nettime: CENSOR - French internet in trouble (fwd)

[Calum Selkirk <cselkirk@freenet.columbus.oh.us> (by way of Pit Schultz <pit@contrib.de>)]

[...]

> Date: Thu, 9 May 1996 20:02:40 -0700
> To: cypherpunks@toad.com
> From: gep2@computek.net (by way of frantz@netcom.com (Bill Frantz))
> Subject: Internet en danger

You think we're having problems here in the USA with the idiotic CDA,
right?  I just received the following message from a colleague and friend
who operates a large ISP in Paris, France.  The translation is mine, and
I can't assure its total accuracy, (anyone who sees an error on my part,
please correct it for me).

I'm leaving the original French so that the original intent of the
message can be viewed.

<---- Begin Forwarded Message ---->
> Date: Thu, 9 May 1996 19:42:12 +0200
> From: Communication client <opinions@storm.certix.fr>

>                               Cher(e)s abonne(e)s,

Dear Subscribers,

>             Nous n'avons malheureusement plus la possibilite de vous
laisser acceder au service de News.  Exception faite des news
world-net.communnaute, world-net.support, fr.network.internet.

Unfortunately, we no longer have the possibility to let you access
Usenet. The only exceptions are the newsgroups "world-net.communnaute",
"world-net.support",  and "fr.network.internet".

>     En effet, la justice francaise rend actuellement World-Net
responsable de tout ce qui est diffuse sur Internet ; j'ai ete
personnellement, en tant que responsable de World-Net, mis en examen
hier parce que des images a caractere pedophile, venant de l'autre bout du
monde etaient accessibles par notre service de News. Aujourd'hui les news,
demain peut-etre le web.

The French courts currently hold World-Net responsible for everything
which is distributed on the Internet;  I was personally, as director of
World-Net, interrogated yesterday because some pedophile images, coming
>from the other end of the world, were accessible through our News
server.  Today Usenet, tomorrow perhaps the Web.

> La majorite d'entre vous connait le fonctionnement du reseau Internet et
sait bien que World-Net n'est que votre transporteur sur ce reseau.
Cependant nous n'avons pas le choix.

The majority of you understand the functioning of the Internet network
and clearly realize that World-Net provides merely your access to this
network. It's not a matter of our choice.

>   Nous diffuserons sur notre serveur Web l'ensemble des informations
citees dans la presse et a la television concernant ce dossier.

We will distribute via our Web server complete information as cited in the
press and on television concerning this whole affair.

>   Si vous voulez soutenir World-NET, envoye un mail de soutien a
opinions@worldnet.net.

If you want to support World-NET, send a mail message of support to
"opinions@worldnet.net".

>     Sebastien Socchard
 Directeur de World-Net.

(director of World-Net)


>Ci-joint le communique de presse de l'A.F.P.I., que nous remercions pour
leur soutient :

Here is the press release from the A.F.P.I., which we thank for their
support:

>COMMUNIQUE DE PRESSE DE L'A.F.P.I.
      Association Francaise des Professionnels d'Internet

PRESS RELEASE FROM THE A.F.P.I.
      French Association of Internet Professionals

>                    Mardi 7 Mai 1996

Tuesday, May 7, 1996

>  Affaire: Newsgroups/Pedophilie/Internet: deux dirigeants en gardes a
vue.

Affair:  Newsgroups/Pedophilia/Internet:  Two directors <translation?>

>                    Resume: "Nous demandons a l'ensemble des providers
>francais et des administrateurs des reseaux d'universites de fermer
l'acces a tous les Newsgroups, afin que plus un seul Newsgroup ne soit
accessible du territoire francais, du moins tant que les fournisseurs
d'acces n'auront pas en France un statut clair".

Summary:  "We ask all French ISPs and administrators of University
networks to close access to all Usenet newsgroups, such that no longer will
even one single Newsgroup will be accessible from French territory, at
least until French ISPs have a clear legal position within France."

>  Depuis 48h00 les deux dirigeants des societes FranceNet et
WorldNet sont en garde a vue pour avoir simplement fait leur metier
consistant a fournir l'acces a l'Internet...

Since about 48 hours, two directors of French companies, "FranceNet" and
"WorldNet" are <translation?> for having simply done their job,
consisting of providing access to the Internet...

> En effet, la Section de Recherches de Paris de la gendarmerie Nationale
a procede lundi a leurs arrestations et a la saisie de leurs materiels,
pour avoir diffuse au travers des Newsgroups des images pedophiles.
Ces Newsgroups et les images qu'ils abritent, sont tous produits a
l'etranger et rapatries comme le font la plupart des fournisseurs d'acces
francais via les serveurs de News de Transpac, filiale de France Telecom.

The Research Section in Paris of the National Gendarmes started on Monday
their arrests and seizures of equipment, for having distributed
pedophile images through the Usenet newsgroups.  These Newsgroups and
the images they contained (?) are all originated abroad and brought into
France as is done by the majority of French access providers via the
News servers of Transpac, which is a subsidiary of France Telecom.

