UK ISP's are censoring Wikipedia

For the techies amongst you, here is the bug report which led to the realisation that the ISP's might be censoring the pages.

https://bugzilla.wikimedia.org/show_bug.cgi?id=16569

yeah, all the big-brained governments do internet censorship.....

north korea
china
myanmar...

puts the UK in with similar company.

hey, was the album cover censored? where?

Check the link at the bottom of my article. I'm using BT Broadband and I have no problems accessing it, but I've seen comments elsewhere on the interwebs that suggest that people genuinely aren't able to get on it.

Yeah, how is this any different from China? If anything Wikipedia should just be able to set up a disclaimer shown before the page loads. Wikipedia is supposed to be entirely open-source and user-created, so any form of censorship automatically allows for a filter or control mechanism by some 'higher power'. Information is a powerful tool and propaganda has long be an effective tool of governments - so having them control information again on the freest places of the internet are sad signs that governments won't cease to keep up their bad habits.

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http://www.infowars.com/articles/science/internet_wikipedia_credibility_takes_di...

Wikipedia and the Intelligence Services
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http://www.infowars.com/articles/ps/internet_wikipedia_and_the_intelligence_serv...

Wikipedia wars erupt

http://www.infowars.com/articles/science/wikipedia_wars_errupt.htm

Hmm, surely photographs of naked, pre-pubescent girls are the one kind of thing we should be censoring? Though should Wiki not just remove the offending image altogether?

Censoring a picture and arresting it's creator are two different things. Wikipedia decided to keep the image up on the grounds that they "do not censor", probably on the grounds that this is history - how did a band ever get away with releasing that as cover art?

If the image is inappropriate shouldn't the IWF ask wikimedia to take it down instead of faking a 404 page for various ISP users? If the picture isn't appropriate they need to go after its creator and wikipedia for hosting it, that said I do kind of feel they've done the right thing.

Censorship is a debate I've never gotten to the bottom of...

Definetly,Peadophiles are the lowest form of scum there is,but also the words "child porn" gets used by Governments to kill freespeech,they know MOST people hate child porn,me included.So they will alway's use it,while doing nothing in real terms to stop this crap on the net.

I agree if that band thinks this is cool or funny,they should read this.

http://www.isgp.eu/dutroux/Belgian_X_dossiers_of_the_Dutroux_affair.htm

The opinion of the ISP should be irrelevant. Only the law should decide whether the page/image is available to view.

WHAT IS THIS!!!?? MY POST WAS REMOVED IN A WEBSITE AGAINST CENSORSHIP!!!

I WAS CENSORED BY THE PERSON THAT POSTED THIS SAME ARTICLE!!!

CURRENT = DISCLOSING HATE TO EVERYONE ELSE AND CENSORING ANYTHING AGAINST THEM!!!

WHY WAS THIS HIPOCRIT POST SUBMITTED!!?? I ADDED THE PICTURE AND YOU CENSOR ME?

YOU DON'T LIKE THE PICTURE, BUT LIKE TO ATTACK THOSE WHO CENSORED THE PICTURE?

No Respect for Current today.

Just so we're all clear on why I removed the picture, I'll re-post my reply to your original comment.

--------

"I just removed it from the page. I made a point of NOT posting the said image to the site, I wanted a discussion raised about the issue of censorship and the internet since i think it's an interesting topic that needs a full discussion.

If the picture is just on our website then people haven't decided to look at it, it's just there for all to see, which is wrong and not fair. I provided a link and a context in which the image was relevant, if people then wanted to see what all the fuss was about then they could.

Please do not post the image to the site, we all know where the image is and we know what it is, we can have the debate about censorship without forcing everyone to see the said image."

I entirely agree with phillyharper's choice. The discussion is about the choice to see the controversial issue about the picture - not the picture itself. The picture is a debate many years old. Censorship is the topic here, the picture on this page would negate the whole point of have the choice to view the controversy. It's not hypocrisy, and the picture doesn't refer to the discussion.

Error 404 (although I have googled the image in question).

Hiding behind a page error, if indeed that is what ISPs are doing, is a cowardly tactic, especially when other error codes are more descriptive -

Error 406 Not Acceptable
Error 423 Locked

There are plenty of search engines that have parental control. The raw internet should be unfiltered warts and all, and it should be up to the individual to choose what they want to find.

What ISP are you with?

