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Italy Wants to Restrict Blogs
nx writes "Italy wants to restrict bloggers' rights by forcing everyone to register their blogs, pay a tax and have a journalist as a "responsible director". This law is clearly designed to curb critical voices and free speech, although it has yet to be approved by parliament."
[Every country in the world] wants to restrict entrepreneurs' rights by forcing everyone to register their businesses, pay taxes on undistributed and phantom profits, and get a license for all activities that compete with politically-powerful groups. The law is clearly designed to curb competition with government monopolies and free association, although it has yet to be approved by its legislature.
I just wish y'all would worry about economic regulation *before* it starts getting applied to World of Warcraft and blogging.
Apology to Ubuntu forum.
I expect blogs to be taxed and licensed almost everywhere, eventually. We can't have people saying things critical of the governm....errr...I mean, we can't have people saying anything offensive. Will someone please think of the children????
My blog
So, what is the definition of a "blog" anyway?
Slashdot social media options: AIM, ICQ, Yahoo, Jabber and Mobile Text. Why no MySpace?
Does Italy have some sort of registration/licensing of journalists or periodicals? Are their already laws in place that force professional, mainstream journalists to be "responsible"?
It might go against my USian belief in free speech, but I'd have a hard time arguing against this law if its merely placing blogs & websites under the same scrutiny as other publications. OTOH, I see enforcement of the law as a colossal failure waiting to happen.
my sig's at the bottom of the page.
Like all laws in Italy which are unpopular and/or unenforceable they will be totally ignored by law-enforcement and people alike...
Although I'd be surprised if this law makes it through parliament without being heavily diluted, or at all...
There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face - Ben Williams
This law is clearly designed to curb critical voices and free speech, although it has yet to be approved by parliament."
That's one interpretation, yes, and in fact a good one. Nevertheless, it shouldn't be there. Linking to a blogger with strong opinions about the issue is one thing, but could we at least avoid biased summaries? The summaries are supposed to be about news, not opinion. If I wanted one-sided views, I'd read Digg.
Give us the story, facts-only. Let us decide if it's an assault on free speech. Allowing the reader to come to that conclusion on their own is far more powerful and effective.
I'm guessing links to articles with different opinions would be too much to ask for.
It seems like every day we get closer and closer to changing the name of the planet from Earth to "The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics"
The game.
The proposed law has very little change to pass unaltered,
or pass at all, most of the ministers already have dissociated
themselves from the law and various parties on the parliament
will not vote the current form.
Pretty dumb, this demonstrates that the governement don't read
their own laws, since the proposal was voted unanimously.
Also, this is not the first time: the preceding government tried
the same trick (registration of all news related site with very
vague terms) but resulted in the same outraged response and the
law being trashed.
It was cleared but at current state the law is dangerously vague,
it not need to be 'explained' it need to be corrected to be more
explicit.
Fortunately this seems the route that will be taken, corrections
to avoid any misinterpretations.
Italy seems to have this vicious circle about it when it comes to these sort of things, huh.
Marcos Eliziario wrote:
"And if a law needs clarification"
It's not a law, it's a proposal. There is a huge difference. It still has to go through several steps.
Hmmm, "essential services" ? I don't seem to recall the fire fighters in my local jurisdiction being paid out of taxes. In fact, the local pool for the firefighter is all volunteers and donations, taxes go to pay cops to give speeding tickets.
Local population "education" isn't worth the cash and never was or will be.
Warren Buffet is smart enough to have plenty of physical wealth. What he uses to make a profit isn't what he uses for physical assets. In the end, what you cannot get during a "bank panic" is what you "don't have".
I'm sure I'm a kook to you. And a good thing it is, too.
" What luck for rulers that men do not think" - Adolf Hitler
AlbertoP and the other one above citing corriere.it article are forgetting how facts actually evolved:
1) Draft law has been approved October, 12th
2) First on-line concernments exploded October, 19th
3) Asked about that, Mr Levi first replied: "It's not up to the government to establish that. It'll be for the Communications Authority to indicate with regulations, which people and which companies will have to register. And the regulations will arrive only after the law has been discussed and approved by the Lower House." - in other words "I don't care too much about what could happen to web sites and blogs. Eventually, someone other will fix (later) what i'm breaking (now)."
4) After many politicians expressed serious concern about the draft, and literally menaced to leave the government coalition (see: Antonio di Pietro's Blog - October, 20th) Mr Levi suddenly "changed opinion", releasing the interview AlbertoP refers to, in date October 23rd!!
So, the REAL STORY is:
Mr Levi has been caught with hands in the jam and immediately changed opinion. Wouldn't have been so, we in Italy were going to be mass-censored - exactly as posted by nx!
Cheers, Feanor.Last point.... my properties are generally far enough that short of a nuclear blast , I do not, and would not require ANY of their so called "essential" services, and even IN the case of said blast, I wager I can survive longer hiding in my basement and washing my veggies than living in a concentration camp or "safety zone" as they call it.
There is honestly NOTHING that government does that could not be BETTER handled by a local business or a local coalition. Monolithic government as an entity, instead of a PACT between NEIGHBORS is nothing short of criminal... it drains resources, accomplishes little short of its own propagation, and ends up harming everyone involved, with the exception of those who cannot enjoy life without controlling others, who invariably end up at the helm of said monolithic government entity.
gotta go, lunch awaits
" What luck for rulers that men do not think" - Adolf Hitler