Scandinavian and UK ISPs has recently implemented domain filters that are supposed to block CP sites so surfers can't access them. In cooperation with local police and child protect organization(s). And listen to this: the filtering is not based on an investigation leading to a court order, but the police has been given simple power to judge the websites and then updating lists, send them to ISPs which handle the technical part. If the website is "suspicious" the surfer gets redirected to a message like this (both in local and english language:
Take note of the "may contain" !
Blocking access to obvious CP sites is fine, but the problem is that they also filter sites in the greyzone. One of the major ISPs even states in an interview that "they have a zero tolerance policy for CP and consequently filter all sites - including sites in the greyzone". (the article with interviews is here, in danish though: http://www.computerworld.dk/art/33173?a=fp&i=1 )
This kind of practice has been under heavily critisism by legal experts, three most important:
- First of all, by filtering sites based on a judgement without a court order, is censoring rather than a concrete legit investigation.
- Second, the replacement message signals that the owner run a pedo site, without even a trial..... NOT good, if you are innocent and your whois is public.
FEW DAYS AGO THE WORST THING HAPPENED:
A danish website, which had no CP and not even contained something that looked like teen niche, was "wrongly" filtered, resulting the owner look like a pedo. His info was public in whois. After complaining he got no response back, before he got in touch with the media to tell his story. Now, how far out is that? Then the police admitted the "error" and apologized... yeah, right.. we are not talking about car tickets here!
From the interview above, both ISP and police comment the responsibility, and the police chief say its the ISPs task to decide which sites to close, and opposite the ISP says its the polices task... make up your mind
And... if this is common incompetent practice, is not the outrageous "effectiviness" of their filters and the shocking high numbers of surfers trying to "access illegal sites", as they have published in Scandinavia and UK medias on their intro weeks, just a bunch of bullshit??
Not to mention what the surfers are exposed to in hundred thousands of homes??
------
Anyway, this has concerned me from the beginning. Not that they filter the illegal sites, but the way they do it, and that innocent webmasters are punished.
I can also inform you that several TGPs out there, no matter the country/domain, are now filtered. I have refused trade requests because of this and I have been forced to drop a trade. Even if I know for certain that there are nothing illegal. Its not underage sites, but teen sites, what they call the greyzone. I informed one of the trades, and after 2 months he finally got whitelistes...there were nothing illegal after all... just proving that the above case was not the first "error" as they tell the media.
Most of you do not have significant traffic from Scandinavia/UK, but if this kind of practice and ISP policy spread to other countries, it will be a major problem for the entire industry. You dont really know which country is blocking what, because its not an international filter either.
If your traffic from these countries has dropped alot for you, maybe you have an idea why now....
Text in english:
According to Section 235 of the Danish Criminal Code it is a criminal offence to disseminate, possess or for a payment to become acquainted with child pornography. The maximum penalty can in certain cases be imprisonment for up to 6 years.
The National High Tech Crime Center of the Danish National Police, who assist in investigations into crime on the internet, has informed, that the internet page which your browser has tried to get in contact with may contain material which could be regarded as child pornography.
On recommandation of The National High Tech Crime Center of the Danish National Police we have blocked the access to the internet page. If you have any objections against the internet page being blocked, please contact ---.
Information on criminal conduct on the internet may be passed on to the National High Tech Crime Center of the Danish National Police.
According to Section 235 of the Danish Criminal Code it is a criminal offence to disseminate, possess or for a payment to become acquainted with child pornography. The maximum penalty can in certain cases be imprisonment for up to 6 years.
The National High Tech Crime Center of the Danish National Police, who assist in investigations into crime on the internet, has informed, that the internet page which your browser has tried to get in contact with may contain material which could be regarded as child pornography.
On recommandation of The National High Tech Crime Center of the Danish National Police we have blocked the access to the internet page. If you have any objections against the internet page being blocked, please contact ---.
Information on criminal conduct on the internet may be passed on to the National High Tech Crime Center of the Danish National Police.
Blocking access to obvious CP sites is fine, but the problem is that they also filter sites in the greyzone. One of the major ISPs even states in an interview that "they have a zero tolerance policy for CP and consequently filter all sites - including sites in the greyzone". (the article with interviews is here, in danish though: http://www.computerworld.dk/art/33173?a=fp&i=1 )
This kind of practice has been under heavily critisism by legal experts, three most important:
- First of all, by filtering sites based on a judgement without a court order, is censoring rather than a concrete legit investigation.
- Second, the replacement message signals that the owner run a pedo site, without even a trial..... NOT good, if you are innocent and your whois is public.
FEW DAYS AGO THE WORST THING HAPPENED:
A danish website, which had no CP and not even contained something that looked like teen niche, was "wrongly" filtered, resulting the owner look like a pedo. His info was public in whois. After complaining he got no response back, before he got in touch with the media to tell his story. Now, how far out is that? Then the police admitted the "error" and apologized... yeah, right.. we are not talking about car tickets here!
From the interview above, both ISP and police comment the responsibility, and the police chief say its the ISPs task to decide which sites to close, and opposite the ISP says its the polices task... make up your mind
And... if this is common incompetent practice, is not the outrageous "effectiviness" of their filters and the shocking high numbers of surfers trying to "access illegal sites", as they have published in Scandinavia and UK medias on their intro weeks, just a bunch of bullshit??
Not to mention what the surfers are exposed to in hundred thousands of homes??
------
Anyway, this has concerned me from the beginning. Not that they filter the illegal sites, but the way they do it, and that innocent webmasters are punished.
I can also inform you that several TGPs out there, no matter the country/domain, are now filtered. I have refused trade requests because of this and I have been forced to drop a trade. Even if I know for certain that there are nothing illegal. Its not underage sites, but teen sites, what they call the greyzone. I informed one of the trades, and after 2 months he finally got whitelistes...there were nothing illegal after all... just proving that the above case was not the first "error" as they tell the media.
Most of you do not have significant traffic from Scandinavia/UK, but if this kind of practice and ISP policy spread to other countries, it will be a major problem for the entire industry. You dont really know which country is blocking what, because its not an international filter either.
If your traffic from these countries has dropped alot for you, maybe you have an idea why now....
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