Italy’s Dumb “Hurts my Image” Law
If you thought it was only dictatorships that had problems with the Internet, think again. In the democratic world, music and media companies blame the Internet for piracy and loss of their clientele (who wants to pay for a newspaper or a song when you can find the same free online?).
At least one can understand those companies’ gripe with the Internet. What’s harder to understand is the way some democratic countries still can’t come to terms with the fact that the rules of the Internet are/should be/need to be different.
Like take this proposal that the Italian government is considering whereby all websites would need to publish, within 48 hours of the request, a correction of any content that the applicant deems detrimental to his/her image.
That proposal is so idiotic that one doesn’t even know where to begin. For starters, one is not allowed to evaluate if what’s said is correct or not. The only parameter to consider is whether or not some nut job considers it detrimental to his image!
No wonder then that Wikipedia removed its Italian version stating that to “publish on our site the correction as is, provided by the named paragraph 29, without even the right to discuss and verify the claim, is an unacceptable restriction”.
Well done, Italy. I assume that their next target would be the printing press? And I guess it’s too much to ask the Italians to focus on more important issues, like, I don’t know, fixing their debt woes, perhaps?
At least one can understand those companies’ gripe with the Internet. What’s harder to understand is the way some democratic countries still can’t come to terms with the fact that the rules of the Internet are/should be/need to be different.
Like take this proposal that the Italian government is considering whereby all websites would need to publish, within 48 hours of the request, a correction of any content that the applicant deems detrimental to his/her image.
That proposal is so idiotic that one doesn’t even know where to begin. For starters, one is not allowed to evaluate if what’s said is correct or not. The only parameter to consider is whether or not some nut job considers it detrimental to his image!
No wonder then that Wikipedia removed its Italian version stating that to “publish on our site the correction as is, provided by the named paragraph 29, without even the right to discuss and verify the claim, is an unacceptable restriction”.
Well done, Italy. I assume that their next target would be the printing press? And I guess it’s too much to ask the Italians to focus on more important issues, like, I don’t know, fixing their debt woes, perhaps?
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