"The government wants action to stop "infodemics" - false stories which spread rapidly via websites and blogs." and what about TV, radio and newspapers?

Almost sounds like a good idea until you realise that 99% of our medias output would be stopped by this type of restriction.

And, surely, this is what the internet is all about - allowing the largest number of idiots (sorry, users) to spread the maximum amount of disinformation in the shortest possible time !! No other reason for the rise of Wikipedia ....

Oh Noez! Free Speech, let's stamp that right out... Can't have people questioning authority willy-nilly now can we?

Pete

http://www.turnofftheinternet.com/

"Snigger"

I think it's already been established that free speech isn't a license to defame. We used to have a free press in the UK, but there are and were libel laws.

I can't see why the Internet should be an exception from this. Of course the trick is to make sure the government doesn't use it as an excuse for stifling criticism.

Just for you - once you close the page, the Internet comes back on again!

http://www.turnofftheinternet.com/shutdown.html

The power indeed!!!!!!

...North Korea?

No?

Oh...

""The government wants action to stop "infodemics" - false stories which spread rapidly via websites and blogs." and what about TV, radio and newspapers?

Almost sounds like a good idea until you realise that 99% of our medias output would be stopped by this type of restriction."

But that 99% figure doesn't hold true in Korea. When I was there last from December 2006 to March of this year, one of the things I most enjoyed was the fact that newspapers (English editions of the local dailies) were extremely good. They were well written (by Koreans!) and generally followed the tried and true (but now sadly lacking in UK, US & Cdn publications) format of:

- X, the CEO of Y Co. Ltd. was arrested late yesterday for (insert misdemeanour of choice).

- The prosecutor said "(details of whatever)" and that he felt sure that the courts would agree.

- When interviewed by our man on the scene, a spokesman for Y Co. said that there were aspects of the case (aspects A, B & C) that the prosecution had failed to appreciate and that "When they are explained in court we are confident that our CEO will be completely exonerated."

- The trial is expected to start next ***.

They still put forth the simple facts and one can almost read, as though it was tacked on to the end of the piece, "Those are the facts reader, make of them what you will."

And that's all I ever wanted (and am now becoming desperate for!) from a newspaper or other media.

They do have editorial pages which are properly used to express opinions, but the local news section of the paper is not contaminated by the snide and scarcely hidden opinions of the journalist who wrote the article. It was a delightfully refreshing experience - which I miss!

(When I want a journalist's opinion, I'll tell him what it is!)

But I do agree entirely with your comments on what the internet is all about and the only reason for the rise of the wikipidiots!

http://english.cpb.or.kr/user/bbs/code02_detail.php?av_jbno=2006071800002

If so it would be a pity, although they haven't updated in a while.