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Declaration for freedom of information in the internet

>>Take a tour through the ODEM Anti-Censorship projects
>>Short introduction: internet censorship in germany (PDF, 212 kB)
>>Read our press release (April 2002)
>>See the German Version

On February 8th 2002, the "Bezirksregierung Düsseldorf" (the district government of Düsseldorf county, Northrhine-Westfalia in Germany) passed orders to more than 80 provider of internet-access ("access provider"): they should "block" the access from their users to some foreign websites. In this particular case, the "Bezirksregierung" refers to its competence as the disctrict government administration responsible for legal protection of children and the youth and "punishment of infringements of law" regarding to the so-called "Mediendienstestaatsvertrag" (interstate agreement on media services).

Although that particular authority is responsible for media-services like video-text and not for tele-communication services, the provider have been demanded to block their customers' access to two right-wing extremists' web-sites being hosted in the USA. That does not mean blocked access only, but blocked communication of any kind with the people behind it as well - e-mails etc. shall be made impossible.
At the moment, a pilot-project of a filter-system is being tested, which will be used to block the access to questionable web-sites. Those websites offer - according to German law - illegal content such as nazi-propaganda and are proved to endanger children and the youth. But: the blocking measurement also includes access to any web-site complying with these premises, no matter where it is hosted.
So far it is not known who shall be entitled to edit the "Black List", which is neccessary for this method. It is also not known if this "Black List" will be subject to any control according to the federal republican law.

Societal Backstep

We condemn the action of the "Bezirksregierung Düsseldorf" and their further plans in the strongest possible terms because of the following reasons:

Filter-systems implanted by a provider are inadequate and unreasonable
Article 5 of the German Constitution states: Any citizen has the right to freely inform himself of generally accessible sources without any limitations. This freedom of information is the undisputable backbone of an informed democracy being able and aware to defend itself. Filter-systems are used to make sources of information unaccessible for citizens. Measurements of that kind remind us strongly of those used by totalitarian states and the so called "Feindsenderverbot" (the receive of hostile broadcoast which was forbidden in World War II and the GDR). They are inadequate for the Federal Republic of Germany.

We are shocked that this limitation of the freedom of information shall also be aimed at science and research. It is planned that only universities are able to escape from this limitation by special authorizations – regulations that are similar to theses practised in the former GDR (the socialist east germany). People working for the media or journalists would also be affected – they are no longer able to receive unlimited information, as these are still existing but no longer available.

Any limitation of our fundamental right of freedom of information is - as far as we are concerned - a backstep of society. Freedom of information counts more than a possible danger, which is caused by the questionable sites in the internet.
Fighting the sources instead of fighting infrastructure!

The internet is a medium of communication. In legal terms it should rather be compared to telephone or mail than to broadcoast or television. Any intrusion in confidental conversation by the administration offends basic conditions and our understanding of the internet. Additionally, filter systems will only be a measurement of intrusion in the neutral technical infrastructure of communication itself; filtering content does not have any effect in fighting the sources.
Blocking sites does miss the target group
Although the measures used today can simply be bypassed with basic knowledge in data processing, they - and any further measures - do seriously intervene our fundamental rights. Therefore, blocking web-sites will miss the effect on the target group and - worst case scenario - will result in a mystification and glorification of forbidden content. Filter systems are contraproductive: Striving for unrequired content in the internet being only made unaccessible means actionism without looking any further - striving for this measure does mean to escape from the real challenge: The real challenge would be to do something against the causes on a societal base.

We demand excluding filter systems used by any provider as a measurement to fight illegal und unrequested content in the internet. We demand finding political ways to solve the problem instead and that you will take assertive action against the originator of this content.

