| This
message is forwarded from the newsgroup
"uk.politics.censorship".
From:
Yaman
Akdeniz, 27
August, 1998 Press
Release LEEDS
- Today the Leeds based Cyber-Rights &
Cyber-Liberties (UK) published the second
in the series of its Who
Watches the
Watchmen
reports. The new report entitled as
"Accountability & Effective
Self-Regulation in the Information Age" is
available through the organisation's new
web site at http://www.cyber-rights.org.
This new report describes the new
developments since the publication of the
initial Who
Watches the
Watchmen
report in November 1997 in a critical and
analytical way; provides assistance to the
government agencies for the review of the
Internet Watch Foundation; and reviews the
IWF consultation document on rating
systems. Mr.
Yaman Akdeniz, director of the
organisation stated that: "November
97 seems like a long time ago but there
has been so many developments that another
report was needed to create public
awareness of what the government is up to
with Internet regulation within the UK.
This report is ironically rated 18 as its
conclusions may 'deprave and corrupt' the
readers and regulators and may lead them
to take a more liberal approach into
Internet regulation." |
2. This
second report questions the current
solutions offered at various forums such
as the development of rating and filtering
systems and further the report suggests
that these may not be the real answers and
solutions for the existence
problems. Professor
Clive Walker, deputy director of
the organisation stated that: "A
clear and present danger to Internet
liberty arises from the terms on which
self regulation is made available to the
individual. The Who
Watches the
Watchmen
report explains that danger. Government
censorship has not gone away but is
perhaps becoming more subtle and
insidious." Yaman
Akdeniz added that: "Government
inspired and enforced pre-censorship is no
more different than government-imposed
censorship. Such restrictions and complex
regulations would make Britain, like any
other jurisdiction that goes too far, a
very hostile place for network
development."
Notes for the
Media The new home of
Cyber-Rights & Cyber-Liberties (UK) is
at http://www.cyber-rights.org
but until a complete move is completed,
the pages will continue to be available
through http://www.leeds.ac.uk/law/pgs/yaman/yaman.htm Cyber-Rights
& Cyber-Liberties (UK) is a non-profit
civil liberties organisation founded on
January 10, 1997. Its main purpose is to
promote free speech and privacy on the
Internet and raise public awareness of
these important issues. |
3.The
Web pages have been online since July
1996. Cyber-Rights & Cyber-Liberties
(UK) started to become involved with
national Internet-related civil liberties
issues following the release of the DTI
white paper on encryption in June 1996 and
the Metropolitan Police action to censor
around 130 newsgroups in August 1996.
Cyber-Rights
& Cyber-Liberties (UK) recently
criticised the attempts of the
Nottinghamshire County Council to suppress
the availability of the JET Report on the
Internet. Cyber-Rights
& Cyber-Liberties (UK) covers such
important issues as the regulation of
child pornography on the Internet and UK
Government's encryption policy.
The
organisation provides up-to-date
information related to free speech and
privacy on the Internet. Cyber-Rights
& Cyber-Liberties (UK) is a member of
various action groups on the Internet and
also a member of the Global Internet
Liberty Campaign (see http://www.gilc.org)
which has over 30 member organisations
world wide. In
November 1997, Cyber-Rights &
Cyber-Liberties (UK) launched a new report
entitled, Who
Watches the
Watchmen,
on the implications of the use and
development of rating systems and
filtering tools for the Internet content.
The report insists that the debates on
regulation of Internet-content should take
place openly and with the involvement of
public at large rather than at the hands
of a few industry based private
bodies. | 4. In
February 1998, Cyber-Rights &
Cyber-Liberties (UK) produced the Global
Internet Liberty Campaign member statement
which criticised the possible introduction
of "key escrow" or "key recovery" systems
for the regulation of encryption services
in the UK. The statement signed by 22
organisations world-wide concluded that
"mandatory key recovery policies would
make Britain a second-class nation in the
Information Age." This
press release is available through
http://www.cyber-rights.org/press/ The
second Watchmen report is available at:
http://www.cyber-rights.org/watchmen-ii.htm The
initial Watchmen report (November 97) is
available at: http://www.leeds.ac.uk/law/pgs/yaman/watchmen.htm See
also the Cyber-Rights &
Cyber-Liberties (UK) CensorWare pages for
further information at http://www.leeds.ac.uk/law/pgs/yaman/censorware.html Right
to Reply: Your comments and views on the
Internet Watch Foundation Proposals for
Developing Rating Systems for the Internet
at a UK level at http://www.leeds.ac.uk/law/pgs/yaman/right-to-reply.html Mr
Yaman Akdeniz Address: Centre For Criminal
Justice Studies, University of Leeds, LS2
9JT. E-mail: [email protected]
Urls: http://www.cyber-rights.org
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/law/pgs/yaman/yaman.htm
 |
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