EU to vote on total porn ban; Internet freedoms at risk

[nsane.forums]

In a severe threat to online freedoms in the region, the European Parliament is set to vote in the next week on "a ban on all forms of pornography in the media."

The European Parliament will vote next Tuesday on a report that could lead to a blanket ban on pornography in any forms of media, not limited to advertising, television and radio, but also the Web.

In the process, it could have a wide-ranging implications for freedom and expression in the 27 member state bloc.



Titled "Eliminating gender stereotypes in the EU," the report is on the face of it would allow the EU to help secure the rights for those across the gender spectrum, particularly women, who are objectified and those in regions where gender roles are "shaped and imposed" by social influences, such as in the media and education.

While the report states that there is an "increasingly noticeable tendency... to show provocatively dressed women, in sexual poses" it also notes that pornography is becoming mainstream and is "slipping into our everyday lives as an evermore universally accepted, often idealised, cultural element."

But if adopted, the opinion formed by the lawmakers would seemingly go against the grain of Europe's fundemental human rights, and could lead to the infringement of certain civil liberties in the 500 million strong population.

Christian Engström, Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Pirate Party, said on his blog that the "devil is in the detail." He warned that the wording in older resolution from 1997 could lead to "statutory measures to prevent any form of pornography in the media."

Dutch MEP for the Socialist Party, Kartika Tamara Liotard, tabled the report in the European Parliament's Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM) late last year.

In one section of the new report, Liotard calls on the European Union to enforce a blanket ban on pornography in the media of the the 27 member states, which could also include online pornography.
The report says:

17. Calls on the EU and its Member States to take concrete action on its resolution of 16 September 1997 on discrimination against women in advertising, which called for a ban on all forms of pornography in the media and on the advertising of sex tourism.

The scope of "the media" has for years been ill defined and vague at best, but the report specifically includes Internet-related activities. And because the bill encompasses "any media," the belief is by Engström that this will also include the Web, social networks, emails, and even include the photos that European citizens upload.

As Engström notes: "To a certain extent, the exact meaning on this proposed ban on pornography is unclear, since neither the 1997 resolution nor the text we will be voting on next week contains any definition of what is meant by 'in the media'."

The report goes on:

14. Points out that a policy to eliminate stereotypes in the media will of necessity involve action in the digital field; considers that this requires the launching of initiatives coordinated at EU level with a view to developing a genuine culture of equality on the internet; calls on the Commission to draw up in partnership with the parties concerned a charter to which all internet operators will be invited to adhere;

The wording suggests that while Internet service providers may not be forced to comply with the principles of the report, it could give these companies 'policing rights' over their customers, similar to the "six-strike" rule in the U.S. relating to online piracy.

Point 14 also suggests that any kind of sexual content on the Web, such as on open platforms like Twitter, could also be eventually ruled out. Legislation at best can be vague and does not always specify exactly what the bill intends to do.

The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) in the U.S., for instance, are two fine examples of how specific and yet so vague some laws can be. In the case of FISA, U.S. authorities have a secret interpretation of the data snooping and wiretapping law, which has yet to be released to the public in an unredacted form.

Worryingly for principles governing the freedom of the press in the region, the report calls on all 27 countries in the EU to create regulatory bodies that could ultimately control and punish the media and companies that use discriminatory advertising, for instance.

19. Calls on the Member States to establish independent regulation bodies with the aim of controlling the media and advertising industry and a mandate to impose effective sanctions on companies and individuals promoting the sexualisation of girls;

This initiative report, which will be voted on is not a draft legislative measure, though it is a report to suggest that legislation should be in the future drafted and voted on.

While at this stage it is merely an opinion formed by a vote in the parliament, this is one of the first ways in which a new draft law could serve as a basis for the European Commission to propose such laws. The European Parliament would then bring it to a vote that could then see the draft ratified into law.

View: Original Article

[xpmule]

brutal what the hell is the world coming to ?

These stupid douche bags should remember places like Egypt and people like ANON.

Screw with people and you will pay !