Do let us have a very close look at the problem instead of making the problem invisible to us!

more information, sources, backgrounds (in German)

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Addressees

This petition will be handed over to the following addressees in Summer 2002 :

to the Bezirksregierung Düsseldorf (District government of Düsseldorf county)
to the Landesregierung in Nordrhein-Westfalen (Federal state government of Northrine-Westfalia)
to the nordrhein-westfälischen Landtag (Federal state parliament of Northrhine-Westfalia)
to the Bundesregierung (The federal government of Germany)
to the Deutschen Bundestag (The German parliament)
to the press

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First signers and initiatives of the declaration

in coincidental sequence

Johannes Barthen Jugendmedienverband Mecklenburg-Vorpommern e.V.	Statt Zugangsbeschränkung lieber kompetente Medienbenutzer

Ian Clarke Founder & Coordinator, The Freenet Project; ian AT freenetproject.org	Freedom to communicate

Chaos Computer Club e.V. Chaos Computer Club e.V., Hamburg; mail AT ccc.de	Wachsamkeit ist der Preis der Freiheit --- Keine Zensur!

Kurt Jaeger Geschäftsführer, Oberon.net GmbH, LF.net GmbH, Duesseldorf/Stuttgart	Als Betroffener ISP und weil es diese Debatte seit Jahren immer wieder gibt...

Jörg Tauss Medienbeauftragter der SPD-Bundestagsfraktion, MdB, Karlsruhe/Berlin; joerg.tauss AT bundestag.de	Wichtiger Beitrag zur Wahrung der Informationsfreiheit

Dr.Horst-Walter Schwager Chemiker, Usingen	Zensur schadet - immer

Thomas Kerpe Bitschmied, Entropia e.V., Karlsruhe; freedom AT fnordic.de	Lasset die Welt der Information und des Wissens gedeien...

Kristian Koehntopp

Dr. Volker Grassmuck Medienforscher, Helmholtz Zentrum für Medientechnologie, Humbold Universität, Berlin

Richard Stallman Free Software Foundation; rms AT gnu.org	This campaign

Dr. Michael Böttcher Diplomphysiker, Hamburg	Freiheit stirbt scheibchenweise

Florian Steglich Student, [Initiator], Mainz; flori AT nsteglich.de

Michael Schöbel Geschäftsführer, Acoon GmbH, Marl

Alvar C.H. Freude Dipl.-Des, Medienkünstler, Programmierer, ODEM.org; [Initiator], Stuttgart; alvar AT a-blast.org	Ausblenden und Wegschauen vertreibt keine Nazis

Günter Frhr.v.Gravenreuth gravenreuth AT gravenreuth.de

Lutz Donnerhacke Sicherheitsfachmann, IKS GmbH, Jena; lutz AT iks-jena.de	Fitug

Jörg-Olaf Schäfers Student & Medienschaffender, [Initiator], Paderborn	Von der Gefährlichkeit des Wegsehens.

Grietje Bettin MdB Bündnis 90 / Die Grünen

Prof. Wolfgang Kleinwaechter Professor fuer internationale Kommunikationspolitik, University of Aarhus / Daenemark, Aarhus	Die von Herrn Buessow vorgesehen "Ausnahmeregelungen" für Forschungszwecke erinnern mich an die "Giftschraenke" aus unseligen Zeiten in der Deutschen Buecherei zu Leipzig

Reporter ohne Grenzen Auch im Namen von www.rsf.org

padeluun Künstler, FoeBuD e.V., Bielefeld	Das Recht auf Extremes

Benedikt Fischer TV-Journalist, Hessischer Rundfunk, Frankfurt/M

Boris Piwinger AKA pi Wien; 3.14 AT piology.org

Burkhard Schröder Schriftsteller und Journalist, [Initiator], Berlin	Der Schoß ist fruchtbar noch ...

Tim Gerber Redakteur, Redaktion c't, Hannover; tig AT ct.heise.de	Staatliche Bevormundung kenne ich aus der DDR zur Genüge.

Wolfgang Leven EDV-Training und -Beratung Leven [Initiator]; w.leven AT web.de	Far too many people use '1984' as how-to manual.

