Iceland thinks of the children, wants to block internet porn

[Syt]

http://gizmodo.com/5984264/iceland-wants-to-ban-internet-porn

Iceland Wants to Ban Internet Porn

"If we can send a man to the moon, we must be able to tackle porn on the internet." Those are the now immortal words of Halla Gunnarsdóttir, the political advisor to Iceland's Interior Minister Ögmundur Jónasson. Iceland wants to block all internet porn.

The Icelandic government believes that, since porn can damage children through computers, game consoles and smartphones, they should just ban it completely from the country's internet tubes. Apparently, making parents responsible for their children education and the materials they are exposed to is not an option and, instead, they want to prohibit every Icelandic citizen to access porn.

Some of their ideas so far:

- block porn IP addresses and

- making it illegal to use Icelandic credit cards to access x-rated sites.

It appears that children in Iceland have credit cards, which may explain their recent economical system collapse.

The move follows a ban on strip clubs, claiming that these violated women rights and were "harmful to society." They claim that both strip clubs and pornography are clearly linked to violent sexual crimes in their country. Halla argues that this move is "not anti-sex," however:

It is anti-violence because young children are seeing porn and acting it out. That is where we draw the line. This material is blurring the boundaries for young people about what is right and wrong.

She believes that parents cannot be held responsible for protecting "our young people. They cannot be with their children all the time and the porn industry actively tries to seek children out." In other words, there's a global porn conspiracy to corrupt children worldwide.

It's ironic that the porn industry started in Scandinavian countries during their sexual revolution in the 60s. While the rest of the world would be in shock at the sight of a nipple, Swedish and Danish porn companies were producing films and magazines, which were viewed by young adults and adults in their home countries and other countries in Europe.

Now, by banning access to internet porn, Iceland will join countries like Iran, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and other temples of democracy widely known to protect women and children rights. [Daily Mail via Telegraph]

[Syt]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/iceland/9866949/Iceland-considers-pornography-ban.html

The government is considering introducing internet filters, such as those used to block China off form the worldwide web, in order to stop Icelanders downloading or viewing pornography on the internet.

The unprecedented censorship is justified by fears about damaging effects of the internet on children and women.

Ogmundur Jonasson, Iceland's interior minister, is drafting legislation to stop the access of online pornographic images and videos by young people through computers, games consoles and smartphones.

"We have to be able to discuss a ban on violent pornography, which we all agree has a very harmful effects on young people and can have a clear link to incidences of violent crime," he said.
Methods under consideration include blocking access to pornographic website addresses and making it illegal to use Icelandic credit cards to access pay-per-view pornography.

A law forbidding the printing and distribution of pornography is already in force in Iceland but it has yet to be updated to cover the internet.

The proposals are expected to become law this year despite a general election in April.

"There is a strong consensus building in Iceland. We have so many experts from educationalists to the police and those who work with children behind this, that this has become much broader than party politics," Halla Gunnarsdottir, a political adviser to Mr Jonasson told the Daily Mail.

"At the moment, we are looking at the best technical ways to achieve this. But surely if we can send a man to the moon, we must be able to tackle porn on the internet."

The proposed control over online access, that mirrors attempt in dictatorships such as China to restrict the internet, is justified as a defence of vulnerable women and children.

"Iceland is taking a very progressive approach that no other democratic country has tried," said Professor Gail Dines, an expert on pornography and speaker at a recent conference at Reykjavik University. "It is looking a pornography from a new position - from the perspective of the harm it does to the women who appear in it and as a violation of their civil rights."

Women and children, the unsung victims of the interwebs. I'm glad Iceland does something about it!

[Martinus]

This is why you should never trust a lesbian.

It beats me why we, gays, even associate with them. We have nothing in common.

[Viking]

This is less shocking than it actually sounds. Ögmundur is a radical lefty in a left of center government. This is his proposal not the government's. His argument is actually all porn should be banned because all women are forced into it by <insert tired radical lefty trope> and porn is being forced onto your kids. The old law didn't prevent people from getting porn and the new one won't either. The only real issue is that this old apologist for leftist totalitarians want to use chinese tech to prevent people from getting at porn, that should be enough to freak the voters out.

[dps]

"Iceland is taking a very progressive approach that no other democratic country has tried," said Professor Gail Dines, an expert on pornography and speaker at a recent conference at Reykjavik University. "It is looking a pornography from a new position - from the perspective of the harm it does to the women who appear in it and as a violation of their civil rights."

While I wouldn't argue that life as a porn star is exactly a good thing for a young woman, and that it probably is harmful in some way to many of them, I'd say the same thing about working in a fast food joint, and I don't see how it's a violation of their civil rights. 

[Martinus]

all porn should be banned because all women are forced into it by <insert tired radical lefty trope>

This is what pisses me off about activists like this. Sure, go ahead, use this trope, but make sure you only ban straight and lesbian porn, motherfuckers.

It's like the people who defend the ban of a hot twin brother-on-brother incest because incest leads to birth defects.

[Liep]

So Faeroe Islanders are religious nuts, Icelanders are puritanists and Greenlanders are alcoholic.

We don't leave our colonies in good shape. How's Trankebar and Skt. Thomas holding up?

[Grey Fox]

Being Anti-Porn is a Right thing!

[Liep]

Being Anti-Porn is a Right thing!

It's not religious here, it's feminism.

[Grey Fox]

When a man says stupid shit to protect women that makes them right. Left feminism is naked women everywhere.

[Viking]

When a man says stupid shit to protect women that makes them right. Left feminism is naked women everywhere.

The femisist argument against porn is that it exploits women and panders to patriarchical fantasies.. as well as the kiddie pron argument that the women are forced into porn against their will.

Feminists are not anti-erection like the puritans, they oppose the oppression/white slavery bit.

[Grey Fox]

Yes and I am saying that doesn't work when a man is saying it. It's vapor & mist to hide the "back in the kitchen" speech.

[Legbiter]

I love feminism, here it's come full circle again, instead of the evil patriarchy we have in Iceland this sort of authoritarian hard-left puritanism that's near indistinguishable from the ethos it was supposed to replace. 

Also, parliament is set to wrap up it's business because elections are coming up so not a chance in Hell this will pass and the political party that that minister belongs to is on course to be wiped out of Parliament. 

[Neil]

Yes and I am saying that doesn't work when a man is saying it. It's vapor & mist to hide the "back in the kitchen" speech.

Sometimes you're like a french-speaking version of Jos, you know?

[Phillip V]

Iceland should never have been bailed out if this is the result.