I can respect an ISP's wishes of censorship. Rarely is the case of ISP monopoly in a centralized location.

If you don't like your ISP, then get a different one. Or Hughes net for the true isolationist.

free will is the best solution for internet, and censoring goes in the opposite way.

Since our governments (i mean european ones) start censoring internet, we must turn on our brains to find a solution to keep censorship away from internet.
Berlusconi said that he wants to propose a regulation for internet at the G20 (to control better the unique free media that he doesn't own).
We must protest all over the world against an internet regulation aimed to censor our expressions, even if it's only for an album cover.

This should serve as a warning to everyone on what happens when the government appointed morality cops are unleashed on the public. I'm beginning to think that outside of China, England is the most surveilled country in the world.

Fine, Well lets write some lyrics for "Rock musician Killer or Rock singer killer or Rock band killer. Some of these modern muscians are not using the intellectual brain they were born with.. It seems that after entering into this world punk and Rap and other musicians or someone who considers himself as a composer is insane or finds pleasure in killing or morder. Why caint the lyricists write lyrics that make sense and also respect the freedom of speech. While freedom of speech is everyones right, the audience has rights also and listening to vile, insulting words can be disgusting for some. Freedom of speech works both ways. Freedom of speech is also part of public decency.`

I have no comment.

one of the underlying issues that becomes lost on censorship is the issue of rights vs responsibilities..

everyone always talks about the right to this.. the right to that..

practically no one ever discusses the responsibilities that come with those rights..

its the never-ending push to amass and recognize all of the rights to be able to do whatever it is that you want to do.. with no accountability.. that has led to the irresponsible behavior that pushes the limits of society at large..

now.. where exactly does that balance between rights and responsibilities hang? and should there ever be certain limits to the rights of individuals?

one may argue that there are some limits which could be applied to every society no matter where you are.. and that there are other case-specific issues which are unique to each population, culture, religion, etc..

with respect to this topic, i think its pretty obvious that there is no such thing as absolute free speech.. i dont think its unreasonable to censor images of a naked child.. the difficulty now comes with trying to define what is art, what are its limits, and what responsibilities come with that of being an artist..

peace

http://www.pledgebank.com/boycottcensors

Sign the pledge if you're in the UK.

This is ridiculous. You want to argue whether or not they should Block the Image. Yet, you Block the image!?

There is absolutely nothing you can discuss from a closed point of view.

You all sound like Russian Imperialism. They all vow to the greatness of the Community and how important this is, yet no one is free.

This post is a sham and specially the way this was handled.

1. You say the Image should not be Blocked.
1.1 YOU EVEN POST ABOUT IT!
2. The image is added to the Post, then REMOVED!

Why discuss something you even support!?

Clearly PhillyHarper removed the image because it is disturbing to the Post. This is exactly what the ISP's are doing. Removing a Disturbing Image!

To discuss this Post and issue, and yet Censor part of it's comment and the Picture itself, is DIRTY Activism!

Wanting to attack the UK ISP's, but then you do exactly what they did? Perhaps, they are doing the RIGHT THING. Is people just to rebel to Agree with them!?

Big friggin deal either way.

Seriously, the album cover was obviously in poor taste for shock value, and it shouldn't be treated as some sort of legitimate piece of art or history. "Virgin Killer"? Oh what a loss.

Whatever happened to the respect that is necessary for a free society to function properly? Many in our society abuse the freedom they are given to take advantage of others naive innocence, and you can just look around you at the manifestations of the damage that causes.

Why isn't it legal to just kill anyone you want to? Oh, come, it's a free society. What do you mean there are lines of reason? So what's the difference between killing someone physically and killing someone psychologically? One lives to then cause more damage to others?

I could care less about this because it is such a embarrassing footnote more than anything else. The only thing it is good for is seeing how twisted people's minds are in how they respond to it.

Worry about censoring the good guys, fuck the "Virgin Killers".

I imagine that there are certain things that can be deemed inappropriate. But unfortunately there is a fine line between keeping away the inappropriate and suppressing the media.

It is a fine line that is hard to discern in my opinion...

It shows just how open Wikipedia actually is. That's why I love Wikipedia, because its a completely open news and information source where anyone can edit articles and stories, no censorship whatsoever.

I can't blame Current for not posting the image. Current allows enough free speech as it is, but we most remember that some things like nude children might scare off the Current Staff...