Berlusconi plans to use G8 presidency to 'regulate the internet', page 1

Berlusconi plans to use G8 presidency to 'regulate the internet'

www.theregister.co.uk

Italian president and media baron Silvio Berlusconi said today that he would use his country's imminent presidency of the G8 group to push for an international agreement to "regulate the internet".
Berlusconi didn't explain what he meant by "regulate the internet", but the mere mention of it has prompted dismay among Italian commentators. Berlusconi owns swathes of the Italian mass media.However, the governments of industrialised nations have been ramping up their rhetoric against internet cont

(visit the link for the full news article)

The UK has introduced new laws and revived arcane ones to clamp down on extremist websites and niche pornography. Australia is busy implementing filters.

Alex Jones has been talking about how this is coming to America also.

One thing, everyone has to understand - is if the government does implement any filtering of the internet - they will take sites down that they deem content they do not like.

A site that might meet that criteria?: ATS - due to the fact - memebers here trying to disclose the truth ......

It has already happened in other countries:
China
Australia
UK
Italy (if Berlusconi - gets his way)
Cuba
Various South American countries

This is not just "communist" type nations doing this, in fact leading the way - are industrialised nations - that are suppose to have "FREE SPEECH".

The reality is our "Free Speech" has been slowly but surely eroding over the last few years.

Look at the various people that have been arrested (RNC convention and other places) just for having sit ins and standing with signs - carrying out peaceful free speech events.

Beware - it really is coming to the U.S., once that happens - will we all be blocked out of ATS?

www.theregister.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

reply to post by wayno

---

I am replying to myself because I don't thing I got it right saying "one of the few real freedoms we have left".
Obviously its not one of the last freedoms we have.
What it is, is one of the most powerful venues of free speech there is at the moment. Mainstream TV and newspapers are obviously not free. They are biased with a strong agenda that has to do with the well being of the corporate world, not the person on the street.
People can write books and independent newspapers but those media have limited readership.
The internet is available to an ever wider audience every day. While the corporate world have their internet propaganda sites up, so do lots of non-corporate entities and independent thinkers - individuals no less.
This is better than any other tool of democracy because in the end every single person could theoretically have their say.
The wide mix of opinions is enlightening; harmful only to those who would rather have it their way, and only their way.
The great majority of the public can be trusted to decide for themselves which opinions are worthy of consideration, and which to disregard.
Down with censorship

[edit on 4-12-2008 by wayno]

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