicised so these protests have been very much frowned upon. And the authorities have found a novel way to silence the protestors before they can get started.

Authorities in the Chinese province of Henan are restricting the protestor's movements using the country's Covid app. Multiple protestors say they are being forced to quarantine, blocked from public transport or entering buildings.

Most appear to be customers of four rural banks which had run into difficulties providing cash withdrawals. The failing banks froze deposits, prompting angry demonstrations last month.

In China, residents use a health code app to enter buildings and shops, use public transport, or leave the city. Users must scan a QR code and show a colour-coded health status on their phone before entering. If this status turns red, it indicates the person has tested positive for Covid recently or is suspected to have Covid, and must be quarantined for 14 days.

Last week protestors found their status had turned red when they tried to enter train stations, buildings, or hotels.

One bank customer in Zhengzhou told BBC Chinese her status was red even though she had never been in contact with a confirmed case, and her most recent tests showed she was negative. She added that she was visited by health officials who asked her to stay at home and refused to explain why her status had suddenly turned red.

The BBFC introduced its annual report covering its work during 2021:

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has published its Annual Report and Accounts for 2021. The Report outlines key activity and achievements by the organisation after another challenging year impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. With the demand for trusted UK BBFC age ratings stronger than ever before, the Report presents ambitious future goals for the business.

Last year, the BBFC classified 5,431 video submissions; 1,891 online submissions; 659 theatrical films and 104 music videos. At the close of 2021, 27 Video on Demand (VOD) platforms were licensed to display BBFC age ratings in the UK on a voluntary, best practice basis. Through these industry partnerships, the BBFC provided age ratings for over 17,673 pieces of VOD content, equating to 811,178 minutes. This included issuing new in-house classifications for packaged media that can be used online and for digital-only content, as well as the self-rating partnership with Netflix. Other streaming services and platforms working with the BBFC are Prime Video, Apple TV+, Sky Store, StarzPlay, Pluto TV, YouTube Movies, Rakuten TV, amongst others.

2021 represented the busiest year of the BBFC's collaboration with the UK's four Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) since its inception in 2013. Every year, hundreds of millions of websites are classified in accordance with BBFC standards, with mobile networks restricting access by children using mobile internet services to any website that would be classified 18 under the Mobile Classification Framework . Working hand-in-hand with the Mobile Network Operators to protect young people from viewing harmful content, the BBFC adjudicated on 97 websites last year, placing 33 websites behind adult filters.

The Report also shines a light on the organisation's successful ongoing partnership with Netflix. The long-term agreement between the BBFC and Netflix means that UK families will continue to see trusted BBFC age ratings on all Netflix content for years to come. The increase in online age ratings is in line with BBFC research that showed that 91% of parents and 95% of teens want to see the same age ratings that they know and trust from cinema and DVD/Blu-ray packaging applied on video on demand (VOD) and streaming platforms.

Additional key insights from the BBFC's Annual Report and Accounts include:

• 15 was the most common age rating across cinema, physical media and online, with the BBFC classifying 3,041 pieces of content with the age rating.

• Discussion of classification and compliance processes, spotlighting an array of high-profile and independent film releases at each age rating category.

• Findings from research commissioned, including attitudes towards strong and very strong language and the classification of racism and discrimination in films and TV.

• Strength of partnerships with the industry, charities, and external organisations.

• Creation of PSHE Association accredited resources for Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 4 learners, as well as wider education and outreach activity.

• Establishment of the BBFC Youth Panel comprising fourteen young people from across the UK, aged 16-19. The panel works in close collaboration with the BBFC to provide feedback on key classification issues, ensuring that we are meeting the needs of young people.

• Recruitment of five new members to the Advisory Panel on Children's Viewing, contributing to discussions about the Youth Panel; age ratings on VOD services; and the publication of the draft Online Safety Bill.

David Austin, Chief Executive of the BBFC, said:

After another difficult start to the year with COVID-19 restrictions, I am proud of everything we have achieved in 2021 to help parents and families choose content well. Alongside the wider recovery of the cinema industry, it has been especially encouraging to see a significant rise in our trusted age ratings online. Our research shows that UK families want to see the same ratings that they recognise from their local cinema when watching films and TV shows online, so it is reassuring that platforms are working with us to ensure this demand is met. Now in our 110th year, we continue to deliver more of our trusted and well-understood age ratings from cinemas to streaming platforms across the UK to help families choose content that's right for them.

A paid-for Instagram post and a website for Pure Wines, seen on 26 April 2022.

• a. The paid-for Instagram post featured the text Spark Up Your Life alongside an image of six bottles of wine. An illustration on the label of one of the bottles showed a woman from the neck down, with her breasts exposed, drinking a glass of wine.

