CyberLaw Blog

Archive for October 18th, 2009

CoE – Recommendation 1855 (2009) – The regulation of audio-visual media services: (Council of Europe)
The Parliamentray Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) points out that media regulation must respect freedom of expression and information. Technological change in the audiovisual media has made it necessary to revise the European Convention on Transfrontier Television (ECTT), whose aim is to ensure freedom of transmission and retransmission of broadcasting in Europe regardless of frontiers. It proposed that the current revision of the ECTT should respect this freedom, define the ‘public service mission’ of audiovisual media services and re-examine the role of the Standing Committee with regard to its supervisory function over compliance with convention obligations and arbitration. PACE also proposed that measures should be taken to address the allocation of radio-frequency spectrum following the analogue switch-off of broadcasting in many countries as well as the independence of national regulators for the audiovisual media sector.

(Via QuickLinks Update.)

CoE – Recommendation 1882 (2009) on the promotion of Internet and online media services appropriate for minors:: (Council of Europe)
In a recommendation, the Parliamentary Assembly calls on the member states to increase protection for minors who use Internet and online media services, particularly through the use of parental filter systems. PACE also urges the member states to support the creation of secure, restricted-access networks which filter content harmful to minors and comply with codes of conduct. In addition to technological solutions, the Assembly favours measures to raise public awareness, focusing on the risks and opportunities for minors using Internet and online media services. It also recommends that the Committee of Ministers work towards ensuring greater legal responsibility of Internet service providers for illegal content, and that it call on the member states which have not yet signed the Convention on Cybercrime and its Additional Protocol to do so without delay

(Via QuickLinks Update.)

JP – Japan hit over child porn: (Japan Times)
The head of UNICEF has condemned Japan’s laws on child pornography, saying the country is falling behind global standards and is guilty of spreading illegal material abroad. ‘Japan and Russia are the only two G8 countries that do not ban civil possession of child pornography,’ Ann Veneman, executive director of UNICEF, the U.N. body that campaigns for children’s rights, said at a news conference at the group’s Tokyo branch.

(Via QuickLinks Update.)

EU – More action needed to fight spammers and protect online privacy, says Commission: (RAPID)
The European Commission has repeated its call for EU countries to do more to tackle online privacy threats to the public. A Commission-funded study found that although in recent years several EU countries have taken some measures to enforce Europe’s ban on spam, including fines for spammers, the number of prosecuted cases and sanctions imposed on lawbreakers vary considerably. The study confirms the need for the legislative improvements proposed under the reform of the EU’s Telecoms rules: clearer and more consistent enforcement rules and dissuasive sanctions, better cross-border cooperation, and adequate resources for national authorities in charge of protecting citizens’ online privacy.

(Via QuickLinks Update.)

The Twitter storm that saved freedom of speech: “

But not exactly, not really…

Comment So was it Twitter what won it? Yesterday, in the wake of a flurry of Twitter and blogosphere outrage, the ’super-injunction’ banning the Guardian (and, we should note, everybody else) from reporting details of a parliamentary question effectively collapsed. ‘A few tweets and freedom of speech is restored,’ the Graun itself said, while Tory blogger Iain Dale claimed: ‘Let there be no mistake. This would not have happened without the online engagement through various blogs and Twitter which has happened over the last 18 hours or so.’…

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(Via The Register – Public Sector.)

Home Office backs down on net censorship laws: “

Small ISPs escape IWF filters

The government has abandoned its long-standing pledge to force 100 per cent of internet providers to block access to a list of child pornography websites.…

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(Via The Register – Public Sector.)

Reporting bans may lose their power in Twitter age says expert after Guardian ban is lifted: “The editor of a newspaper which was banned from reporting on the tabling of a question in Parliament has thanked the users of micro-blogging service Twitter for their role in what he called a ‘victory for free speech’.”

(Via OUT-LAW News.)

Proposed age law for online retail faces Parliamentary scrutiny: “A proposal that will force online retailers to take extra steps to ensure that young people cannot buy or access inappropriate goods or material will move one step closer to becoming law on Monday.”

(Via OUT-LAW News.)

UK should do more on spam and spyware, says EU report: “The UK is not doing enough to deter spammers and combat the use of malicious computer code to damage users’ computers, according to a study commissioned by the European Commission.”

(Via OUT-LAW News.)