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South African Government Issues Plans To Censor Internet

Posted by Soulskill on from the not-learning-from-the-mistakes-of-others dept.

An anonymous reader writes: The South African department of communications is sitting on a draft paper drawn up by the local Film & Publication Board, which proposes strict regulation of the internet within in the country in order to bring online publishing inline with that of DVD, video and terrestrial TV ratings. The proposals are being called censorship and unconstitutional, and include plans to criminalize anyone who publishes material online — including uploading videos to YouTube — who doesn't pay a licence and submit to vetting by FPB agents.

3 of 82 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Blah blah blah. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Interesting

    People that call for more government control are always going back and saying "but we didn't mean THIS!"

  2. Are you surprised? by einar.petersen · · Score: 3, Interesting

    How different is this from the childish and immature attempts if the Indian government to attempt censoring the BBC documentary just a few days ago on a world wide scale. Truth is that so called governments in many so called democratic countries are scared beyond comprehension and are feverishly trying to put the genie that the internet is back into the bottle for the internet allows the public to expose the lies and manipulations they engage in on a global scale instantly to billions at the time. All free people if South Africa must stand up to this sort of censorship as must the rest of the world. For it is through free open and uncensored communication we can win back the freedom that these types are trying to pry from us under different guises. I wish you find the courage to send this proposal back into the landfill of oppression from where it was dug up and dismiss the types that have come up with the proposal from their job. For they have forgotten that it is you they serve and not the other way around!

    --
    MS, ALS, Aphasia ? http://globability.org - Me http://einarpetersen.com
  3. Just send your cat videos. by marka63 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The way to defeat stupid laws like this is for everyone to actually send everything they intend to upload to the ratings board then to complain when you don't get a rating back in a timely manner to their representative.