• b. The website www.purewines.co.uk, featured a listing for JUNG & SEXY * PET-NAT wine with text that stated R-Rated and an image of the product that had the same label illustration as ad (a). Further text stated, This dark ros39 Pet Nat wine is less provocative than its label but is as entertaining at the same time.

A complainant, who believed the ads linked alcohol with seduction, sexual activity and sexual success, challenged whether they breached the Code.

Pure Wines Ltd said that ad (a) was for a mixed case of sparkling wines called Spark Up Your Life. They did not believe that there was any link between the ad and seduction, sexual activity or sexual success, nor did it imply that alcohol could enhance attractiveness.

They said ad (b) was a listing for a wine called Jung & Sexy * Pet-Nat. They explained that this was a wine named and labelled by one of their suppliers, which was an Austrian winery. It was a young wine, which meant that it was produced and released a short time after the harvest. They said no sexual connotation had been intended and if the winery's intention had been to imply any connection between the design of the label and the name of the wine it would have been that both were sexy, but not sexual. They said that neither the design of the label nor the name of the wine contained a connotation of seduction, sexual activity or sexual success, nor did they imply that alcohol could enhance attractiveness.

They stated that the text r-rated implied that the wine was not suitable for consumers below the age of 18, like all their wines. They said this was an American expression from the world of cinema and was used figuratively.

ASA Assessment: Complaint upheld

The CAP Code required that marketing communications must neither link alcohol with seduction, sexual activity or sexual success nor imply that alcohol could enhance attractiveness.

The ASA understood that both ads featured a bottle of alcoholic sparkling wine with an illustration on the label and considered the image was of a woman wearing pants and a long sleeved top which had been pulled up to expose her naked breasts. Her face was not fully visible, but she was sipping a glass of wine. We understood that this label was one which appeared on the product itself. We also understood that the text Jung & Sexy in ad (b) referred to the name of the product.

Notwithstanding that, we considered that the way the model was posed and styled on the label, including that her breasts were deliberately exposed, meant that the image would be seen as sexually suggestive and featured a seductive pose. We therefore considered it was inherently sexual in nature.

We acknowledged that the text, Spark Up Your Life in ad (a) was a reference to the sparkling wines in the case. However, we also considered that, when viewed in conjunction with the image of the woman on label, the text might be understood to refer to sexual activity and further reinforced the depiction of the woman in the ad as sexual in nature.

We considered that impression was also reinforced by the use of the term r-rated in ad (b), which would be understood to refer to films containing adult themes, such as sexual activity. [Note that in the US an R rating is a minimum age of 17 and generally does not allow much in the way of sexual activity].

We considered the text This -- wine is less provocative than its label but is as entertaining at the same time in ad (b), when viewed in conjunction with the image of the woman, would be understood to be an explicit reference to the sexually suggestive pose and styling on the label and also reinforced the depiction of the woman as sexual in nature.

Because the image, particularly in connection with some of the text, was inherently sexual, we concluded that the ads linked alcohol with seduction and sexual activity and therefore breached the Code.

The ads must not appear again in their current form. We told Pure Wines Ltd to ensure their future advertising did not link alcohol to seduction, sexual activity or sexual success.

John Penrose, a Tory MP, has tabled an amendment to the Online Censorship Bill currently being debated in Parliament:

To move the following Clause--

Factual Accuracy

(1) The purpose of this section is to reduce the risk of harm to users of regulated services caused my disinformation or misinformation.

(2) Any Regulated Service must provide an index of the historic factual accuracy of material published by each user who has--

(a) produced user-generated content,
(b) news publisher content, or
(c) comments and reviews on provider contact whose content is viewed more widely than a minimum threshold to be defined and set by OFCOM.

(3) The index under subsection (1) must--

(a) satisfy minimum quality criteria to be set by OFCOM, and
(b) be displayed in a way which allows any user easily to reach an informed view of the likely factual accuracy of the content at the same time as they encounter it.

Surely it is a case of be careful what you wish for. After all it would be great to see truth scores attached to all politicians social media posts. I somehow think that other MPs will rather see the flaws in this idea and will be rather quick to see it consigned to the parliamentary trash can.

Thor: Love and Thunder is a 2022 Australia/US film by Taika Waititi
Starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman and Christian Bale

Thor enlists the help of Valkyrie, Korg and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster to fight Gorr the God Butcher, who intends to make the gods extinct.

A few people who have watched the film since its release last week are alerting their Twitter followers to the fact the scenes showing Jane's cancer treatments could be triggering to those who have either gone through it themselves, or have known someone to have gone through it. One tweeted:

No spoilers, but Thor: Love and Thunder SHOULD have had a trigger warning for graphic depiction of cancer and the fact that we didn't know going in is atrocious.

