Germany calls for ban of neo-Nazi sites abroad

Interesting story. A great question of the legality of information in an incredibly connected world. Another side of the China-blocking-porn-sites story. Does it make sense to censor content like this? Is there a line you can draw between decency and freedom of information?

Afitzgerald brings up some great questions. Personally, I don't think hate sites should be tolerated. But legally, I don't know of any precedent that would allow the banning of sites.

1st amendment...so tricky!

This is funny given that the EU has moved to take away freedom! its also funny given that the Patriot Act here allows them to lock us up ,without trial for any reason! facism and the police state are here people and the elite seek to distract you with nonsense like this! I'd be laughing if I wasn't crying for the loss of our freedom which the people traded away for security!

YES! Even though I know censorship is highly unpopular with people on the Internet (case in point, see galwayman above), I really do not see the purpose for material whose only purpose is to solicit hate. Ideologues can call the banning of hate speech "fascism" all they want, but the truth is that it makes the world a better place by making it harder for hateful beliefs to be spread.

i believe it should be censored due to the fact that it is a propanganda for hate, freedom of speech is tolerated until the rights of others are violated suhc as peace of mind..

People should be protesting the christian cross. That symbol has killed more jews than the Nazis yet people still where it around all proud. It even has a dead jew on it. I can see why it would scare people. This is just what you should exspect after a bush presidency and the "Mickey Mouse Club" atmosphere of the present. You cant kill hate, the government is faking the funk and the people can see that and are angry. In this society there is only one way to be, corperate, docile, and neutered. I just see the government taking more and more controll everyday and will hardly anyone aposing. I see this as just a big middle finger to the government. Nothing quite like a shwastica to make them see that their shit doesn't stink. (excuse my french) Everyday I see this image on television on how we are supposed to look eat, have sex, and think. "little boxes on the hillside, little boxes....." I just dont want to consume anymore. I want to have a job that wont hire me and fire me the same day. I dont want to buy anything from QVC. im dronning sorry .... thats it..

OH, great idea.

Let's also ban GAY sites, so Muslims are not offended.
And let's ban Christian sites, so the atheists and Muslims are not offended.
And let's ban Women's sites, because the Taliban think women belong in chains.

And how far right is "far right"?
Gotta ban Girt Wilders, he's an "extremist".
Well, then ban Rush Limbaugh, Hannity, O'Reilly. Ban Michael Savage (already did).

Why stop there?

Ban any site that promotes capitalism.
Shut down the Wall Street Journal.
Close Washington Post.

Ban any site that disagrees with Global Warming (hey, there is no debate, right? They're flat earthers, and if we just have enough "political will" we can silence the dissenters like Churchill did the Nazis--thanks Al Gore for that brilliant analysis)

Why stop with Internet sites? Shut down Fox.

COme on, ya'll. Who else should we just ban?

censorship of any sort is unacceptable for any reason! its all about freedom which the EU and the US governments are quickly taking away! I may not like the message[nazi's as an example] but believe everyone has a right to be heard in any case!

There was a great NY Times story a while back about Google's team that works with different governments around the world who wanted access to certain videos blocked on YouTube. Turkey, for example, is not a big fan of videos referencing the Armenian Genocide.

As the Internet can't easily be confined and regulated by domestic boundaries do you think we'll see a push in the future for a global ethical/moral standard for online content?

[I'm going to go ahead and feature this story so we can get some more voices in the conversation.]

While I do not support some wacko chuch protesting at soldiers funerals,or hate mongers of any sort,in a free society they have as much right to be heard as you do.Once censorship starts where do you stop?If something offends some other segment of the population should it be banned? We,the people have lost sight of what freedom truly means and our government has ripped the constitution to shreads with the Patriot Act! In a truly free society all things are possible but without freedom you have nothing!

Lets just face it. We are all sheep in the flock of shepherd. This shepherd doesn't care that we all can see that we are being led along. He doesnt care because he knows we cant fight back. Led to slaughter. Its sad really eventualy the class system will go right back to slavery but we will be all blind to see it. Fractured education system. ( slaves where not allowed to read ) Scarce jobs. (shure you can have a job Come pick some cotton ! yay) cost of stock market downturn. ( we dont want people to actually own anything do we?) dont like cotton? join the military ( free boatride, and they give us jobs and shelter, sound familiar) dress code ( Only the king can where purple, this symbol is reserved for the emperor ect) Bright yellow sunshine everywhere ( Juden anyone?)

