Death Of The Internet: Unprecedented Censorship Bill Passes in UK
“Wash-up” process used to rush through draconian legislation as a pitiful handful of MPs attend debate
“洗滌”過程被用於匆匆通過嚴厲立法，當少得可憐數目的國會議員出席辯論
Steve WatsonInfowars.net
Thursday, April 8th, 2010
A draconian Internet censorship bill that has been long looming on the horizon finally passed the house of commons in the UK yesterday, legislating for government powers to restrict and filter any website that is deemed to be undesirable for public consumption.
一項嚴厲的網絡審查法案，長期以來在視線範圍內隱約地逼近，昨天終於在英國下議院通過，立法給予政府權力去限制和過濾任何網站，被認為對公眾消費用是不可取的。
The “Digital Economy Bill” was rushed through parliament in a late night session last night after a third reading.
“數碼經濟法案”在議會昨晚的深宵會議匆匆三讀後通過。
In the wake of the announcement of a general election on May 6, the government has taken advantage of what is known as the “wash-up process”, allowing the legislative process to be speeded up between an election being called and Parliament being dissolved.
在宣布 5月6日的大選之後，政府已提取稱為“洗滌過程”的利益，在選舉宣佈後和議會被解散之間加速立法過程。
Only a pitiful handful of MPs (pictured below) were present to debate the bill, which was fully supported by the “opposition” Conservative party, and passed by 189 votes to 47 keeping the majority of its original clauses intact.
The bill will now go back to the House of Lords, where it originated, for a final formal approval.
The government removed a proposal in clause 18 of the bill, which openly stated that it could block any website, however it was replaced with an amendment to clause 8 of the bill which essentially legislates for the same powers.
法案現在將重回它起源的上議院，作最後的正式批准。
政府刪除法案第18條的建議條文，它公開申明它可以封鎖任何網站，但是它被法案修訂的第8條條文取代，它實質上立法給予相同的權力。
The new clause allows the unelected secretary of state for business, currently Lord Mandelson, to order the blocking of “a location on the internet which the court is satisfied has been, is being or is likely to be used for or in connection with an activity that infringes copyright”.
新條文允許非民選的國務商業秘書，目前是曼德爾森勳爵，下令封鎖“在互聯網上一個法庭已同意的位置，正在或可能被用於相關侵犯版權的活動“。
Opposing MPs argued that the clause was too broad and open ended, arguing that the phrase “likely to be used” could be used to block websites without them ever having been used for “activity that infringes copyright”. Other MPs argued that under the bill, whistleblower websites, such as Wikileaks, could be targeted.
反對的國會議員認為，條文過於寬鬆和開放式，爭論措辭“可能被用於”能被用來封鎖網站而它們沒有曾被用於“侵犯版權的活動”。其他國會議員爭論在該法案下，告密者網站如維基解密，可能成為目標。
The legislation will also allow the Home Secretary to place “a technical obligation on internet service providers” to block whichever sites it wishes.
立法亦將讓內政部長設置“一項技術義務在互聯網服務供應商上”，以封鎖它所意願的任何網站。
Under clause 11 of the proposed legislation “technical obligation” is defined as follows:
根據建議法例的第11條，“技術性義務”的定義如下：
A “technical obligation”, in relation to an internet service provider, is an
obligation for the provider to take a technical measure against particular
subscribers to its service.
“技術性義務”相關於互聯網服務供應商，是一項義務給供應商採取一項技術性的措施，以針對它服務的特定用戶。
A “technical
measure” is a measure that — (a) limits the speed or other capacity of the
service provided to a subscriber; (b) prevents a subscriber from using the
service to gain access to particular material, or limits such use; (c) suspends
the service provided to a subscriber; or (d) limits the service provided to a
subscriber in another way.
In other words, the government will have the power to force ISPs to downgrade and even block your internet access to certain websites or altogether if it wishes.
換言之，政府將有權迫使互聯網服務供應商，去降級和甚至阻截您的互聯網進入某些網站，或一齊的做法如果它想。
The legislation is part of an amplified effort by the government to seize more power over the internet and those who use it.For months now unelected “Secretary of State” Lord Mandelson has overseen government efforts to challenge the independence of the of UK’s internet infrastructure.
The Digital Economy Bill will also see users’ broadband access cut off indefinitely, in addition to a fine of up to £50,000 without evidence or trial, if they download copyrighted music and films. The plan has been identified as “potentially illegal” by experts.
