I am sorry for not writing very much but I am really busy lately. But this piece of news is so important I am just going to link to the commentary I wrote in the blog I have for writing about Spain in more general terms. An statement by the ex-Minister for Industry, Commerce and Tourism, and now candidate for Catalan Autonomous Government, José Montilla, raised some weeks ago protests from websurfers, although, afterwards everything seems to have been silenced.
In it, Mr Montilla, said that, in the new Law for the Impulse of Electronic Society, the Government will be able to:
"prevent Internet access from Spain to international services or contents whose interruption or withdrawal has been decided by some competent organ".
Worrying words, really worrying, because Internet has been and is, nowadays, the real source of democratic opposition to Socialist Government. And the fact that Mr. Montilla did not add if that "competent organ" was going to be judicial or administrative, makes it more shivering. Some people has said it was only a way to test the social answer. Anyway, the law is scheduled to be passed through Congress on the next months. We only have to wait and see -and protest-.
Internet censorship attempts have always been hacked by those living under oppression. It's like someone saying "let's prevent porn on the Internet" and I have to laugh at that, because it's impossible to do so.
ReplyDeletePS - "Strike Three" link in the blog below is not working as of the time I'm posting this, may want to check that out.
I think this is worrying. Internet access can be stifled. From my Web stats, I can see, for example, that Pakistan is already banning access to many parts of the Web. If the Pakistani authorities can do it, then the Spanish authorities could do it, too.
ReplyDeleteThere is no doubt about it, the Web is a worry to many people in power and authority.
I've noticed the thing about Pakistan too, Mark. IBA used to get tons of hits from Pakistan. During the cartoon crisis they dried up completely. In other words, the Pakistani government decided during the cartoon crisis that it would be better that its citizens do not surf American websites.. Actually, IBA is an english website now that I think about it.
ReplyDeleteWhere can I obtain web stats?
ReplyDelete