If this week's border-transcending ruling by Germany's highest court proves anything, it's that an enormous distance remains between advocates of a free Internet and watchdogs against racism and hate-mongering.
Published:
17 December 2000 y., Sunday
The court, called the Bundesgerichtshof, issued a ruling on Tuesday that overturned a lower court ruling, and found that German law applies even to foreigners who post content on the Web in other countries -- so long as that content can be accessed by people inside of Germany. Specifically, the court found Australian Holocaust-denier Frederick Tuben guilty of spreading "Auschwitz lies."
Tuben, who was born in Germany, uses the website of his Australian-based Adelaide Institute to encourage people in the belief that the Holocaust has no historical basis. International reaction to the ruling differed wildly.
Andy Mueller-Maguhn, a leader of Berlin's famed Chaos Computer Club hacker collective and a new Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) board member, was blunt in questioning the legitimacy of the ruling. "This German court wants to judge over the whole world in effect," he said. "No one knows what it means. We could easily agree that it seems likely to be a decision made by a judge who does not understand very much."
Mueller-Maguhn, something of a celebrity in Germany as a technology visionary, plans to take immediate action. He said he will contact Germany's highest court on Monday morning and invite someone from the court for a debate before Germany's legislature on the ruling - and how it should be applied in the future.
Šaltinis:
Wired News
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.
The most popular articles
Software company announced new structure_ of it_s business.
more »
Developers are likely to get the most thorough look yet at its new features near the end of the month
more »
Verizon Wireless gave a hefty boost to the speed of its 3G network Monday, when it launched BroadbandAccess, a broadband wireless data service
more »
search.lt presents newest links
more »
Hewlett-Packard Co. is planning to deliver a slimmed-down version of its Utility Data Center (UDC) aimed at mid-sized businesses and departmental users
more »
Maryland election officials released a highly anticipated report Wednesday that examines the security of Diebold Election Systems' touch-screen voting machines
more »
Microsoft Corp is shutting down Internet chat services in most of its markets around the world and limiting the service in the US
more »
search.lt presents newest links
more »
A new mass-mailing virus masquerading as a security patch from Microsoft is on the loose and anti-virus experts say it has the ability to steal account information and e-mail server details from infected systems
more »
sunrisevalley.lt - Website of Lithuania’s Sunrise Valley Knowlegde Economy Cluster
more »
Most major German cities giving open source 'serious thought'
more »