Even More Restriction For German Internet 330
tikurion writes "It's only been a few weeks since the law dubbed Zugangserschwerungsgesetz (access impediment law) was passed in the German Parliament despite over 140,000 signatures of people opposed to it. The law will go into effect in mid-October 2009. Now Minister for Family Affairs Ursula von der Leyen implied in an interview that she is planning on extending the reach of the law, claiming '...or else the great Internet is in danger of turning into a lawless range of chaos, where you're allowed to bully, insult, and deceive limitlessly.' More on golem.de via Google translate (here is the German original)."
This is not the US you know (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:" I say Freedom " (Score:4, Interesting)
My favourite pet theory is that it (restrictions&cameras everywhere etc.) boils down to preparing for a time when essential resources (water, probably energy) will be scarce indeed.
The fight for freedom has started.
No. The majority of those who will be affected is either struggling for food (so called 3rd world), a 'better' life (e.g. China) or is too stupid (decadent) to realize (eu, us).
CC.
Re:4chan (Score:1, Interesting)
There is no law specifically against swearing at goverment emploeyees. There just isn't. It's a myth.
Re:4chan (Score:5, Interesting)
I suppose Germans don't value free speech as much as the Americans.
"Brett Bursey" [wikipedia.org] learned the hard way what the price can be for exercising your "right" to free speach in the USA.
Freedom != freedom (Score:3, Interesting)
Freedom means different to different people. To a lot of people in the world "freedom" is not a religion, but just something that is nice to have, sometimes. I don't expect the Freedom Fanatics to understand this, let alone accept it, but it is true none the less. I also expect to get modded down for saying so - by those very "Freedom Fighters".
So, to a majority of Germans it makes sense - it seems very clear that the internet has indeed already become a cesspit with a very few gems floating around in it. To a lot of people the rather abstract benefits of "freedom of speech" are simply not important enough to outweigh more mundane concerns, like not being harrassed by the idiots that seem to dominate everything on the internet.
The internet is indeed a powerful tool for communication and it can be used to promote freedom and bring valuable information to everybody and so on. But there is a huge difference between the freedom you enjoy in a society where people treat each other with respect and dignity, and the freedom you have in a lawless wilderness, where you can expect every person you meet to be an enemy. I know which one I'd choose.
Re:4chan (Score:4, Interesting)
You're mostly correct, except it wasn't the Germans themselves who did it. It was the Allies, then still occupying Germany, who imposed most of those restrictions as the required condition of Germany becoming a free independent state again.
Am I alone in thinking that this seems rather ironic? The countries that traditionally valued freedom disallowing the very same freedom in a conquered country? (However, most of these so called "freedom loving" countries are now devolving into fascist regimes in their own right.)