Iceland Considers Pornography Ban (first Western democracy to block online porn?)

Telegraph UK ^ | 13 Feb 2013 | Staff

[Mrs. Don-o]

The government is considering introducing internet filters, such as those used in China, 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.

The proposed control over online access...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 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."

[Mrs. Don-o]

Porn opponents say they are taking it from a "new" perspective, "from the perspective of the harm it does to the women who appear in it and as a violation of their civil rights."

As far as I know, that's not new: societies have long been concerned about protecting women and children (and young males, for that matter), because of the links between "transgressive" sexual entertainment, and, well: transgression.

It will be argued that arousal/stimulation doesn't impact attitudes and behavior.

Really?

Advertizing doesn't ramp up demand?

Arousal patttern training doesn't affect arousal pattern?

All those billions of dollars to Madison Avenue are for nothing, because exciting visual stuff doesn't fuel what people consider exciting or desirable? It has no impact on what people want to have or get, or how they want to have it or get it?

A conversation-starter.

[Mrs. Don-o]

LJ, you have mail.

[Perdogg]

I am glad we have a 1st Amendment to protect us against this silliness.

[Rennes Templar]

A ban on not attending church would be more helpful.

[GeronL]

Sounds like an idea worth considering

[mkboyce]

It’s in the dead of winter up there...lack of sunshine makes people do screwy things.

[JRios1968]

Obviously the Icelanders didn't see this...

[Perdogg]

Do you really want the Govt controlling an Internet filter?

[GeronL]

I definitely don’t think we should go the other way and legalize kiddie porn like pervertland Japan

[CitizenUSA]

In before the, “This thread is useless without pics!” comment.

Seriously, advertising works. So does porn. It serves a purpose, to entertain and stimulate. That raises several questions: Is the stimulation from porn good or bad?

If it’s bad, does government have the right to ban or control it? What if a community wants to permit it?

If government has a right to ban or control porn, how does one effectively do that without affecting other harmless information. For example, would filtering stop the picture of a nude woman? What about medical journals? Art?

[Perdogg]

Please answer my question, do you want a US Gov agency to control what we view on the internet? Kiddie porn is already illegal and should remain so.

[Little Ray]

While it is a nice thought, all it would achieve would be to create a new, profitable, black market.

[Lazamataz]

Porn made me the man I am today. I have a heaping helping of porn for breakfast, a light porn snack, then a healthy porn lunch, a midday porn pick-me-up, then some serious close up hard-core porn for supper.

Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn Porn

[kabumpo]

I dont think it’s silly.

[Strategerist]

If it’s bad, does government have the right to ban or control it?

An irrelevant debate, since it will be impossible to control access to internet pornography regardless of what laws are passed.

[don-o]

Observe and Serve: RESOLVE to SAVE the U.S.A. Free Republic Original Content | Jan 8, 2012 | By Laz A. Mataz

[GeronL]

Kiddie porn is already illegal and should remain so

You must have missed that thread last week. Libertarians are all in favor of it.

The government should make laws, not carry it out. The President already has a "kill switch", so I guess this is all academic anyways.

[avenir]

Silly? Desperate times call for desperate measures?

I do take issue with the “poor women” tack taken with pornography by cultures that want to have their cake and eat it, too. How are the men acting in porn or the men watching it not degraded also? And how do all those poor lil’ ladies end up as adult performers? Greed couldn’t have anything to do with it...

The Bible—the most honest book on sex in the world—hardly portrays women as sexual innocents. Quite often they are the predators.

[Betis70]

>>”Iceland is taking a very progressive approach that no other democratic country has tried,” said Professor Gail Dines, an expert on pornography

I thought it was the progressives that wanted porn in every classroom?

[Rappini]

I’m for blocking Porn on all ISP’s, how’s that for a thought starter.