The Italian Assault on Free Speech

This is what the Left in this country would love to do to blogs - silence them - whether through the "Fairness Doctrine" (which is anything but) or other means to limit criticism and speech as guaranteed under the Bill of Rights.

The Italian Left is moving ahead with its own plan to silence blogging:

The Levi-Prodi law lays out that anyone with a blog or a website has to register it with the ROC, a register of the Communications Authority, produce certificates, pay a tax, even if they provide information without any intention to make money.

Blogs are being born every second, anyone can start one without a problem and they can write their thoughts, publish photos and videos.

In fact, the route proposed by Levi limits access to the Internet.

What young person is going to submit to all these hoops to do a blog?

the Levi-Prodi law obliges anyone who has a website or a blog to get a publishing company and to have a journalist who is on the register of professionals as the responsible director.

99% would close down.

The lucky 1% still surviving on the Internet according to the Levi-Prodi law would have to respond in the case of the lack of control on defamatory content in accordance with articles 57 and 57 bis of the penal code. Basically almost sure to be in prison.

The draft Levi-Prodi law has to be approved by Parliament. When Levi was asked what would happen to Beppe Grillo’s blog, he replied with perfect Prodian-bottom-protecting words: “It’s not up to he government to establish that. It’ll be for the Communications Authority to indicate with regulations, which people and which companies will have to register. And the regulations will arrive only after the law has been discussed and approved by the Lower House.”

It's reprehensible and a violation of the civil rights of Italians should this measure come to pass.

This, also being a measure at limiting access on the Internet, is also bound to fail because Italians will find many ways around the strictures imposed by the Italian government, but it shouldn't have to come to that. This is an awful policy being forwarded by the Italian government.

(HT: LauraW at Ace)