France obtained ISPs support in blocking illegal sites

(Dieser Artikel ist auch in deutscher Sprache verfügbar)

French Interior Minister Michel Alliot-Marie announced on 10 June 2008 that
the French state had come to an agreement with the French ISPs to block
sites carrying pedophilic content or content related to terrorism and
racial hatred. “We can no longer tolerate the sexual exploitation of
children in the form of cyber-pedophilia. We have come to an agreement:
the access to child pornography sites will be blocked in France. Other
democracies have done it. France could wait no longer” said the minister.

The plan will be put into force in September by the creation of a blacklist
on the basis of information received from Internet users on sites that carry
offensive material. Internet users will be able, via a platform, to signal
offensive content. A decision will then be taken on whether the respective
sites should be included on the blacklist that will be sent to ISPs that
will then block them. Sites found to contain illegal content will be
referred to justice.

According to Alliot-Marie, France will pass on, via Interpol or Europol,
information regarding sites found offensive that are hosted in other
countries. The minister said this plan was not intended as a Big Brother of
the Internet stating she believed in the “fundamental liberty that is
Internet access.” She also expressed her hope that France’s upcoming
presidency of the European Union will be a chance to coordinate efforts
between countries so as to avoid useless duplicated efforts in blocking
offensive sites.

In view of creating the platform for the signalling system, the French
Family State Secretary Nadine Morano paid a study visit to Oslo, Norway
where the police has had such a system since 2004. “The public forces are
obliged to organize the security on the Internet. The Internet, is a
fabulous as well as disastrous tool with which danger is in the house”, was
Morano’s opinion.

Among other countries having already implemented similar measures there are
UK, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Canada and New Zealand and on 10 June, a
similar deal with ISPs was also announced in the United States where three
service providers Verizon, Sprint and TimeWarner Cable have agreed with New
York state officials to block child pornography sites.

French to block porn, terror, hate web sites (11.06.2008)
http://news.smh.com.au/technology/french-to-block-porn-terror-hate-web-sites-20080611-2oop.html

The ISPs will have to filter pedo-pornographic sites (only in French,
10.06.2008)
http://www.zdnet.fr/actualites/internet/0,39020774,39381639,00.htm

France has in view blocking access to pedophile sites before 2009 (only in
French, 13.06.2008)
http://www.lemonde.fr/web/depeches/0,14-0,39-35824819@7-37,0.html