Dark ages, everyone turned to the church. THats exactly what they are leading us to. These people are just mad that the goverment is actualy trying to plummet us into this state. I am too

Man, what an interesting debate this has spawned. Banning these sites is not going to keep there from being neo-nazis. If anything banning it makes it more alluring, and will likely make those people who are curious become more interested.

The issues here are not what is right and what is wrong. It is fairly common knowledge that American law practices a nearly absolutist interpretation to freedom of speech, while Germany limits freedom of speech against organizations it defines as hate groups and religious cults. Where this gets interesting is when Germans in Germany access American internet sites. This raises the question, who is breaking the German law, the individual accessing the American site, or the American site that is providing the information for Germans?

What is funny to me is how this isn't an issue for companies like Hulu or BBC Steaming Video. It is funny how nobody has any problem at all blocking information in entire counties when licensing and intellectual property rights are at stake. Oh, money, FREEZE THEM OUT! But when it comes to supposed freedom of information, then everybody wrings their hands. The answer seems abundantly simple to me: Those sites are illegal in Germany, so block them out in Germany, but allow them in the States.

Shit let's ban people from existence. Then we don't have to worry about morals and ethics and hate and the internet.

This isnt indiginous to germany. This is happening globally. Look at the other posts referring to china Iran ect. Progression of freedom is not progressing it is receding. THis is all done in an attempt to control the thoughts of the public. Keeping them blind. Access to information like the internet is counteractive to a repressive government. It apposes their plans to have the herds of people only buy the products they want them to buy and keep the people in a one track mind state. Meanwhile an illusion of patriotism is held for shopping at stores like Wall mart. I got news for you, Sam Walton is dead. Wall mart and everything else in majority is publicly traded. The governments dont want us seeing other cultures. They have plans for us as a whole and it is counteractive to the christian majority. It has been said time after time that America is a "christian society" Blind patriotism an refusal to acept anything other than your own. "But the towers." what the media doesnt tell you is the presidents invovment in saudi oil and the Bin Laden Family. When was the last time you saw something on American TV that wasn't totally Americanized. Since 911 it gave the president the fuel to repress and become extreamly introverted.

Don't give attention to things you don't want to see.

Madonna knew what she was doing when she did the pepsi commercial with the cross. The kind of attention she got for that was exactly what the christian groups didn't want. Every time I see any moral group speaking against something it gets stronger. Resistance does this naturally. So really think about what you are doing with censorship. Too much corruption can happen as a result.

We don't all believe the same things so we need to think of something else that will foster peace. Something that works for all of us, not just some special groups of people - that's never fair. You'll only make the other people mad and strengthen the conflict. Not what any of us want, so - let's think of something more positive for a change.

@Sam_the_Wizer has a great point. How often in history have we seen the allure of something once a society has made it taboo. Many think that's exactly why Germany is seeing a (probably still pretty small) an upsurge in neo-Nazi youth.

The paradox of toleration and a tolerant society: what to do with the intolerant?

its a given..us americans have the right to express ourselves however we have laws and guidelines that if you cross that line you will be dealt with..BUT the hip and uber stylish hollywood liberals had blurred that line..making it POLITICALLY INCORRECT to deal with groups of people who recklessly abause this right

They should just call the blues brothers to run over all the neo natzis problem solved

we are a society obessessed with the "shocking and the bizzare"..the Jackass style satire (bruno and borat)...

then when shit hits the fan..blame bush or blame the jews or blame the catholics...

running them over, wrong answer. Hitler was one of these people that was just ran over and over again, figuratively. End of story People died. Lots of people died. The Plague of communism had spread through his country and he had an answer. Death. How should we deal with them, yeah lets repress them so they can kill us in the future. They might be fascists but they are not dumb. Once they start stringing them up call me.

Ok.. Germans, just do w/e you gotta do to cover your own ass...

The ironic thing is that many of these people that join Neo-Nazi groups would have probably been considered scum by Hitler himself...