Iceland Wants to Ban Internet Porn
As Avenue Q pointed out, the internet is for porn. Iceland is trying to change that with an outright ban on internet porn made possible by online filters like those currently used in China. The country has already banned the printing and distribution of pornography (and, recently, strip clubs) but now wants to bring the Nanny State into the 21st century.
Halla Gunnarsdottir, an adviser to the nation's interior minister, claims that:
This move is not anti-sex. 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.
Clearly, Gunnarsdottir has little faith in the Icelandic family unit. She is willing to abridge the rights of everyone in her country just to give parents a boost in one aspect of multi-faceted job.
Birgitta Jonsdottir, a member of Iceland's parliament, sensibly points out that the ban has very little—if any—chance at passing, adding:
Introducing censorship without compromising freedom of expression and speech is like trying to mix oil and water: It is impossible. I know my fellow MPs can often turn strange and dangerous laws into reality, but this won't be one of them.
If, somehow, this outrageous proposition does make its way into Iceland law, history has shown us that we can expect two things: an internet uprising and the proliferation of a probably-dangerous black market economy.
Get excited, Iceland!