Europe

ONI Blog: Will Britain's Pornography Filtering Lead to Internet Censorship?
Last week, top-level British government official Ed Vaizey announced his plan to consider blocking all pornography on the Internet in the country. Vaizey, an MP and Britain's Communications Minister who cited “solutions to protect children” as the primary reason for...
Country Profile: United Kingdom
Background The U.K., consisting of England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, is a constitutional monarchy currently headed by Queen Elizabeth II.BBC News, ‘‘Country Profile: United Kingdom,’’ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/1038758.stm. Previously a colonial power, the U.K. emerged from the World Wars as a leading global...
Country Profile: Turkey
Background Turkey was established as a secular state in 1923 by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. The ‘‘Father of the Nation’’ transformed the government from Islamic rule to a secular modern state, with laws based upon the Swiss civil code. The principle of secularity...
Regional Overview: Nordic Countries
The five Nordic countries—Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Iceland—have become central players in the European battle between file sharers, rights holders, and ISPs. While each country determines its own destiny, the presence of the European Union (EU) is felt in all legal...
Country Profile: Italy
Background Italy has had a multiparty, democratic government since 1946. The 1948 constitution was written to prevent a return to early 20th-century fascism, and powers were spread among the different branches of government to limit the powers of the head of state. During...
Country Profile: Germany
Background After World War II, Germany was divided into American, British, French, and Russian zones. The Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany), a federal parliamentary republic, was founded in 1949 out of the three Western zones. The German Democratic Republic (East Germany),...
ONI Blog: Intermediary Censorship of Wikileaks On the Rise
The list of private companies that have in some way refused access or support to Wikileaks is growing: as of December 6, the tally included Amazon, EveryDNS, PayPal, and Tableau Software; French hosting company OVH also appears to have shut down...
Report: Internet Filtering in Europe 2006-2007
Note: a newer version of this profile is available at Country Profiles: Europe. Introduction In less than a decade, the Internet in Europe has evolved from a virtually unfettered environment to one in which filtering in most countries, particularly within the European Union...
Country Profile: France
Background As one of the founding nations of European economic and political integration, France is seen as a key player on the European stage. However, the country sent shockwaves through the EU when its voters rejected the proposed EU constitution in a May...
ONI Blog: Google CEO Criticizes Chinese Internet Censorship
Last week, Google CEO Eric Schmidt criticized the Chinese government’s continued efforts to censor Internet content in the country at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. Calling attention to a year-long dispute between Google and China concerning search...

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