[Snowdrop]

Rather, if they really do want to "to eliminate stereotypes in the media", blatant favouritism by the law should be the first to go. This is really just another attempt to censor the internet. Good riddance!

[ffi]

Nothing really surprises me anymore these days, the EUSSR is just plain evil. Just last month they released plans to only allow approved journalists to work in the EUSSR, ones who reported favorably on the EUSSR....

[Lyon275]

Shadowx needs to see this :lol: :troll:

[ffi]

Shadowx needs to see this :lol: :troll:

All EUSSR "citizens" (of course there really are no EUSSR citizens as the EUSSR is an illegal usurper) need to see this and all dutch citizens need to sign the petition demanding a referendum on the EUSSR, here: https://www.burgerforum-eu.nl/ although, in the last referendum 2/3rd of the Netherlands said no to the EUSSR and that vote was completely ignored

[Shadowx]

Shadowx needs to see this :lol: :troll:

U Mad Thoo

[Lyon275]

Shadowx needs to see this :lol: :troll:

U Mad Thoo

:lol: :P

[camor]

shit!

[Marik]

porn ban....like that's gonna happen

what's wrong with fapping every now and then?

we're animals and need to satisfy our most basic need...the need to eat, drink, sleep and F**K! :troll:

remove anyone of them and it's srs bsns son :fight:

[dcs18]

Hmmmm . . . . . . . . . . . . . lemme guess - law against development of stronger hands. :think:

[BBs]

Haha how do they come up with senseless things like this always instead of doing something useful :)

[Server]

this might be tough one, sex sells too much money involved

[Alhaitham]

if they do ban it, the Europeans should consider this

from Spring Breakers movie

[dcs18]

BTW, next week most of us are gonna look like violated virgins for being so strung up - it's not gonna happen (seen this kinda hue & cry - dozens of times.)

Happy weekend, folks - have a fappin' time.

[SnakeMasteR]

European Parliament censors citizens trying to contact MEPs

Next week the European parliament will be voting on a resolution to ”ban all forms of pornography in media”. After this information became known to a wider audience, many citizens have decided to contact members of the European parliament to express their views on this issue.

This is absolutely excellent. Citizens engaging actively in the democratic process is a very positive thing, at least in my opinion. Before noon, some 350 emails had arrived in my office.

But around noon, these mails suddenly stopped arriving. When we started investigating why this happened so suddenly, we soon found out:

The IT department of the European Parliament is blocking the delivery of the emails on this issue, after some members of the parliament complained about getting emails from citizens.

This is an absolute disgrace, in my opinion. A parliament that views input from citizens on a current issue as spam, has very little democratic legitimacy in my opinion.

I will be writing a letter to the President of the European Parliament to complain about this totally undemocratic practice.

In the meantime, please continue to email members of the parliament on both the issue of the porn ban and on any other issue that you feel that you want to bring to the attention your elected representatives. Citizens taking active part in the political process is a fantastic asset for a democratic system, not a spam problem.

I am very disappointed that some of my colleagues in this house evidently have a different opinion.

Source

[ffi]

I strongly urge people to ignore their MEPs, doing so would affirm the legitimacy of the power of the EUSSR, and in stead speak with their own MPs.

[davhag]

America's Deadly Addiction

[Toshiro]

I hope they ban it.. the internet will give them punishment they deserve.

Cut our pornlegs and we'll grow many more instead :lol:

[ffi]

Toshiro are you dutch, if so did you already sign the petition?

[shajt]

:medic:

[SnakeMasteR]

:lol: :lol: :lol:

[davhag]

If they have a very conservative Pope that comes from Europe. I think a lot of trade sanctions will be applied to America and we all might be hurting here in the USA. Aparrently Europe is one of our biggest trading partners. We cannot afford more job loss here. Makes me wonder why O went to Germany on his big Campaign tours, then to Egypt after his Election to the Prez. Makes me wonder sometimes who is actually running this country???????

[Toshiro]

Toshiro are you dutch, if so did you already sign the petition?

si

[RadioActive]

So, pornography translates to "freedom" these days? Gimme a break!