Discover the Truth about Christmas

Organization For Web Standardization Censored In Finland

Posted by yassin on 28 September, 2008 - 02:56 in

w3c World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the international consortium for WWW-standards on the Internet has ended up on the child pornography blacklist maintained by the Finnish police. Anyone who tries to access it through at least the Finnish ISP 'DNA' gets an announcement stating that “access to this site has been denied based on the law against distribution of child pornography (1.12.2006/1068)”.

The law on Internet censorship that came into effect in Finland at the end of 2006 gives Finnish police the authority to maintain a blacklist that Finnish ISP:s can use. The law was heavily criticized for only trying to sweep the problems out of sight. The list, maintained by officials, is not controlled by any level of court, is impossible to keep up-to-date, and easily blocks access to fully legitimate sites. The addresses of the blocked sites are not public information, although they can be examined by testing. Among other things, the list contained a memorial website devoted to the Princess of Thailand, and a Finnish site that openly criticizes the blacklist. The possible financial losses due to unfounded blacklistings are not compensated by anyone.

This fresh incident is an addition to the hapless history of the blacklist. W3C, which was founded in 1994, is an international organization with the mission to create shared standards for the world wide web. The site is used as reference material by vocational schools and universities, as well as by IT companies. The censorship of the W3C-website for suspicion of distributing child pornography is absurd in every way, and insults the reputation of one of the most important standardization organizations in the world.

The Pirate Party of Finland considers this further evidence that the blacklist does not work as intended, and as a very concerning symptom of the updating practice. “If the website of a large, well-known and significant organization can end up blocked, is there any reason to believe that some smaller and less known sites doesn’t share its fate? Based on experience so far, none whatsoever”, states the announcer of the party, Kaj Sotala. Blocking the W3C-website shows us that despite promises made by the government, updating of the list is not any more reliable now than what it was before.

The Pirate Party of Finland appeals to the Finnish government to stop wasting valuable public resources with child protection as an excuse. The blacklist does not stop the distribution of child pornography in any way, and children’s rights are a far too valuable thing to be used as a means to collect cheap political points.