Japanese Government to Regulate Online Communication

Chris Salzberg writes "The Japanese government made major moves this month toward legislating extensive regulation over online communication. In a series of little-publicized meetings, two distinct government ministries pushed ahead with regulation in three major areas of online communication: web content, mobile phone access, and file sharing. Content regulation will cover anything on the web, including personal blogs and web pages. Upcoming mandatory filtering of mobile phone access is targeted at users under age 18, and will cover chat rooms, forums, bulletin boards and social networking services. File sharing legislation will initially target illegal downloads, but, according to critics, may ultimately broaden to include streaming media from sites such as YouTube."

sony

[anagama (611277)]

Sony must be tickled pink.

Before anyone cries censorship

[dorpus (636554)]

This is a way to make up for the deficiencies of Japan's legal system. Under the present system, people can post anonymously online , often through the "2ch" bulletin board, to make up false accusations about others, post their financial and medical records online, their bank account numbers, spew racist rhetoric, make death threats, etc. Japanese courts have shown no interest in enforcing the egregious violations of other people's rights. At present, there is a whole subculture of professional losers, the "NEETs" in their 20s and 30s who live at home with their parents and don't work, who spend their lives posting this stuff on the web.

Re:Before anyone cries censorship

[Yvanhoe (564877)]

And this is bad how ?

Anonymous accusations have no credibility, it would show some maturity in society to just ignore them instead of suing their anonymous authors.

Anonymous deth threats have no more credibility.

Racist rethoric is, as far as I know, free speech.

Posting of financial and medical records are possible only if someone has made a criminal incompetence in a bank or at a medical database. You should sue them instead.

Re:

[Hognoxious (631665)]

Anonymous deth threats have no more credibility.

Tell that to Benazir Bhutto[1].

[1] Just in case you're American, she was a former prime minister of Pakistan[2]
[2] It's near India.

Re:

[Plutonite (999141)]

O Rly? Big Brother loves you.

If you're a controversial (or at least targeted) political figure then I guess it doesn't make a difference whether or not you get anonymous online threat of assasination, because you are in danger literally every day. 1984-type environments don't solve that, and it is rather naive to think otherwise. If you're not a targeted political figure/notable person and you are getting anonymous death threats online, you should probably ignore them. Or I will kill you.

Also, the OP defeat

Re:

[marcello_dl (667940)]

Besides, people that accept countermeasures acritically can be easily tricked into accepting anything.
You want to own the internet? first let a bunch of loonies roam it spewing falsehoods and bothering people. I guess many of them could be reported to their ISP and blocked before they learn about anonimity. Then, make some media fuss to augment the perceived scope of their actions, and then, legislate for generic censorship to "save the internet".

A real life bad example

[Freaky Spook (811861)]

Just recently in Melbourne a newspaper journalist lifted comments posted on a forum and reported them as fact in a sensationalised article, without confirming or verifying with the authenticity of the comments, when in fact some of the comments on the forum had been made as satire.

This was then published in Australia's highest selling newspaper.

People may write unsubstantiated rubbish, but as soon as some lazy journalist finds it and treats it is fact in mainstream media, it can be very damaging for an indi

Re:A real life bad example

[TapeCutter (624760)]

"Just recently in Melbourne a newspaper journalist lifted comments posted on a forum and reported them as fact."

My guess is it's Andrew Bolt in the Herald-Sun, that guy has perfected willfull ignorance as a political tool.

In Melbourne there are three commercial TV channels, every night of the week two of them run current affairs style programs that are full of advertorials, miracle cures, and other sensationalist bullshit. They are often the prime targets in "Chaser's war on everything" (also from Melbourne).

Re:

[EvilNTUser (573674)]

"Anonymous accusations have no credibility, it would show some maturity in society to just ignore them instead of suing their anonymous authors."

Come on. The whole problem is that society isn't mature. Would you really trust any future employer or potential girlfriend to look up your name and not even think "what if"? If someone did that to me, you bet I'd want to sue them.

While I don't necessarily support this particular legislation, I wouldn't have any problem with the government tracking down user

Re:

[by Anonymous Coward]

First off this is Japan, not the US, so the laws aren't the same, nor is free speech treated the same. Also on this point, don't assume that Japan has as tight of a lock on medical records as the US does.

I will illustrate with an example.

I went to the doctor for a cold. Since I am a foreigner, I have to show my Foreigner Registration Card to see the doctor. This card has my work contact information on it. After my visit was over, the doctor contacted my work and told them I had visited and what I was diagno

Re:

[Macka (9388)]

Anonymous accusations have no credibility, it would show some maturity in society to just ignore them instead of suing their anonymous authors.

