Slashdot Mirror
Japanese Government to Regulate Online Communication
Chris Salzberg writes "The Japanese government made major moves this month toward legislating extensive regulation over online communication. In a series of little-publicized meetings, two distinct government ministries pushed ahead with regulation in three major areas of online communication: web content, mobile phone access, and file sharing. Content regulation will cover anything on the web, including personal blogs and web pages. Upcoming mandatory filtering of mobile phone access is targeted at users under age 18, and will cover chat rooms, forums, bulletin boards and social networking services. File sharing legislation will initially target illegal downloads, but, according to critics, may ultimately broaden to include streaming media from sites such as YouTube."
This is a way to make up for the deficiencies of Japan's legal system. Under the present system, people can post anonymously online , often through the "2ch" bulletin board, to make up false accusations about others, post their financial and medical records online, their bank account numbers, spew racist rhetoric, make death threats, etc. Japanese courts have shown no interest in enforcing the egregious violations of other people's rights. At present, there is a whole subculture of professional losers, the "NEETs" in their 20s and 30s who live at home with their parents and don't work, who spend their lives posting this stuff on the web.
MIAU just cause of it's name.
From what I read, I kind of skimmed over the article, this is more of internet regulation law, then internet censorship law. I think some from of such law should exist.
"The Japanese government made major moves this month toward legislating extensive regulation over online communication. "
Hmmm. Is this the point were everyone brags at how much better broadband is overseas?
Use the AskSlashdot section of this site to find out if your hair brained IT scheme is feasible before suggesting it or spending any money on it.
Just recently in Melbourne a newspaper journalist lifted comments posted on a forum and reported them as fact in a sensationalised article, without confirming or verifying with the authenticity of the comments, when in fact some of the comments on the forum had been made as satire.
This was then published in Australia's highest selling newspaper.
People may write unsubstantiated rubbish, but as soon as some lazy journalist finds it and treats it is fact in mainstream media, it can be very damaging for an individual or business.
"This is a way to make up for the deficiencies of Japan's legal system."
Nonsense. Dangerous nonsense.
You don't attack subcultures with censorship. This is about ethnic cleansing before the old guard leaves the Diet. Anyone trying to close a society does the same things, censorship is just one of the steps taken.
It's part of the Lock Down of Japan that is underway. If you don't believe that, you 1. don't live here and 2. don't understand the xenophobia the government is in the process of stoking up.
- Fingerprinting (and if you don't give them they are "forcibly" taken, then you are deported... what does "forcibly" mean when the government uses that term?)
- Random "Gaijin Ca-do Checku" (dirty foriegner passport or residency cards are randomly checked by cops... usually as you're trying to board a train making you late)
- New Visa rules (which aren't clear)
- Black vans with police protection broadcasting "Foreigners go home" from loudspeakers waking me up in the morning...
I'd love to stay... they want everyone non-japanese to leave. And they want all foreign influence and opposition crushed.
The Japanese government will NOT be regulating Gundam content.
I read the article and after you get passed the first part and down to the "steps" listed you will see that there are several different issues here, but no laws (that I can tell).
1) The web.
For the web content it looks like they want to be able to filter at will anything the independent body deems "harmful" but don't forget that they will have to prove its harmful and be able to justify their decisions. I am sure that they will see a lot of input from the educational institutions and rights groups on this. One would also note (as did the article) that this doesn't apply to private personal communications (which I take to mean email, chat, voip, etc). And don't forget Japan has a court system too, if this does become law it will see challenges to it. Also this seems to be just a report or recommendation at this point and is not a bill or a law and (according to the article) has not yet been proposed as a bill.
2) Mobile phone filtering for persons under 18.
If you read through this it is clear this was enacted because of parents concerns. Though filtering was available before it was not well advertised and very rarely used. This order (the article doesn't say its a law) just requires the filtering to be on by default and the owner of the phone (usually the parents) can request it (the filtering) to be disabled. So if the parent has a problem with there child's mobile web access being filtered they can just request it be turned off.
3) File Sharing.
This is at the behest of the RIAJ (Recording Industry Association of Japan). They are just doing the same thing as the RIAA. From my take on the article it looks like they are using the same reasoning and justifications as the RIAA have done, and I doubt they will be anymore successful.
So from what I can tell there are no laws or proposed bills yet (other then possibly the mobile phone web filtering, anyone know if this is a law or just a decree?) and there are groups out there speaking against them. They are using the public comments system and voicing their opinion. If you are a Japanese citizen or permanent resident and you have a problem with it voice your opinion about it too. But don't claim it to be more then it is. This same stuff has come up in the US before too, remember the war on porn anyone? Just don't forget that there will be plenty of opposition, after all we know what the internet is for. ;)
~Petaris "The world is open. Are you?"