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Demonstration against Internet censorship
Sisällysluettelo |
Location and time
- Helsinki, Finland; Tuesday March 4, 2008
Schedule
- 12:30 PM Gathering in front of Kiasma
- 12:45 PM March from Kiasma to the Parliament House (Eduskuntatalo)
- 01:00 PM The demonstration begins in front of the Parliament House
Statement
The National Bureau of Investigation, a Finnish law enforcement agency, is censoring the Internet from Finnish citizens using the blocking of child pornography sites as an excuse. The NBI maintains a secret list of sites which Internet Service Providers are then encouraged to block voluntarily. It has also been suggested that should these voluntary countermeasures not be implemented widely, the censorship would be made mandatory by law.
This practice of preventive censorship violates section 12 of the Constitution of Finland. Furthermore, as there is no judicial oversight, law enforcement is given autonomy that violates the principles of constitutional democracy. The secrecy of the censorship process is also contrary to the ideal of government transparency.
The Police have already abused their covert authority by censoring sites that do not contain child pornography, including a Finnish site criticizing this specific implementation of censorship.
Blocking sites does not prevent the abuse of children or the distribution of child pornography, it merely puts the problem out of sight. Our demands are as follows:
- The blocking of Internet traffic must cease, as it does not serve any purpose, is unconstitutional and violates the freedom of expression.
- The Police are to take actual measures to shut down sites that distribute child pornography.
Press Contacts
Anton Tamminen (given-name.surname@sensuuri.info, phone: +358 40 823 6807, after 10 PM GMT)
Kaj Sotala (given-name.surname@sensuuri.info, phone: +358 40 824 9335)
Organizers
Esko Niiranen
Topi Toosi
