• [EU] Parliamentary Committee’s Tech Power Grab
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[QUOTE][B]Politico.eu - May 18, 2017[/B] The tech wishes of about 2 percent of the European Parliament’s members will speak for the entire chamber after a new process for reining in their power failed Thursday. That means the views of [URL="https://twitter.com/EPCulture/status/856783076667662337"]just 17 MEPs[/URL] in a single committee will represent the whole 751-member Parliament in three-way negotiations with the Commission and Council on a proposal about audiovisual media rules. “This is a true shame. This agreement has been railroaded through this Parliament,” Czech Liberals MEP Dita Charanzová said. The maneuver served up a massive victory for [URL="http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/96756/SABINE_VERHEYEN_home.html"]Sabine Verheyen[/URL] and [URL="http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/96837/PETRA_KAMMEREVERT_home.html"]Petra Kammerevert[/URL], two German MEPs from the Culture and Education Committee who pushed through their report despite repeated accusations of bias. Both sit on the board of a [URL="http://www.politico.eu/article/meps-crafting-netflix-legislation-sit-on-board-of-german-public-broadcaster/"]German public broadcaster[/URL]. Both are also members of Parliament’s two largest groups — Verheyen is in the European People’s Party and Kammerevert is in the Socialists & Democrats. “The mandate has been accepted due to the iron pact between the [two groups],” said Italian GUE MEP Curzio Maltese, who opposed the report and accused the rapporteurs of a conflict of interest. Liberals, Conservatives and MEPs fighting the report as well as the tech lobby representing the likes of Netflix and Facebook, are smarting from the bruising defeat and reconsidering how they will lobby MEPs in the future. But many conceded that, if the S&D and EPP agree on something, they can use their majority to force through whatever they like. The report focused on rules for traditional television; video-on-demand services like Netflix; and user-generated videos, such as those on YouTube and Facebook. Public health campaigners hoped the revised directive would introduce stricter rules on advertising unhealthy food and drinks to children. The Culture and Education committee voted instead for a soft approach, asking governments to push for self-regulation by industry on these matters. Some [URL="http://www.politico.eu/pro/plenary-allows-audiovisual-media-report-to-move-to-trilogues/"]314 MEPs voted in favor of the report[/URL], moving straight to three-way talks with the Council, Parliament and Commission; 266 voted against and 41 abstained. Resistance from MEPs had been building for close to a year, especially over the rapporteurs in charge of the file. Neither rapporteur responded to requests for comment. [URL="http://www.politico.eu/pro/audiovisual-media-report-passes-culture-committee/"]The final report[/URL] introduced a 30 percent quota for European content on audiovisual services and potential new rules for social media firms, sparking outrage from many MEPs, particularly in the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe. “As a result of the efforts of the rapporteurs, the Commission’s proposal has turned into an instrument for destroying the competitive advantage of the Internet over linear television,” wrote Estonian Liberals MEP Yana Toom, who led the charge against the Culture and Education Committee’s report.[/QUOTE] [URL="http://www.politico.eu/article/parliament-committee-power-grab-crowds-out-most-meps/"]More in Source.[/URL] [B]European Parliament Press Release: "Audiovisual media: clear rules to protect children"[/B] [QUOTE]The mandate consists of the amendments the Culture Committee voted on earlier and which strengthen the protection of children against violence and hatred on TV and online platforms, whilst also proposing new rules on advertising and a 30% quota of European works on the VOD platforms. Video sharing platforms will now have a duty to take appropriate action when users flag up any content inciting violence or hatred. They will also have to make it easy for users to do so. MEPs also defined new rules for advertising, with a maximum quota of 20% per day and stricter rules for advertising, product placement, sponsorship and teleshopping in children’s programmes. Broadcasters and video sharing platforms have the opportunity to self- and co-regulate, before Member State authorities decide whether to impose specific rules [/QUOTE] [URL="http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/news-room/20170511IPR74351/audiovisual-media-clear-rules-to-protect-children"]More in Source.[/URL]
And the EU continues to demonstrate it needs serious reform.
How about people in general just kinda' stop trying to control the internet, thanks. Nobody fucking wants any government nosing in on what's supposed to be an international space for the exchange of ideas and information. Please fuck off.
No! The EU is supposed to be the one to respect internet freedom, not take it away
[QUOTE=Dr.C;52259635]No! The EU is supposed to be the one to respect internet freedom, not take it away[/QUOTE] It is because of the "Alt-Right" and Russia isn't it?
[QUOTE=OmniConsUme;52259639]It is because of the "Alt-Right" and Russia isn't it?[/QUOTE] why is alt-right in quotes, they literally call themselves alt right and everyone else calls them alt-right. Its a disparate/fuzzy group but its a group no less. On topic: Those 2 people [url]http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/96756/SABINE_VERHEYEN_home.html[/url] [url]http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/en/96837/PETRA_KAMMEREVERT_home.html[/url] Work for a german media company and are seeking to push regulations on netflix (ie a competitor) which would make it harder to use for younger audiences (ie lots of people). Clear conflict of interest and corruption. Same bullshit reason too : "think of the children" If parents are paying for netflix (and netflix has its own regulations regarding extremist content) then surely the parents can decide what the kids watch? As a kid I watched all sorta of stuff and I'm only [URL="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0242527/"]slightly messed up [/URL] IMO this is a clear attempt to remove competition from traditional media. Netflix isn't like youtube, youtube has lots of stuff with little regulations (beyond gore n pron), netflix is just a way for people to watch the same movies, documentaries and series as normal TV just more conveniently.
A lot of MEPs are against this which is a good sign. Still they really need to be told to fuck off forever.
Why is it that people are so god damn desperate to control the internet? Do they really have such a massive boner for controlling what people can and can't see online?
"30% quota of European works on the VOD platforms" The Politico source is paywalled and the second one doesn't clarify, do they expect this to apply to all video services or are they just trying to control Netflix? Because the idea that all online video services must provide at least 30% European content is fucking absurd and unenforceable, to say the least. What are they gonna do, make Twitch and YouTube prevent non-European accounts from signing up to enforce it?
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