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Irish Domain Registry Banning Adult Domains
Karate Sid writes "An Irish adult website has blogged about the Irish domain registry banning adult domain names, including porn.ie and pornography.ie. The IEDR's reasoning is that the words 'porn' and 'pornography' are offensive and immoral. Of interest is how Sex.ie took legal action against the IEDR — and proved that neither word is offensive — yet still lost the case, as the IEDR are the highest authority in Ireland when it comes to deciding what is and isn't an offensive domain."
Not sure about that one. How about creamp.ie?
Real Daleks don't climb stairs - they level the building.
And yet it seems that nobody's registered usefirefoxinsteadof.ie.
Real Daleks don't climb stairs - they level the building.
Really. Who gives a shit? Nobody should.
[snip]
It's still a government trying to tell its people what words they should and should not see, which is censorship and something to notice and oppose.
I give a shit, precisely because it's not government performing these actions. I get worried whenever an autonomous body takes it on itself to be an arbiter of public morals, and even the courts refuse to step into the fray.
I've a number of personal reasons for finding this particular story interesting. My parents and extended family are Irish, and some of them have been fighting for a generation against the reactionary inclinations of some elements of Irish society. (That's half the reason I was born in Canada.) This sanctimonious approach to 'dirty' subjects is typical of the kind of thing that makes even a polite discussion about morality nearly impossible. How can you talk about something if you can't even use the word that most aptly describes it?
Second, I'm coordinating work on the creation of a governance mechanism for a ccTLD in the developing world. Society here is very conservative in nature, and this is exactly the kind of object lesson we need to learn from.
You may not find this an interesting or enlightening topic, but those of us who care about the places where technology and society intersect find stories like this fascinating, challenging and yes, definitely news for nerds.
Crumb's Corollary: Never bring a knife to a bun fight.
If it offends you, don't type it into the damned address bar.
It's still a government trying to tell its people what words they should and should not see, which is censorship and something to notice and oppose.
The irish constitution has some dangerous weasel-wording in it around that area. Lately it's been taken that european/international human rights law trumps more problematic aspects of the constitution, and it's important to remember that basically no sane irish person takes mere human law entirely seriously in the first place, but it just isn't particularly wonderful as constitutions go. May still better than still being ruled by the British I guess (I mean just look at Jacqui Smith...)...
6. 1. The State guarantees liberty for the exercise of the following rights, subject to public order and morality.
i. The right of the citizens to express freely their convictions and opinions.
The education of public opinion being, however, a matter of such grave import to the common good, the State shall endeavour to ensure that organs of public opinion, such as the radio, the press, the cinema, while preserving their rightful liberty of expression, including criticism of Government policy, shall not be used to undermine public order or morality or the authority of the State.
The publication or utterance of blasphemous, seditious, or indecent matter is an offence which shall be punishable in accordance with law.
Choice of masters is not freedom.
you forgot the following classics:
Real Sluts 9
and
Provisional Lollipops 3
and
Continuity Blondes 4