[governance] The dawning of Internet censorship in Germany

[Charity Gamboa]

Rui and all,

Hello!

Let me just add a few things to what you said below.

*"Perhaps we must look at mechanisms that allow for parent-controlled
filters..."*

I have worked for 6 years with teenagers where my job was to teach teenagers
about online safety and to make sure they use the Internet effectively for
educational purposes. For a while my work entailed me to set up policy
editing where I work with the network administrator in blocking words such
as "*sex*" or "*breasts*" (*apologies if I offend anybody for the use of
such words but I am trying to present the words as specific items for
explanation purposes)* in our digital library.  The only frustration that
our students have is when they research online, for instance, about "breast
cancer,"  it won't let them open the index from the search query because the
word "breast" was blocked. So they complained but we have set our user
policies that were acknowledged by the parents themselves prior to the
implementation of the policies we set. As long as these rules are within the
guidelines as set in the student's and faculty manual, we can implement our
policies, subject to deliberation when conflicts arise. They have to comply
so they use the hard bound encyclopedias available in the library instead if
some searches are blocked online. Maybe it would also be good for them to
learn how to use encyclopedias like we did (before computers and the
Internet made it easier for us to do our school work). Or maybe it will also
teach some kid diligence.. or maybe not, but we tried. Well we did our part
in school. But we are aware that once these kids go home and use their own
computers, it is beyond our control.  So we leave it to the parents do their
roles at home. It is possible to create a balance of safety both in school
and at home if both institutions work together. I am speaking in the
standpoint as an educator.

*"As for children "producing" their own porn, that is an entirely different
issue altogether and to call it porn begs the question of whether understand
what porn is and what adolescent behaviour is - children are doing it for
the thrill, just like in generations before, others smoked, drank, consumed
drugs, etc, using something within their reach for shock/ status value among
their peers. Cellphones and webcams are now part of the arsenal of weapons
within their reach to impress their peers or establish their credibility
within the group...."*

I was in the airport waiting for my flight last May and I picked up this
Reader's Digest May 2009 issue. The cover was "Parent Alert - Is Your Child
Sexting?" The article would definitely describe what porn is and how
teenagers behave nowadays. The article even coined the word "*pornopolis of
[American] culture*" when referring on how to prevent children from
wittingly and unwittingly becoming citizens of that "pornopolis."
Fortunately, I found the article online and maybe some of you might be
interested to read it, maybe as parents.

http://www.rd.com/living-healthy/parent-alert-teens-and-porn/article125454.html

My "sentiments" on this matter may be warranted or not.  But in my own
experience, we did our fair share of "censoring" but it didn't entirely
solve the problem of child pornography. My concept of "child pornography"
has evolved into thinking nowadays of how children themselves can take off
their clothes and stand in front of a webcam or snap pictures of themselves,
and then post them online. I am not sure if current legislation on child
pornography would allow children to be prosecuted for acts they are not even
aware of as a "crime" because they consider it as a joke. By the time these
sites, where children supposedly can post their naked pictures, can be
censored for such content, the damage has been done - their friends had a
good laugh, some sleazeball  might have watched it already, and yet they
might do it again. IMHO, *parents *should act as "parents" (proactive and
reactive techniques) more than being their kids' "*friend*" (indifference
and intolerance) so it can be their strongest alternative to combating child
pornography than any legislation that cannot entirely stop this crime.

Thanks.

