kontulib
October 17th, 2002, 09:48 AM
Parliament to ponder supervision of internet
Myyrmanni bombing discussed in connection with law on freedom of speech
Last Friday's bombing at the Myyrmanni shopping mall in Vantaa has stirred a discussion among members of Parliament concerning the need to monitor the internet.
The Constitutional Law Committee of Parliament is currently discussing changes to the legislation on freedom of speech. In future, the law is due to cover the internet in addition to traditional media.
Minister of the Interior Ville Itälä explained in Parliament on Tuesday that according to the bill, a court could order an online publication to remove messages or news items with illegal content from the page.
The same rules could also be applied to the home pages of private individuals. All online publications would need to name an editor-in-chief, who would be responsible for the content published on the site.
The perpetrator of the Vantaa bombing, Petri Gerdt, had obtained information on bomb construction via the internet. He had also exchanged ideas on explosives with other surfers on message boards.
The Constitutional Law Committee heard from various internet experts during its meeting on Wednesday. After the meeting, committee Chairwoman Paula Kokkonen was not willing to comment on whether something should be done differently by the committee because of the Myyrmanni incident.
The question of whether or not internet chatrooms and message boards are, by definition, publications, is still in the open.
Centre Party MP Johannes Leppänen, a member of the Constitutional Law Committee, commented that it is now necessary to ponder if incidents such as the Myyrmanni bombing could be prevented with more careful monitoring.
"However, I hope that a momentary situation is not taken advantage of in a way that would limit some fundamental rights", Leppänen stated. He also pointed out that the question of internet supervision has not been solved anywhere else either, nor has the question of responsibility for online information.
The new law on freedom of speech will not reach a plenary session of Parliament until some time next year. The goal is for the law to take effect next autumn.
Myyrmanni bombing discussed in connection with law on freedom of speech
Last Friday's bombing at the Myyrmanni shopping mall in Vantaa has stirred a discussion among members of Parliament concerning the need to monitor the internet.
The Constitutional Law Committee of Parliament is currently discussing changes to the legislation on freedom of speech. In future, the law is due to cover the internet in addition to traditional media.
Minister of the Interior Ville Itälä explained in Parliament on Tuesday that according to the bill, a court could order an online publication to remove messages or news items with illegal content from the page.
The same rules could also be applied to the home pages of private individuals. All online publications would need to name an editor-in-chief, who would be responsible for the content published on the site.
The perpetrator of the Vantaa bombing, Petri Gerdt, had obtained information on bomb construction via the internet. He had also exchanged ideas on explosives with other surfers on message boards.
The Constitutional Law Committee heard from various internet experts during its meeting on Wednesday. After the meeting, committee Chairwoman Paula Kokkonen was not willing to comment on whether something should be done differently by the committee because of the Myyrmanni incident.
The question of whether or not internet chatrooms and message boards are, by definition, publications, is still in the open.
Centre Party MP Johannes Leppänen, a member of the Constitutional Law Committee, commented that it is now necessary to ponder if incidents such as the Myyrmanni bombing could be prevented with more careful monitoring.
"However, I hope that a momentary situation is not taken advantage of in a way that would limit some fundamental rights", Leppänen stated. He also pointed out that the question of internet supervision has not been solved anywhere else either, nor has the question of responsibility for online information.
The new law on freedom of speech will not reach a plenary session of Parliament until some time next year. The goal is for the law to take effect next autumn.