The legislation would impose a duty on ISPs to effectively spy on all their customers by keeping records of the websites they have visited and the material they have downloaded. ISPs who refuse to cooperate could be fined £250,000.
As Journalist and copyright law expert Cory Doctrow has noted, the bill also gives the Secretary of State the power to make up as many new penalties and enforcement systems as he likes, without Parliamentary oversight or debate.
This could include the authority to appoint private militias, who will have the power to kick you off the internet, spy on your use of the network, demand the removal of files in addition to the blocking of websites.
Mandelson and his successors will have the power to invent any penalty, including jail time, for any digital transgression he deems Britons to be guilty of.
Despite being named the Digital Economy Bill, the legislation contains nothing that will actually stimulate the economy and is largely based on shifting control over the internet into government hands, allowing unaccountable bureaucrats to arbitrarily hide information from the public should they wish to do so.
Mandelson began the onslaught on the free internet in the UK after spending a luxury two week holiday at Nat Rothschild’s Corfu mansion with multi-millionaire record company executive David Geffen.
Over 20,000 members of the public have written to their MPs in the last week to lobby against the bill being rushed through, however, their concerns have fallen on deaf ears and the government has been allowed to deal a devastating blow to the last real vestige of free speech in this country.
The Wider Agenda Of Internet Control
The Digital Economy Bill is intrinsically linked to long term plans by the UK government to carry out an unprecedented extension of state powers by claiming the authority to monitor all emails, phone calls and internet activity nationwide.
IN 2008, the government announced its intention to create a massive central database, gathering details on every text sent, e-mail sent, phone call made and website visited by everyone in the UK.
The programme, known as the “Interception Modernisation Programme”, would allow spy chiefs at GCHQ, the government’s secret eavesdropping agency, the centre for Signal Intelligence (SIGINT) activities (pictured above), to effectively place a “live tap” on every electronic communication in Britain in the name of preventing terrorism.
Following outcry over the announcement, the government suggested that it was scaling down the plans, with then Home Secretary Jacqui Smith stating that there were “absolutely no plans for a single central store” of communications data.
However, as the “climbdown” was celebrated by civil liberties advocates and the plan was “replaced” by new laws requiring ISPs to store details of emails and internet telephony for just 12 months, fresh details emerged indicating the government was implementing a big brother spy system that far outstrips the original public announcement.
The London Times published leaked details of a secret mass internet surveillance project known as “Mastering the Internet” (MTI).
Costing hundreds of millions in public funds, the system is already being implemented by GCHQ with the aid of American defence giant Lockheed Martin and British IT firm Detica, which has close ties to the intelligence agencies.
A group of over 300 internet service providers and telecommunications firms has attempted to fight back over the radical plans, describing the proposals as an unwarranted invasion of people’s privacy.
Currently, any interception of a communication in Britain must be authorised by a warrant signed by the home secretary or a minister of equivalent rank. Only individuals who are the subject of police or security service investigations may be subject to surveillance.
If the GCHQ’s MTI project is completed, black-box probes would be placed at critical traffic junctions with internet service providers and telephone companies, allowing eavesdroppers to instantly monitor the communications of every person in the country without the need for a warrant.
Even if you believe GCHQ’s denial that it has any plans to create a huge monitoring system, the current law under the RIPA (the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act) allows hundreds of government agencies access to the records of every internet provider in the country.
In publicly announced proposals to extend these powers, firms will be asked to collect and store even more vast amounts of data, including from social networking sites such as Facebook.
If the plans go ahead, every internet user will be given a unique ID code and all their data will be stored in one place. Government agencies such as the police and security services will have access to the data should they request it with respect to criminal or terrorist investigations.
This is clearly the next step in an incremental program to implement an already exposed full scale big brother spy system designed to completely obliterate privacy, a fundamental right under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
http://www.prisonplanet.com/death-of-the-internet-unprecedented-censorship-bill-passes-in-uk.html
英國領先的互聯網服務供應商表示，將公然反抗政府的網絡審查條例草案
Leading UK ISP Says It Will Defy Government’s Net Censorship Bill
Steve Watson
Infowars.net
Friday, April 9th, 2010
http://www.infowars.com/leading-uk-isp-says-it-will-defy-governments-net-censorship-bill/
互聯網審查已經來臨
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