Regards,
Charity



On Thu, Jun 18, 2009 at 3:27 AM, Rui Correia <correia.rui at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi
>
> I am in two minds as to how to react to this - it is one of those clear cut
> cases where freedom of expression and other rights have to be balanced and
> treated with responsibility. The UN Human Rights Commission "three-part
> test" refers.
>
> However, calling it censorship is a bit alarmist. Censorship is normally
> carried out to prevent the bulk of the people from accessing information of
> their/ general interest and the circulation of which is a threat to the hold
> on power of the government of the day. Blocking child pornography cannot be
> called preventing access to information of the general interest of the bulk
> of the population, pornography can be be said to be of general public
> interest and the CDU does not need to suppress this kind of information to
> guarantee its political power.
>
> And I fully agree about NOT bringing Nazis and Hitler into this discussion.
> What the CDU is doing in not Germany-specific - it could have been France or
> any other so-called established democracy.
>
> Blocking access to certain kinds of products is nothing new, whether this
> be alcohol, drugs or adult content.
>
> You can't freely buy child pornography (or other forms of extreme sexual
> material) where you buy the rest of your books/ magazines/ newspapers, and
> yet nobody complains about this as a violation of freedom of expression.
>
> It is an accepted norm that broadcasters have a "watershed" (normally
> 22:00) - which separates family viewing from so-callled adult viewing and
> films in cinemas/ theatres carry ages restrictions. In my many years in the
> field, I've never seen this being referred to as a violation of freedom of
> expression.
>
> Likewise, nobody would object if schools searched students' bags before
> entering schools looking for pornographic material - it is seen as a measure
> to protect children and society.
>
> So, whereas controlling child pornography on the internet might raise
> concerns about creating precedents for other types of internet content or
> being overzealously implemented, it is a reality that the anonymity of the
> internet is a contributing factor and therefore solutions must be found. Our
> role as civil society is not to knee-jerk at government decisions, but to
> use our vast and diverse experience to assist/ guide/ steer in finding
> solutions.
>
> So the challenge now is not to oppose the implementation of mechanisms to
> fight child pornography because these infringe on freedom of expression, but
> to use our common, combined and vast experience to offer alternative
> solutions.
>
> Perhaps we must look at mechanisms that allow for parent-controlled
> filters, just as is the case with satellite/ cable pay television. The user/
> parent would have the freedom of using whichever software he/she chose, just
> like we choose the virus/ spam/ adware/ filters that we choose.Internet
> cafes and libraries or other places with public use internet would do the
> same ... perhaps we could have an adults section in internet cafes, just as
> we have the smokers section in restaurants in some countries! ;-).
>
> As for children "producing" their own porn, that is an entirely different
> issue altogether and to call it porn begs the question of whether understand
> what porn is and what adolescent behaviour is - children are doing it for
> the thrill, just like in generations before, others smoked, drank, consumed
> drugs, etc, using something within their reach for shock/ status value among
> their peers. Cellphones and webcams are now part of the arsenal of weapons
> within their reach to impress their peers or establish their credibility
> within the group. So, Joe, they are not perverted - one day they will be
> successful politicians/ businessmen etc, and perhaps might have to face
> having to admit that they ONCE did take part in exchanging nude/ sexual
> material with their peers (just as today politicians/ etc admit to having
> ONCE tried cannabis etc).
>
> Best regards,
>
> Rui
>
>
> 2009/6/17 Nyangkwe Agien Aaron <nyangkweagien at gmail.com>
>
>>
>> I just read this and found it interesting for the caucus group.
>>
>> Quite a great move by the German authorities aimed at securing responsible
>> youth hood.
>>
>> Aaron
>>
>>
>> ============================================================
>>
>>
>> "Germany is on the verge of censoring its Internet: The government - a
>> grand
>> coalition between the German social democrats and conservative party -
>> seems
>> united in its decision: On 18 June 2009, the German Parliament is to vote
>> on
>> the erection of an internet censorship architecture.
>>
>> The Minister for Family Affairs Ursula von der Leyen kicked off and led
>> the
>> discussions within the German Federal Government to block Internet sites
>> in
>> order to fight child pornography. The general idea is to build a
>> censorship
>> architecture enabling the government to block content containing child
>> pornography. The Federal Office of Criminal Investigation (BKA) is to
>> administer the lists of sites to be blocked and the internet providers
>> obliged to erect the secret censorship architecture for the government".
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Aaron Agien Nyangkwe
>> Journalist-OutCome Mapper
>> Special Assistant The President
>> ASAFE
>> P.O.Box 5213
>> Douala-Cameroon
>>
>> Tel. 237 3337 55 31, 3337 50 22
>> Fax. 237 3342 29 70
>>
>> ____________________________________________________________
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>>
>
>
> --
> ________________________________________________
>
>
> Rui Correia
> Advocacy, Human Rights, Media and Language Consultant
> 2 Cutten St
> Horison
> Roodepoort-Johannesburg,
> South Africa
> Tel/ Fax (+27-11) 766-4336
> Mobile (+27) (0) 84-498-6838
> _______________
> áâãçéêíóôõúç
>
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