Slashdot Mirror
South African Government Issues Plans To Censor Internet
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.
South Africa is essentially a one party state. South African political parties are not defined by what they stand for, but for who they stand against. Until that changes, the ANC will win every election, regardless of how ineffectively they govern.
People that call for more government control are always going back and saying "but we didn't mean THIS!"
People that call for less government control are also always going back and saying "but we didn't mean THIS!"
There's no reason to be ashamed of not making perfect choices, the only things that should be written in stone are gravemarkers.
And even then, sometimes there are errors on those that need to be fixed.
Trust me. A government can keep the lower class down. They can tax us into oblivion, and take away most of our freedoms and we'll take it in stride. Take away the porn though, and the peasants will burn this bitch down.
"People who think they know everything are very annoying to those of us who do."-Mark Twain
Their Bill of Rights is very broad, covered in Chapter 2 of their constitution. Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer in any country, and this was my first time even reading their constitution, but it seems pretty obvious that it won't allow censorship of the internet.
Section 16: "Everyone has the right to freedom of expression, which includes [...] freedom to receive or impart information or ideas"
Section 32: "Everyone has the right of access to any information held by the state; and any information that is held by another person and that is required for the exercise or protection of any rights"
Depending on implementation, if might also breach Section 14: "Everyone has the right to privacy, which includes the right not to have [...] the privacy of their communications infringed" ... I kinda want this bill of rights in my own country. Gotta say, it looks pretty nice.
It is a decent constitution, not perfect, but decent. However, the ruling party has enough of a majority to change that. The big issue is they are running scared because various unpopular policies are fast eroding voter support. Africa still hasn't got the hang of democracy quite yet, and they think that controlling the media will perhaps allow them to control votes.
With regards to censorship, this will likely land in the constitutional court and be struck down. Other things have. Either that or you won't see me on /. again until I get myself a nice anonymizing proxy. Good thing I don't use my real name here. :P
I have determined that my sig is indeterminate.
Mandela was a ... MARXIST ...
According Wikipedia, South Africa's post-apartheid economy was mostly shaped by the World Bank's trickle-down theories:
The early ANC envisioned a more socialist South Africa, but this was unpopular with businessmen, foreign politicians, and the established media. For example, Mandela strongly supported nationalizing banking, mining, and monopolies, but was forced to change this goal due to pressures from stock traders and international economic entities like the World Bank. The World Bank encouraged the new South African government to promote the growth of the private sector, which trickle-down economics theory proposes will create jobs that will alleviate poverty.
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
Yeah because there has been no talk of censoring the internet in the free world in any way whatsoever for the last few months...
MS, ALS, Aphasia ? http://globability.org - Me http://einarpetersen.com
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.
Control is regulated by information and the access to information. Those who allow themselves to give up access to information give up their ability to determine their own destiny.
In years past, the elite weren't just the financially powerful but those with the greatest control over and access to, information (points at the medieval elite and Roman Catholic church use of Latin as an example).
It was only the elite that could read and write. It was only the elite that had books. It was only the elite that were educated. With the advent of industrialisation, the drones needed more information to function, and so education became desirable. Even then, the access to information was restricted.
The rise of journalism, allowed people to know about their leaders and power brokers in ways that were previously unavailable. Even then, there were strict controls over the flow of information.
With the wide spread availability of the web, those restrictions were wiped away to a greater extent, and governments and power brokers have been attempting to curtail that flow ever since. People need to at least acknowledge how important the free flow of information is to their ability to pursue their freedoms, otherwise that access to information and the pursuit of those freedoms will be lost.
Governments need to inspire, be honest, and educate their populaces, instead of trying to dumb them down and put them back into the corner. Leading people by hiding what you do and how you do it is no longer an acceptable way of getting what you want.
Governments should not tell people what they are allowed to know. Attempting to categorise all information, in an information age, is simply unattainable. People must ultimately take responsibility for the information they receive, not leave it to others to make that decision on their behalf. We are not children. If they allow others to make those decisions, they won't ever get to know what they don't know. They are lost.
If the legislation is created in one country, how much easier is it to copy it to others? We have seen this with the "three strikes" policies. We have seen it with the "war on terror" eavesdropping legislation. We've seen it with the "think about the children" memes demanding controls over the kinds of information that can flow. I feel the general population is sleepwalking their way into another dark age of control being out of their hands. Their education has failed them. They don't understand technology enough to know what their freedoms depend on. It is seriously depressing.
When will we learn not to confuse trolls with facts?
Pain is merely failure leaving the body
Calling someone both "Godless" and "Satanic" is a contradiction in terms.
Il n'y a pas de Planet B.