Help [digg] against: internet censorship law proposal in Israel

I’ve been reading and writing about this insane law proposal for internet censorship by the ultra-orthodox Israeli party shas which passed the initial voting stages in the Israeli knesset. The proposed law requires from the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to block adult content-based sites (sexual, gambling and violence) from children. The ISPs will require some biometric means of identification for adults, in addition to a personal password, as a means to verify one’s age. The current law proposal does not state who claims which sites will be blocked, and technology will be used by the ISPs for this sort of identification. In one of their meetings, it was suggested that for an additional monthly fee, ISPs would offer their customers means to block “harmful” content, when and if requested. There are so many problems that come up. For instance, how and who decides which content is violent or sexual. How problematic it is if all the ISP’s in Israel hold a white list of every user’s personal information. If this content can be censored, what is the next stage? Perhaps blocking all sites that deal with evolution?I think it is clear to everyone that there is no way this law will actually pass in Israel. But it is super important to have clear and strong resistance. I also believe it is utterly important to explain why, and propose possible solutions => like media education for parents or suggesting to place computers in the living room of a home instead of a child’s private room.

Israel is a country surrounded by walls; physically and virtually – they are everywhere. But I strongly believe that walls do come down when people get together and discover their common grounds. Then it is possible to minimize the differences and appreciate a shared sense of community. The web gives us this ability to leap over walls, penetrate through political boundaries and connect as human beings. The tools we have in our hands carry the potential to empower people to choose to make a difference and not live with the silent acceptance anymore.

Everyone is extremely cynical in Israel because it helps when dealing with the hardships of daily life. In an excerpt from his recent post, Jonathan Klinger, spokesperson for the Israeli Bloggers Coalition against the Censorship Statute, explains why it even more important to help in this struggle:

During the last week we have been working intensively on arranging an opposition in the Parliament for the Statute by grouping Internet reporters, Legal Experts, Bloggers and Industry Leaders. However, the absence of an Israeli EFF is an obstacle. We do not have the financial backing to stop this, and we do not have sufficient influence on political decisionmakers.

I will follow up on the ways in which the community decides to battle against this statute. In the meanwhile, you can all start by digging his article.