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The French Government Can Now Censor the Internet

Posted by Soulskill on from the think-of-le-children dept.

Psychophrenes writes "A new episode in French internet legislation — French ministers have passed a bill (original in French) allowing the government to add any website to a black list, which access providers will have to enforce. This black list will be defined by the government only, without requiring the intervention of the legal system. Although originally intended against pedo-pornographic websites, this bill is already outdated, as was Hadopi in its time, and instead paves the way for a global censorship of the 'French internet.'"

4 of 419 comments (clear)

  1. Business as usual by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The business of government only expands in power and revenue throughout its lifetime, never willingly or permanently reducing power or revenue. History has proven this over and over again, to the point where one could argue that the entire objective of government is power and revenue.

    I remain absolutely shocked that the common man doesn't consider this a giant red flag.

    1. Re:Business as usual by IgnoramusMaximus · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Governments are like nuclear power. If left unchecked they will kill a lot of people, screw up the neighborhood for generations and cause loss of standard of living for a lot other people. In the extreme, they can be used as a weapon and cause far more damage yet.

      On the other hand, given enough containment and backup control systems, they can be the most powerful source of help in everyday life to a lot of people.

      So where the challenge truly lies is in engineering such containment and control (see for example: the US Constitution) and then maintaining it. But when citizens willing to fight for their rights to the death are replaced with the likes of lardy American Idol fans, there is simply no one left to look after rusty, sieve-like containment vessels.

      And so, unfortunately, most governments on the planet today are in various stages of performing their Chernobyl thing.

  2. Oops by DoofusOfDeath · · Score: 5, Insightful

    There goes that "Liberté" thing you fought for. Better luck next time.

  3. Re:france sucks by Opportunist · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Right behind the land of the brave, cowering and allowing their leaders to strip them of their liberty over a single terrorist attack that happened a decade ago.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.