Italian police blocks tumblr domain
The Italian police imposed on 13 February 2013 the blocking of domain
name 25.media.tumblr.com, which was actually one of the Amazon cloud
computing server that contains all the images loaded on the tumblr
website. The domain blocking was based on an alleged child pornography
content on the site. This domain name blocking was lifted one day later.
Therefore, for two days, the Italian visitors could not see many
images hosted on tumblr website, unless they knew how to add
alternative name servers in their computer.
CNCPO (National Centre for the Fight against Online Pedopornography) is
the Italian agency which manages a black list of websites deemed to host
child pornographic material. Any website suspected by the police of
containing such type of content is added to this list, on the basis of
evidence, without previous court authorization. Further on, ISPs are
notified to block access to the related domain. Later jurisdictional
review is however admitted.
For the domain name in question, the measure has led to lots of licit
content being blocked as well, besides the deemed illicit content. This
is yet another case which brings into discussion the entire question
of the proper measures to fight online child pornography.
European ISPs, digital rights groups as well as IT specialists have been
arguing, for a long time now, that website-blocking is not an
appropriate instrument against child pornography first of all because,
technically, it can be easily circumvented. Moreover, web-blocking would
only lead to collateral, significant damages due to blocking access to
licit content uploaded in the same website.
Fight against online paedo-pornography: to-do and not-to-do list
(15.02.2013)
http://radiobruxelleslibera.wordpress.com/2013/02/15/fight-against-online-paedo-pornography-to-do-and-not-to-do-list/
Tumblr targeted by the Italian anti paedo-pornography (only in Italian,
14.02.2013)
http://punto-informatico.it/3717068/PI/News/tumblr-nel-mirino-dell-anti-pedoporno-italico.aspx
Screenshot of the blocked domain
Also Tumblr is a victim of CNCPO (only in Italian, 14.02.2013)
http://blog.bofh.it/id_430