I hope you'll understand the importance of what is happening, and why the law shouldn't ever meet the cyberspace.
[quote]Dear reader,
at this time, the Italian language Wikipedia may be no longer able to continue providing the service that over the years was useful to you, and that you expected to have right now. As things stand, the page you want still exists and is only hidden, but the risk is that soon we will be forced to actually delete it.
Today, unfortunately, the very pillars on which Wikipedia has been built - neutrality, freedom, and verifiability of its contents - are likely to be heavily compromised by [b]paragraph 29[/b] of a law proposal, also known as "[b]DDL intercettazioni[/b]" (Wiretapping Act).
This proposal, which the Italian Parliament is currently debating, provides, among other things, a requirement to all websites to publish, within 48 hours of the request and without any comment, a correction of any content that the applicant deems detrimental to his/her image.
Unfortunately, the law does not require an evaluation of the claim by an impartial third judge - the opinion of the person allegedly injured is all that is required, in order to impose such correction to any website.
Hence, anyone who feels offended by any content published on a blog, an online newspaper and, most likely, even on Wikipedia can directly request the removal of such contents and its permanent replacement with a "corrected" version, aimed to contradict and disprove the allegedly harmful contents, [b]regardless of the truthfulness of the information deemed as offensive[/b], and its sources.
The obligation to publish on our site the correction as is, provided by the named paragraph 29, without even the right to discuss and verify the claim, is an unacceptable restriction of the freedom and independence of Wikipedia, to the point of distorting the principles on which the Free Encyclopedia is based and this would bring to a paralysis of the "horizontal" method of access and editing, putting - in fact - an end to its existence as we have known until today.
It should be made more than clear that none of us wants to question safeguarding and protection of the reputation, honor and image of any party - but we also note that every Italian citizen is already protected in this respect by Article 595 of the Criminal Code, which punishes the crime of defamation.
With this announcement, we want to warn our readers against the risks arising from leaving to the arbitrary will of any party to enforce the alleged protection of its image and its reputation. Under such provisions, web users would be most probably led to cease dealing with certain topics or people, just to "avoid troubles".
[b]We want to be able to keep a free and open-to-all encyclopaedia, because our articles are also your articles - Wikipedia is already neutral, why neutralize it?[/b][/quote]
This is a dystopian scenario, it looks like a prequel to 1984, it gives me shivers.
What you are reading will probably deserve a line in an history book of the future.
The cyberspace must be preserved as free. Or this is the end of the freedom of speech, once and for all.
As soon as the people strike, I'll be there and fight for the freedom of the internet.
I consider myself a cyberspace citizen now, I'm italian no more.
Italy has been so fucked recently.
Fascism, ho?
But then where will italians get their essay's from?
[QUOTE=Someone4956;32627561]But then where will italians get their essay's from?[/QUOTE]
Books exist, you know.
It's sad to see the first signs of heavy-duty censorship appear in the 21st century.
The other day a famous italian singer made his attorney shut down a satirical website that made fun of him.
what the fuck is happening! they are shutting down everything that makes them uncomfortable.
you translated the whole thing yourself where there's a English version on Wikipedia...
[url]http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Comunicato_4_ottobre_2011/en[/url]
[QUOTE=Someone4956;32627561]But then where will italians get their essay's from?[/QUOTE]
More like, Will our essay's be inaccurate thanks to articles being modified by the goverment?
Will our opinions be influeced? Will history be changed?
[editline]4th October 2011[/editline]
[QUOTE=YouWithTheFace.;32627707]you translated it the whole thing yourself where there's a English version on Wikipedia...
[url]http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Comunicato_4_ottobre_2011/en[/url][/QUOTE]
Duh thanks, i'll quote the whole thing then.
I hope people can actually grasp the magnitude of this rather than simply shrug it off and say "Well I never used Wikipedia anyway...".
One must ask if the Vatican has it's fingers in this.
[QUOTE=Populus89;32628038]One must ask if the Vatican has it's fingers in this.[/QUOTE]
More like Berlusconi.
At this time, I can still blame him. Maybe, in a week, I'll be fined for it.
[editline]4th October 2011[/editline]
[QUOTE=Finkleburg;32627935]I hope people can actually grasp the magnitude of this rather than simply shrug it off and say "Well I never used Wikipedia anyway...".[/QUOTE]
I've read italian people on facebook go like "meh, I can read wikipedia in english anyway" and it felt really, really bitter.
you think this has anything to do with the Knox trial?
[QUOTE=Populus89;32628038]One must ask if the Vatican has it's fingers in this.[/QUOTE]
you know the vatican isnt actually a part of italy right
Sickening.
[editline]4th October 2011[/editline]
[QUOTE=Spycrabz;32630271]you know the vatican isnt actually a part of italy right[/QUOTE]
Legally? no. Realistically? oh yes.
[QUOTE=trotskygrad;32628401]you think this has anything to do with the Knox trial?[/QUOTE]
I'm almost positive it is undeniably related...:/
its just that italy doesnt want to ruin its reputation as stupidest country
Keep your laws away from our internet. Realistically though how many sites do you think this would effect if it went through? I can't imagine them trying to press charges against sites that are run outside of Italy or at least succeeding.
God damn Berlusconi
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