Marit Hansen

Oliver Passeck Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter, Bündnis 90 / Die Grünen

Andy Müller-Maguhn Europäischer Vertreter im ICANN-Direktorium und Sprecher des CCC e.V., Berlin / Hamburg	Gesellschaftliche Probleme lösst man nicht durch Ausblendung

Wolfgang Bleh Journalist, intern.de Fachinformationsdienst, Allendorf/Ts.	Sperren ist Unsinn...

Arne Brand Pressesprecher, Virtueller Ortsverein der SPD, Berlin	Steht auf, wenn ihr Netzuser seid!

Florian Cramer Literaturwissenschaftler, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin

Bettina Jodda Sekretärin, freie Autorin, Mitarbeiterin bei stop1984.org, [Initiatorin], Celle	Demokratie braucht keine Zensur

Rena Tangens Künstlerin, FoeBuD e.V., Bielefeld	Nur EINS oder NULL?

Herbert Ferstl Kaufmann selbständig, 90530 Wendelstein; Herbert.Ferstl AT t-online.de

Trixy Freude Ass. Bibliotheken, Studentin Informationsdesign, [Initiatorin], Stuttgart; odem AT liamara.de	"Verbotenes bekämpft man am besten, indem man es erlaubt"

Andreas A. Milles [Initiator], Esslingen

Angela Marquardt, MdB, PDS angela.marquardt AT bundestag.de

Dr. Jeanette Hofmann Wissenschaftszentrum Berlinfür Sozialforschung

Dr. Reinhold Grether netzwissenschaft.de

Christian Schwarm Geschäftsführer und Kreativchef, AGI Think Tank Task Force Agency GmbH, Stuttgart

in coincidental sequence

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The last 32 persons who signed the petition

25613.	Martin Stopfer	2008-08-07, 02:24:01

25612.	Spiro Helllas	2008-08-05, 22:25:20

25611.	Herr Giuseppe D'Andrea giuseppedandrea96 AT yahoo.it	2008-08-05, 14:56:59

25610.	Lars von der Burg	2008-08-05, 00:29:43

25609.	Philipp Michalski	2008-08-04, 01:31:23

25608.	Franke Gronau	2008-08-02, 19:28:06

25607.	Norbert Stumpf	2008-08-02, 14:05:53

25606.	Daniel Klemm	2008-07-31, 11:25:47

25605.	Olaf Hartmann	2008-07-30, 02:44:34

25604.	Architekt Thomas Funke	2008-07-28, 22:20:48

25603.	Ulrich Fauser	2008-07-28, 21:46:42

25602.	André Klink	2008-07-28, 13:42:00

25601.	Martin Woltering	2008-07-27, 22:43:14

25600.	Markert Mario	2008-07-25, 22:17:20

25599.	T. Werner	2008-07-25, 15:26:13

25598.	Krohs	2008-07-25, 14:57:42

25597.	Fricke	2008-07-25, 11:45:07

25596.	Christian Mühle ITA	2008-07-25, 11:18:01

25595.	Christian Koch	2008-07-24, 21:28:56

25594.	Sven Hanisch	2008-07-24, 07:17:32

25593.	Michael Boy	2008-07-23, 16:47:58

25592.	Bernd Fleckenstein	2008-07-23, 10:37:04

25591.	Julian Luplow	2008-07-23, 00:28:23

25590.	mike grafeneder	2008-07-22, 20:27:05

25589.	Dirk Piepiorka	2008-07-21, 17:46:40

25588.	Lutz Bode	2008-07-21, 15:42:27

25587.	Frau Ally Hauptmann-Gurski Schriftstellerin, selbstaendig, Adelaide (Australien)	2008-07-21, 03:19:38

25586.	Grütering	2008-07-20, 23:12:44

25585.	Klaus Pansi	2008-07-20, 06:51:34

25584.	Dennis Marin	2008-07-19, 11:14:34

25583.	Marc Mann	2008-07-18, 09:48:38

25582.	Simon Köhler	2008-07-17, 16:59:00

all users signed already

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