The BBFC doesn't mention this particular trigger in its short description often reserved for trigger warning, but does mention the distressing scenes in its long rating information. The BBFC passed the film 12A for moderate fantasy violence, injury detail, threat, horror, sex references.

Sony's PlayStation Store will remove access to hundreds of movie titles from Studiocanal that customers in Germany and Austria previously purchased.

The move comes a year after Sony's PlayStation group stopped offering movie and TV show purchases and rentals, as of Aug. 31, 2021. At the time, Sony assured customers that they can still access movie and TV content they have purchased through PlayStation Store for on-demand playback on their PS4, PS5 and mobile devices.

But as of August 31, 2022, Sony has backtracked saying:

Due to our evolving licensing agreements with content providers, you will no longer be able to view your previously purchased Studio Canal content and it will be removed from your video library.

It's unclear whether PlayStation Store will refund customers for their purchases of movies that will no longer be available; a Sony rep declined to provide any details about that.

A music video by Thai activist rap collective Rap Against Dictatorship has been blocked on YouTube in Thailand following an alleged legal complaint from the government.

The Patiroop (Reform) video, which was originally released in November, was filmed during the country's anti-government protests in Bangkok demanding royal reforms. The video featured the rap group walking with fellow supporters and protestors, and featured clips of the Grand Palace in the Thai capital.

On January 4 2022, Rap Against Dictatorship announced they had discovered the video's ban from YouTube in Thailand:

Our music video 'Reform' was ordered to be banned by the government, which notified YouTube to restrict access.

Since the video's release, it has garnered over 9 million views on YouTube (from outside of Thailand).

On 7 July 2022, Patiroob was again blocked on YouTube as a result of a Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES) petition to the Court that it should be prohibited under the terms of the Computer Crime Act.

According to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR), the Court agreed that the song's lyrics, which seemingly allude to both the prime minister and king, have a bearing on national security. They also ruled that the song, which promotes the idea of equality, was filled with obscene language.

According to the ruling, the music video also elicited comments from netizens about the monarchy that were likely to affect public sentiment and national security. The Court dismissed arguments that the song was in keeping with constitutional freedoms of expression and that it was a creative work of benefit to society, saying that liberty must not cause damage to others, especially figures many people respect.

After the ruling, R.A.D. posted on its Facebook page that it would remove the Patiroob music video and song from all its public platforms.

Warwickshire County Cricket Club

Warwickshire County Cricket Club has confirmed that snooping measures were brought in for Saturday's international T20 match at Edgbaston. The crowd will be surveilled by undercover football crowd-style spotters .

The move was in response to the recent test match where passage of play was marred by reports of racial insults from a section of the crowd. This subsequently led to a criminal investigation by West Midlands Police. Stuart Cain, Warwickshire's chief executive, said:

We cannot hide from the mindless racist abuse experienced by some fans following India in the Eric Hollies Stand.

For Saturday's T20 match, Warwickshire confirmed that undercover football crowd-style spotters would be deployed throughout Edgbaston to listen out for abusive behaviour and report it for immediate action, and added that there would be an increased police presence at games to handle such incidents swiftly, and enable more chance of successful prosecutions.

The club said that all fans at subsequent matches would be encouraged to report abuse via the Edgbaston app, adding that anyone found guilty of hate crime will be banned not only from Edgbaston but from all venues under the ECB's jurisdiction.

The club has not commented on what speech it considers to be worthy of punishment nor has it detailed whether people's conversation are being recorded in support its punishment regime.

Ukrainian activists have reportedly started buying ad space on adult sites accessible in Russia to bypass Vladimir Putin's ramped-up censorship efforts and provide accurate information about the invasion.

Jemimah Steinfeld, editor-in-chief of Index on Censorship explained that adult sites are perfect conduits for disseminating information to counteract state propaganda.

Steinfeld cited Ukrainian digital marketing expert Anastasiya Baydachenko as saying that adult sites offer huge audiences whose operators prioritize profits over politics and are therefore quite willing to take her money.

Baydachenko first tried buying ads on Google, YouTube, Facebook and other high-traffic sites, but Russia's fake news law undermined that effort -- whereas the ads on adult sites have reached hundreds of millions of internet users in Russia.

A Malaysian feminist has been charged with knowingly making and initiating the transmission of obscene communication after she uploaded a collage of vulva like flowers on her Twitter account.

Amira Nur Afiqah Agus Salim pleaded not guilty at the Sessions Court in Kuala Lumpur. She was released on bail and has a new hearing next month.

