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European Union proposing to ban anon e-mail due to c

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Date:          Sat, 24 Apr 1999 01:48:26 GMT
From:          freespeech@sideshow.idps.co.uk
Subject:       European Union proposing to ban anon e-mail due to child-porn.
To:            gilc-plan@gilc.org
Reply-to:      gilc-plan@gilc.org

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To: Avedon Carol <avedon@cix.compulink.co.uk>
From: whitfield.diffie@eng.sun.com
Sender: whitfield.diffie@eng.sun.com
Date: Fri, 23 Apr 1999 15:03:07 -0800
Subject: Usual Friday dose of bad news

                                Friday  23 April 1999  at 15h00

From: alecm@coyote.UK.Sun.COM (Alec Muffett)
Subject: European Union proposing to ban anon e-mail due to
child-porn.
Date: Fri, 23 Apr 1999 18:25:58 +0100

http://www2.europarl.eu.int/dg7-bin/seid.pl?APP=RAPPORT+PRG=DOCRAPPORTFILE=PE-RAPPORT-A4-0141-99-EN+LANGUE=EN


 The amendments seek the following:

1-. Non-binding phrases have been changed to binding phrases.

2. Member States agree that:

 (a) the production, processing, supply, distribution and possession
of
 child pornography are criminal offences, and a uniform protective age
 is introduced;

 (b) the possession of child pornography for the purpose of securing
 evidence is not a criminal offence;

 (c) special units of the law enforcement authorities will
 systematically scan the Internet for child pornography;

 (d) contact points operated on a 24-hour basis will be set up and
they
 will be able to cooperate directly;

 (e) Europol is to be informed immediately of cases of child
 pornography;

 (f) Internet providers undertake to retain for at least three months
 traffic-related data;

 (g) the sending of anonymous e-mail is prohibited.

The proposals listed under (a) and (g) are of considerable
importance. In practice the fight against criminal material on the
Internet is seriously impeded by the fact that not even within the
European Union are there equal, or at least comparable, legal
standards on major issues. Prosecuting child pornography is difficult
because 'child' is defined to cover different age groups. It is also
difficult if a link (the term employed by the World Wide Web) used to
pass on an offer with criminal contents is not in itself criminal in
nature. Prosecution is impossible if electronic mail can be sent
anonymously.