Slashdot Mirror
Canadian MP Calls For ISP Licenses, Content Blocks
An anonymous reader writes "A member of Canada's ruling Conservative party has pledged to "clean up"
the Internet with new bill that would mandate ISP licensing,
know-your-subscriber rules, and allow the government to order ISPs to
block content. ISPs that fail to block would faces possible jail time
for the company's directors and officers."
They tried this crap here in Australia a few years ago. Banned gambling sites so we all now send our casino $$s to Barbados. Right now there is a push to force ISPs to use content filtering, in fact the Fed Govt has a tender out now to evaluate effectiveness or otherwise of filtering technology. The more they try to muzzle the Internet public, the more foolish they look.
It's always disturbing to see things like this, but this is nothing to worry about. The bill is a "private member's bill". That means that her party isn't interested. Even worthwhile private member's bills that would receive a lot of support if sponsored by the party have little chance of passage. Furthermore, she isn't a prominent member of the party. It's very unlikely that this bill will go anywhere.
Some lowlights: So if I let my flatmates share my internet connection, that makes me an ISP without a licence? Which makes telling a paedophile to get help an offense. On the upside, this could cut down on some of the vigilantism.
Apparently, they will to be able to block material "that promotes violence against women"
I'm wondering about material that promotes violence against men. Or, hey, why not violence against people. Or, better yet, they could simply stop walking the authoritarian path of banning everything that moves and poke fun at people who promote violence against [insert group of your choice here] instead. People rarely want to emulate individuals who are widely derided.
Oh, sorry, poking fun requires wit. The folks who want these kind of laws only have half of what is required.
"Cursed is he who rises early in the morning..." Isiah 5:11
Especially the bit about violence against women (but not against men) being grounds for a license to be revoked. And the bit about censoring my access to information.
The internet loses value if we start filtering it. Granted there are laws that prohibit sexual exploitation (of minors) and violence against anybody, but this is not a reason to give anybody such a high level of control over our (not mine, not his, not yours, but our) medium.
I don't think this will make it through as law... I hope. But I worked as a Legislative Page for a while, and you'd be amazed what gets voted on.
Yet another attempt to curb criticism on governments? How can we protest or criticize when we are no longer anonymous ? I don't mind spewing vitriolic comments on slashdot under my account because IRL I remain anonymous. It wouldn't surprise me if this legislation is being pushed under the guise of protecting us from evil terrorists and child pron. I'd rather have those in need of such protection be kept off the net than exposing everyone's private information to government officials. To be honest, I don't trust any govt to have its people's best interests as their first priority.
We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in Canada, we shall fight on the LAN's and WAN's, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the fibre, we shall defend our Internet, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the Servers, we shall fight on the Routers, we shall fight in the DNS and in the Backbones, we shall fight in the Computer Rooms; we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Internet or a large part of it were subjugated and censored, then our Industry beyond the 'Net, coded and staffed by the Valiant Geeks, would carry on the struggle, until, in God's good time, Internet2, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old."
that a good portion of internet traffic is encrypted, and that ISPs cannot know what is contained within it? How can an ISP living under this bill possibly coexist with encryption? And if we outlaw encryption, how can we possibly compete on the global marketplace?
And because it hasn't been said yet; it's violence against women and child porn now; but before the ink on this bill dries, it will be turned toward copyright enfringers, and peole who promote the end of marijuana prohibition.
GENERATION 26: The first time you see this, copy it into your sig on any forum and add 1 to the generation.
It just amazes me that a generation of politicians whos parents grew up fighting WWII seem to want to emulate the Nazi's as much as they can get away with. It's not just Canada, it's everywhere.
There is a war going on for your mind.
In other words, a backbencher trying to catch some limelight.
Please move on, nothing to be seen here.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
If I am mistaken, please enlighten me and show me exactly where explicit violence targeting women (i.e. beating, raping, torture, etc) is promoted in The Bible.
...
"Suppose a man marries a woman,
and says, "I married this woman;
but when I lay with her, I did not
find evidence of her virginity."
If, this charge is true, that evidence
of the young woman's virginity was
not found, then they shall bring the
young woman out to the entrance
of her father's house and the men
of her town shall stone her to death."
Deut 22:13-21