According to Yahoo News Malaysia, the vulva collage, posted in September 2021, was meant as a commentary regarding an ad campaign by Libresse, a popular feminine care brand in Malaysia. Libresse had launched a line of sanitary products featuring images of vulvas interpreted into flower motifs on the packaging.

Salim tweeted in response, Libresse uses flower as representation of vulva instead of this? and attached the collage, which the authorities consider a violation of the country's strict obscenity laws.

Religious organizations have also successfully objected to even the stylized, flower-like design that the tweet criticized. The Yadim Muslim Women's Council called the representation a misuse of an image of women's private parts and a dishonor to women.

The Libresse campaign was eventually cancelled due to the uproar.

The European Parliament has ratified the latest laws that to extend internet censorship in the EU.

MEPs approved the final versions of the Digital Markets Act, focused on ending monopolistic practices of tech giants, and the Digital Services Act (DSA), which toughens scrutiny and the consequences for platforms when they host banned content.

The DSA will target a wide range of internet actors and aims to ensure real consequences for companies that fail to censor supposed hate speech, information the authorities don't like and and child sexual abuse images.

Danish MEP Christel Schaldemose commented:

The digital world has developed a bit like a western movie, there were no real rules of the game, but now there is a new sheriff in town.

The DSA passed easily with 539 votes in favor, 54 against and 30 abstentions.

Both laws now require the final approval by the EU's 27 member states, which should be a formality.

Now the big question is over enforcement with worries that the European Commission lacks the means to give sharp teeth to its new powers.

Leena Manimekalai, an Indian film-maker based in Canada , has received thousands of threats of violence after the poster for her short film Kaali, which was aired in the Canadian city of Toronto at the weekend, went viral on social media.

A hashtag reading arrest Leena Manimekalai began trending. Two police cases -- one in the Indian capital, Delhi, and another in the neighbouring state of Uttar Pradesh -- were filed against the director and others involved in the film with claims of a disrespectful depiction of a Hindu god and of supposedly hurting religious sentiments.

The Indian high commission in Canada said it had received complaints from members of the Hindu community over the poster and it urged Canadian authorities and the event organisers to withdraw all such provocative material.

Manimekalai wrote and directed the film as part of her graduate film studies at a Toronto university. In the piece, the goddess Kaali inhabits Manimekalai's body and wanders the city streets in a search for belonging. In a scene pictured on the film's poster she shares a cigarette with a homeless man while dressed as the goddess.

The Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, which hosted the screening of the film, issued an apology, saying the film and poster had inadvertently caused offence to members of the Hindu and other faith communities.

No child under 10 should ever play any video game without adult supervision, according to updated rules for South Africa's censors due to come into effect in August.

The Film and Publication Board  issued an overhauled version of its 40-page set of its censorship rules for the classification committees that have the power to ban movies and games in South Africa.

Those rules were last updated in 2019, when blasphemy was dropped in deciding how content should be classified. Many of the detailed changes are specific to games, such as new ways in which competitive intensity should be considered in the context of games that reward violence. The rule changes that has caught the eye is that there is no 'All ages' age rating for games. The new guidelines read:

Children are not allowed to play a game classified 'PG' [the lowest level of classification available] unless and only when supervised by an adult, because even such games may have elements disturbing or harmful for children.

For the next level up, the same rule holds: Children from the ages of 7 to 9 years are not allowed to play a game classified '7-9PG' unless supervised by an adult.

Only at age 10 does the prohibition of solo play fall away.

Offsite Article: French lawyers provide the best summary yet

15th June 2022. See article from taylorwessing.com

 

Offsite Article: Have we opened Pandora's box?

20th June 2022. See article from tandfonline.com

Abstract

In thinking about the developing online harms regime (in the UK and elsewhere1) it is forgivable to think only of how laws placing responsibility on social media platforms to prevent hate speech may benefit society. Yet these laws could have insidious implications for free speech. By drawing on Germany's Network Enforcement Act I investigate whether the increased prospect of liability, and the fines that may result from breaching the duty of care in the UK's Online Safety Act - once it is in force - could result in platforms censoring more speech, but not necessarily hate speech, and using the imposed responsibility as an excuse to censor speech that does not conform to their objectives. Thus, in drafting a Bill to protect the public from hate speech we may unintentionally open Pandora's Box by giving platforms a statutory justification to take more control of the message.

See full article from tandfonline.com

 

Offsite Article: The Online Safety Act - An Act of Betrayal

5th July 2022. See article from ukcolumn.org by Iain Davis

The Online Safety Bill (OSB) has been presented to the public as an attempt to protect children from online grooming and abuse and to limit the reach of terrorist propaganda.

This, however, does not seem to be its primary focus. The real objective of the proposed Online Safety Act (OSA) appears to be narrative control.