Berlusconi plans to use G8 presidency to 'regulate the internet'

The Register ^ | 3rd December 2008 | Chris Williams

[CE2949BB]

Italian president and media baron Silvio Berlusconi said today that he would use his country's imminent presidency of the G8 group to push for an international agreement to "regulate the internet".

Speaking to Italian postal workers, Reuters reports Berlusconi said: "The G8 has as its task the regulation of financial markets... I think the next G8 can bring to the table a proposal for a regulation of the internet."

Italy's G8 presidency begins on January 1. The role is taken by each of the group's members in rotation. The holder country is responsible for organising and hosting the G8's meetings and setting the agenda. Italy's last G8 presidency in 2001, also under Berlusconi, was marred by riots at the annual meeting in Genoa.

Berlusconi didn't explain what he meant by "regulate the internet", but the mere mention of it has prompted dismay among Italian commentators. Berlusconi owns swathes of the Italian mass media.

The left-wing newspaper L'Unita wrote: "You can not say that it is not a disturbing proclamation, given that the only countries in the world where there are filters or restrictions against internet are countries ruled by dictatorial regimes: those between China, Iran, Cuba, Saudi Arabia."

La Stampa reports Italian bloggers are planning to protest against any move by the president to tighten government control over the web tomorrow. They plan to display anti-Berlusconi banners on their websites.

Any G8 move next year to "regulate the internet" led by Berlusconi is likely to attract criticism. He has often been accused of using his power to try to silence dissent. He lost a long-running libel battle against The Economist earlier this year after it said he was not "fit to run Italy" and was this week suing American critic Andrew Stille for defamation*.

However, the governments of industrialised nations have been ramping up their rhetoric against internet content they view as unacceptable. The UK has introduced new laws and revived arcane ones to clamp down on extremist websites and niche pornography. Australia is busy implementing filters. ®

*The New York Times published a timely summary on Monday.

[the invisib1e hand]

from the man who wanted to “suspend world markets until the rules can be rewritten....”

He needs to go back to his chalet in the Alps or wherever and sip some red wine.

[BenLurkin]

“You can not say that it is not a disturbing proclamation, given that the only countries in the world where there are filters or restrictions against internet are countries ruled by dictatorial regimes: those between China, Iran, Cuba, Saudi Arabia.”

[JoJo Gunn]

ping

[ButThreeLeftsDo]

Come get some, spaghetti boy......

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

He might be an Absinthe drinker!

[familyop]

Fascism is as bad as communism.

[familyop]

Benito Berlusconi...kinda has a ring to it.

[JerseyHighlander]

He wants total control of all media, just as the Brasilian political and military mafia controls all media in the Amazon states.

 

 http://www.ketupa.com/berlusconi.htm

overview

This profile considers the media holdings of Silvio Berlusconi, Italian politician, and his family.

It covers -

• introduction
• the group
• structure
• the man
• studies

[the invisib1e hand]

been reading an interesting history of wwii intelligence. keywords re. nazi tactics: propaganda, terror, information, deception.

not that this is news, but that the words recur so frequently as to describe a theme.

keywords re. british defense: information, chutzpah, will.