So if I were to submit a post accusing you of being a pedophile, siting names, dates, times and places of various misdeeds and degenerate behavior; but did so anonymously, then my accusations would have no credibility? It wouldn't matter that I was making it all up. If I sounded convincing enough for people to believe it then I'd be willing to bet you'd soon chang

Re:

[Nossie (753694)]

heh and your geek card, hand it in on your way out sir ;)

(its a pita ass... I did exactly that the other week there :( )

Re:

[bersl2 (689221)]

And this is a better way to fix the system... how? By having Aniue make sure that neither they, nor anybody else, steps out of line? If the judges won't be responsible, why would any other part of the government be?

Re:

[Chandon Seldon (43083)]

When a government decides what communication is allowed and what communication isn't and then actively prevents disallowed communication, that is censorship. It doesn't matter what the communication is or what excuses are used to justify the policy - government controlled filters are censorship, and censorship is evil.

Re:

[urcreepyneighbor (1171755)]

to make up false accusations about others, post their financial and medical records online, their bank account numbers, spew racist rhetoric, make death threats, etc.

One of these things isn't like the others! ;)

How in the bloody hell can you compare spewing racist rhetoric and posting medical records? If someone from the KKK or Kill Whitey wants to blather on and on about the evil black/white race, let him - it's cheap entertainment. No one with a double digit IQ will take them seriously.

Hell. The Creationist nutjobs are a helluva lot more dangerous than any racist I've come across - but I still would protect their right to make an ass of themselves.

Nonsense. Censorship to close the society.

[by Anonymous Coward]

"This is a way to make up for the deficiencies of Japan's legal system."

Nonsense. Dangerous nonsense.

You don't attack subcultures with censorship. This is about ethnic cleansing before the old guard leaves the Diet. Anyone trying to close a society does the same things, censorship is just one of the steps taken.

It's part of the Lock Down of Japan that is underway. If you don't believe that, you 1. don't live here and 2. don't understand the xenophobia the government is in the process of stoking up.

- Fin

Re:

[jamar0303 (896820)]

And why should any of that be illegal? And if people want to post their financial or medical records they can go ahead and do that- but they should be prepared for the consequences, especially with that medical record data...

Re:Before anyone cries censorship

[A beautiful mind (821714)]

I can post anonymously on Slashdot and say 'Lindsay Lohan has an IQ of 74'

Personally, I'm getting tired of these astroturfers, always spinning the truth to be more favorable for their customer.

Re:

[by Anonymous Coward]

I live on Okinawa, home to the shortest High School school uniform skirts in Japan (and damn proud of it).

Not a day goes by when I don't see some high school girl's underwear (or more when they don't wear them) just by driving to work.

The problem lies with the girls themselves, competing to see who has the shortest skirt, loosest *ahem* socks, etc...

All in all, Japan is not a bad place to live...

Re:Before anyone cries censorship

[by Anonymous Coward]

Why don't you try generalizing 100 million people a little more; I don't think you were quite bigoted enough. "Lolicon" is a subset of manga and anime; in no way is your incredibly broad generalization accurate when it comes to the majority of drawn material of any kind. From my experiences in Akihabara, there is no shortage of street performers and costume play cafe advertisers, but certainly no 12-14 year old girls selling photobooks of themselves that I saw in 3 months of near daily visits.

I'd stop taking everything you hear reported in sensationalist or biased media at face value before you go off Japan-bashing.

Re:

[am 2k (217885)]

Maybe the only difference to European/American society is, that they're doing it out in the open? There have been a few arrests for child porn in my area lately, and from the things that are said about those, they just replaced public places like train stations with more private ones. You can't "cure" pedophiles by telling them that it's forbidden.

Besides, I couldn't care less about children seeing other (drawn) children their age naked.

I am going to join

[Martian_Kyo (1161137)]

MIAU [miau.jp] just cause of it's name.
From what I read, I kind of skimmed over the article, this is more of internet regulation law, then internet censorship law. I think some from of such law should exist.

Green grass and fences.

[by Anonymous Coward]

"The Japanese government made major moves this month toward legislating extensive regulation over online communication. "

Hmmm. Is this the point were everyone brags at how much better broadband is overseas?

Advice for all governments

[sakdoctor (1087155)]

Use the AskSlashdot section of this site to find out if your hair brained IT scheme is feasible before suggesting it or spending any money on it.

However

[Blice (1208832)]

The Japanese government will NOT be regulating Gundam content.