LONDON (Reuters) - Authors of emails and Internet postings that contain
racist or xenophobic material may face criminal charges under a proposed
European treaty that is dividing the Internet and law enforcement
communities.

The proposal, drafted by the Council of Europe, would essentially
outlaw the publishing of "hate speech" on the Internet.

Welcomed by law enforcement agencies, it has been slammed by Internet
firms as impossible to enforce.

The agreement would create a comprehensive legal framework for international crimefighters as they strive to identify and prosecute cross-border hate crimes on the Internet, an area politicians are eager
to crack down on in the wake of the September 11 attacks.

"We must harmonize the laws first so that countries can cooperate in
criminal investigations regarding the Internet," Peter Csonka, principal
administrator at the Council of Europe, told Reuters on Friday. He added
that many member states have already criminalized certain activities
regarded as racist or xenophobic -- such as  threatening a group on the
grounds of race, color or religion -- and that the treaty would seek to
extend that onto the Net.

FREE SPEECH OR RACIAL HATRED? The proposal has already provoked protest from civil liberties groups who maintain the proposal could
criminalize free speech, and from some Internet firms concerned over
liability issues.

 Csonka said that telecommunications firms and Internet service
providers have contacted the council asking for clarification on whether
they would be held liable for hate speech posted or emailed by their
customers.

 Internet Service Providers (ISPs) typically operate a policy of
"notification and takedown," in which they will remove sites containing
objectionable material if it's first brought to their attention.
Self-policing in this manner, they say, is the best way to tackle hate
speech online.

 "It's almost impossible, and this is the consensus in the IPS
community too, to monitor every single piece of Web space in the
Internet community," said Paul Barker, director of corporate affairs at
Freeserve, the British ISP owned by France's Wanadoo.

continued

 Csonka said the liability concerns raised by ISPs and Web site
operators have not yet been addressed.

 Civil liberty groups have also objected to the proposal, fearing it
could bring the more rigorous anti-hate speech laws that exist in
continental Europe to the more liberal UK and U.S.

 For example, it is unlawful to post or sell Nazi regalia or propaganda
on the Internet in France and Germany, but there are few legal curbs in
the U.S. and Britain.

 "This proposal could potentially outlaw free speech," said Malcolm
Hutty, general director for Campaign Against Censorship on the Internet
in Britain, or CACIB. "That would be a great infringement of civil
rights."

 CACIB and sister organizations of online rights group, the Global
Internet Liberty Campaign, have begun to formulate a campaign to raise
awareness for the new policy.

 The Convention on Cybercrime is the fruit of unprecedented
international cooperation, receiving input from 43 European countries
plus the United States, Japan, Canada and South Africa.

 Drafted by the Council of Europe, a pan-European legal forum which
works for the harmonization of laws across the continent, the treaty
would need individual ratification by each before it is adopted into
law. It has so far been signed, but not yet ratified, by 32 nations.

 The "hate speech" amendment is expected to be brought into the
convention this July, officials said, after the current public input
period ends.



[url]http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20020222/wr_nm/tech_internet_hatespeech_dc_1[/url]

How would this affect people in the USA. Just because Europe decides to do this shouldn’t cause us to loose our rights. There would have to be a treaty between the USA and Europe before this would affect our Freedom of Speech. Am I missing something.

(Just a few lines, it's 0345, and the dog woke me up. The following won't be a stringent text.)

Similar bills, both on federal and state level, are either on the books already, or are being proposed HERE IN THE US.

Look abroad, to see what's in store for us in the near future.

US companies not bowing to Euro regulations could face boycotts from Europe.

US and Australian citizens traveling abroad _have been_ arrested in Europe before, for exercising their freedom of speech at home.

...and, the Number 1 reason why this could be a problem for us, too
*drum roll*

Nazi Germany was in Europe, too. NWO Commie Europe _will_ be a problem for us as well.