Iceland considers pornography ban

[Will E Worm]

Iceland considers pornography ban


Iceland could become the first Western democracy to attempt censorship of the internet under radical proposals to block online pornography.

The government is considering introducing internet filters, such as those used to block China off form the worldwide web, in order to stop Icelanders downloading or viewing pornography on the internet.

The unprecedented censorship is justified by fears about damaging effects of the internet on children and women.

Ogmundur Jonasson, Iceland's interior minister, is drafting legislation to stop the access of online pornographic images and videos by young people through computers, games consoles and smartphones.

"We have to be able to discuss a ban on violent pornography, which we all agree has a very harmful effects on young people and can have a clear link to incidences of violent crime," he said.

Methods under consideration include blocking access to pornographic website addresses and making it illegal to use Icelandic credit cards to access pay-per-view pornography.

A law forbidding the printing and distribution of pornography is already in force in Iceland but it has yet to be updated to cover the internet.

The proposals are expected to become law this year despite a general election in April.

"There is a strong consensus building in Iceland. We have so many experts from educationalists to the police and those who work with children behind this, that this has become much broader than party politics," Halla Gunnarsdottir, a political adviser to Mr Jonasson told the Daily Mail.

"At the moment, we are looking at the best technical ways to achieve this. But surely if we can send a man to the moon, we must be able to tackle porn on the internet."

The proposed control over online access, that mirrors attempt in dictatorships such as China to restrict the internet, is justified as a defence of vulnerable women and children.

"Iceland is taking a very progressive approach that no other democratic country has tried," said Professor Gail Dines, an expert on pornography and speaker at a recent conference at Reykjavik University. "It is looking a pornography from a new position - from the perspective of the harm it does to the women who appear in it and as a violation of their civil rights."

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Freedom?

This is what big government does. Time to fix that.

"It is looking a pornography from a new position - from the perspective of the harm it does to the women who appear in it and as a violation of their civil rights."

What about the harm being in the military does to people? So, no more military?

What about people being in low wage jobs? No more low wage jobs?

 

[sean miguel]

Boo.

Note to self: don't move to Iceland.

 

[rivasky]

What about the harm being in the military does to people? So, no more military?

Iceland is however the only NATO member which maintains no standing army,

Will the Icelandic penis museum have to close? :crying:

http://www.phallus.is/

 

[luis1972]

It has no sense...

 

[huppenkothen]

That's no 'progressive approach' but an inquisitory one. What kind of democracy is Iceland?

 

[dominoxxx]

It's a violation of my civil rights to not let me watch or be part of pornography!

 

[Smallville22]

It's a violation of my civil rights to not let me watch or be part of pornography!

:dito:

 

[288gto]

:dito:

icelanders, fight for your rights!!!

 

[BlueBalls]

Good for them.

 

[Sam Fisher]

Fuck 'em!

 

[PirateKing]

This would never happen in AMURICA!

 

[tartanterrier]

I don't think they would give a shit considering it's that expensive to do anything there.So humping is probably their
most popular pastime,as it's free :stir:

 

[Mr. Daystar]

That's probably because in Iceland, it's not a multi BILLION dollar industry, that single handedly enables internet providers to offer their product for less then a thousand dollars a month.

 

[gumbyisraw954]

It's not about big government vs small government. It's about government that respects the rights and freedoms of the individual (in this case, respecting an adult's freedom to look at adult pornography) while also serving toward the public interest (ie: environment, healthcare, etc)

 

[lezinterracial]

"Iceland is taking a very progressive approach that no other democratic country has tried," said Professor Gail Dines, an expert on pornography and speaker at a recent conference at Reykjavik University.

Expert on pornography? I gotta say that some of the folks here in the "identify the babe" section should claim that title.

 

[Cthulhu.fhtagn]

The Internet is for Porn, if they want to block porn, they had better shut off the Internet.

 

[JaanaRuutu]

Iceland has done a lot of things right over the past four years: this is not one of them.

 

[Cthulhu.fhtagn]

Iceland has done a lot of things right over the past four years: this is not one of them.

What do you mean? That this news is a hoax, or that someone took what one crazy politician said and made it look like all other politicians were doing the same? I know the press likes to do that, we had once a brazilian congressman that proposed that Brazil should build nukes, and some idiots elsewhere posted it as "Brazil plans to build nukes"

 

[Doc Scurlock]

Expert on pornography? I gotta say that some of the folks here in the "identify the babe" section should claim that title.

How does one become an expert on pornography? Do you have to go to school for that?

 

[Cthulhu.fhtagn]

How does one become an expert on pornography? Do you have to go to school for that?

The funny answer is that yes, you have. Pornography is an important (maybe _the most_ and the oldest) aspect of human culture, and it must be studied like any other aspect of culture.

How does one become an expert on, say, Rock & Roll? It's not just by downloading rock clips from Censuratube. An expert must have specific knowledge (reading the mags, etc) but also a generic knowledge about what is Culture and a deep understanding of humanity's psychology, etc.