In recent months, there have been talks on the parliament floor about regulating internet usage. This report examines the very core of the issue. Should governments regulate the use of the Internet and why?
In recent months, there have been talks on the parliament floor about regulating internet usage. This report examines the very core of the issue. Should governments regulate the use of the Internet and why?
According to the Tehran Times, The Internet is “a global computer network providing various information and communication facilities, consisting of interconnected networks using standardized communication protocols.” Building on this definition, it can be beneficial and harmful at the same time.
As will be shown below, several countries have had to amend their laws to finesse the Internet to their interests.
France
France has attempted to regulate the Internet by using a mechanism established for policing the Minitel. It has proposed using inspectors of its famous Minitel to prowl the Minitel system inspecting content to ensure that information provider comply with the terms of their contract with France Télécom. If the approach is implemented, France will join countries in the Communist bloc to manually inspect Internet content as a matter of course.
South Korea
Probably the first country to have any Internet-specific censorship law is South Korea. In 1995, South Korea passed the Electronic Communication Business Law, which established the Information & Communication Ethics Office. The Office has broad powers to censor: its scope of coverage encompasses material on bulletin-board services (BBS), chat rooms, and other “public domain services” that “encroaches on public morals,” “may cause a loss of national sovereignty,” and “information that may harm youths’ character, emotions and the sense of value.”
Germany
The German law puts responsibility for suspect content on “suppliers,” but this is not clearly defined. One interpretation of the new provision is that online services such as CompuServe and America Online could be held liable for legally questionable material after being warned that such material can be accessed through their systems if they have the technical means to block the material fail to do so.
The European Union
The European Commission has recommended a voluntary code of conduct on the Internet and suggests using labeling and filtering along PICS lines (Platform for Internet Content Selection). There are, however, at least two problems. First, the labeling and filtering systems are not compatible. Second, the European Union has to develop a framework to clarify the administrative rules and regulations applicable to access and content providers.
As discussed above, many countries in the world have felt the need to regulate Internet usage since it began to spread widely around the globe. Iran is no exception to this natural rule.
Members of the parliament have proposed a bill to regulate the usage of the Internet in Iran. It is said Like all countries, Iran is not trying to block the Internet, as it is impossible to do so. What is merely discussed in the proposed bill is to boost localization of the Internet by providing equal opportunities for the domestic platforms to compete with the international ones.
In a tweet posted on Friday, Parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf explicitly said that widely used platforms such as Instagram and WhatsApp would not be blocked.
The proposed bill is not suggesting the blockade of any social media platforms whatsoever.