Not content with one of their number hysterically proposing adult games be subject to severe censorship, now the Democratic Party of Japan (the main leftist opposition party) has proposed a regime of mandatory inspection and authorisation for sites containing “harmful” information, obligating PC manufacturers and cell phone companies to install filtering software, with harmful sites judged by some sort of NGO. Naturally, this move is to protect children from the evils of the Internet.
Their definition of harmful information is “strikingly sexually stimulating information”, information promoting extreme cruelty, promoting suicide and promoting crime; a set of criteria which certainly leaves all bases covered. Whether a site needs to be filtered will determined by the previously mentioned NGO.
It should be said, in fairness, that the LDP themselves are also drawing up some kind of legislation intended to “protect” children, so perhaps this is best interpreted as an attempt at one-upmanship over the LDP by the DPJ; mere posturing for the electorate, perhaps. From Mainichi.
To me, this is more of “Information Control” rather than “Child Protection”…
Nice testament to Zetsubou, they totally mocked the censorship.
ZETSUBOSHITA!
Toshokan Sensou was just an anime depicting an unrealistic scenario. Suddenly it doesn’t look so unrealistic, wot?
Ya, I would hate it will go to that length.
It is better educate kids that there are things in the real world and be careful of those, that is more realistic.
Since trying to protect, and they will fail, because they never know when it will popup or kids just curious, which there is a saying “when there is will, there is a way”.