> Alors que la justice, dans une affaire similaire mais liee cette fois a
des contenus racistes ou revisionnistes presents sur l'internet, ne s'est
pas encore prononces a l'encontre de neuf fournisseurs d'acces, alors que
le ministere des Postes et des Telecommunication, au travers de son
ministre Francois Fillon assurait encore recemment qu'en aucun cas les
fournisseurs d'acces ne pouvaient etre tenus pour responsables des
contenus qu'ils ne produisaient pas et qui circulaient sur l'internet,
alors que le lieutenant-colonel Browne, commandant la SR de Paris,
reconnait lui meme que les serveurs en question recevaient, stockaient et
distribuaient (tout comme Transpac) mais ne produisaient pas ces
Newsgroups, deux hommes, deux chefs d'entreprises sont aujourd'hui en
prison simplement parce que les autorites n'ont toujours rien compris a
l'Internet et a son fonctionnement.

The [French] courts, in a similar case but this time based on racist or
revisionist contents present on the Internet, have not yet passed their
judgement regarding nine ISPs, although the Ministry of Post and
Telecommunications, through its minister Francois Fillon, stated again
recently that in no case can access providers be held responsible for
content that they do not produce and which circulates via the Internet, and
although Lieutenant-Colonel Browne, commander of the Research Section in
Pairs, admitted himself that the servers in question receive, store, and
distribute (the same as Transpac), but do not produce these Newsgroups, two
men, two company directors, are today in prison simply because the
authorities still haven't understood anything about the Internet and its
functioning.

>La plupart des providers rapatrient de 6 a 8 000 Newsgroups chaque
jour, soit plusieurs centaines de milliers de messages, pouvant egalement
contenir des images. Parmi ces messages ils y a incontestablement des
contenus contraire a la loi francaise (sans doute moins de 5%), tout comme
il peut en circuler par la poste, ou dans les soutes a bagage d'Air
France. Il est materiellement impossible pour un provider de controler
l'ensemble du contenu des messages des Newsgroups, il lui est
eventuellement possible de supprimer l'acces a ceux dont le titre est de
facon evidente contraire a Ia loi (ex.alt.binaries.pedophilia...), ce qui
n'empechera pas le lendemain de voir surgir un nouvel intitule pour
remplacer le Newsgroup censure. Depuis plusieurs mois deja les membres de
l'AFPI (Association des Professionnels de l'Internet) dont FranceNet est
l'un des fondateurs, ont spontanement decide de supprimer l'acces a une
vingtaine de Newsgroups dont le simple libelle ne laissait aucun doute
quant au caractere illegal de leurs contenus.

The majority of providers import from six to eight thousand Newsgroups
each day, therefore several hundred thousand messages, any of which could
also contain images.  Among these messages there are incontestably some
contents which are contrary to French law (no doubt less than 5%), just
as they could circulate through the mails, or in the baggage holds of Air
France.  It is materially impossible for a provider to check the contents of
all Newsgroup messages;  it is possible to block access to those whose
title is clearly contrary to the law (e.g. alt.binaries.pedophilia...),
which wouldn't prevent the following day to see a new group appear to
replace the censored one.  Since several months already, the members of the
AFPI (Association of Internet Professionals), of which FranceNet is one of
the founders, have spontaneously decided to suppress the access of about
twenty Newsgroups whose title left no doubt as to the illegal character
of their contents.

> Aujourd'hui ce sont les Newsgroups qui sont vises, demain ce sera sans
doute le tour du Web. Si les fournisseurs d'acces, qui nous ne le
repeterons jamais assez, ne sont que de simples transporteurs facilitant
l'acces a un reseau, peuvent etre emprisonnes, avec comme simple piece a
conviction un contenu produit au Canada ou en Australie, nous allons
assister purement et simplement a la mort de l'internet en France.

Today it is the Newsgroups which are wiped out, tomorrow it will be
doubtless the Web's turn.  If access providers, which we can never
emphasize enough, are but the simple transporters facilitating access to a
network, can be imprisoned, due to the singular cause of an item produced in
Canada or in Australia, we are going to see, purely and simply, the death of
the Internet in France.

>En signe d'indignation, de protestation et de solidarite envers nos
confreres FranceNet et Worldnet, le fournisseur d'acces ImagiNet,
egalement membre fondateur de l'AFPI, a decide de fermer purement et
simplement l'acces a tous les Newsgroups. Nous demandons a l'ensemble des
providers francais et des administrateurs des reseaux d'universites d'en
faire autant afin que plus un seul Newsgroup ne soit accessible du
territoire francais, du moins tant que les fournisseurs d'acces n'auront
pas en France un statut clair.

As a symbol of indignation, of protest, and of solidarity with our
brothers at FranceNet and WorldNet, the access provider ImagiNet, also a
founding member of the AFPI, has decided to purely and simply close access
to all newsgroups.  We ask all French ISPs and administrators of University
networks to do the same, such that no longer will as much as a single
Newsgroup will be accessible from French territory, at least until access
providers in France have a clear legal status.

>Nous esperons sincerement que cet appel sera suivit par l'ensemble des
prestataires de connexion internet.

We sincerely hope that this call will be followed by all Internet access
providers.

>Nous nous excusons aupres de nos abonnes pour la gene ainsi
occasionnee par une telle decision, mais nous savons que vous la
comprendrez et que la majorite d'entre vous nous soutiendrons dans cette
action.

We ask the understanding of our subscribers for the inconvenience caused
by such a decision, but we know that you will understand and that the
majority of you support us in this action.

>          Patrick Robin
           President d'ImagiNet.
           robin@imaginet.fr
           Tel 43 38 10 24

<----  End Forwarded Message  ---->
[...]

Gordon Peterson
http://www.computek.net/public/gep2/

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