FFII call on national parliaments to reverse soviet-style internet upload filters

By Benjamin HENRION | March 29, 2019

PRESS RELEASE – [ Europe / Democracy / Censorship / Economy / Copyright ]

Brussels, 29 March 2019 – FFII is calling on angry protesters against internet upload filters to reverse the position of their country by calling for a vote in their national parliament. Council of the Ministers is an undemocratic institution where decisions on this particular subject are made by officials of the Member States’s ministries of culture. FFII call on national parliaments to ‘take back control’.

The adoption of internet upload filters is a strategic mistake that will fuel the eurosceptics game at the coming elections. Boris Johnson’s reaction to european parliament vote yesterday left no doubt about it. Internet upload filters are a slippery slope. Another directive will extend automatic filtering to ‘terrorist’ content, ‘fake news’, and finally, political speech. Where does it end?

The Council of Ministers is expected to formally adopt the directive as an A-item at the next meeting on Tuesday 9th of April.

Benjamin Henrion, President of FFII, says: “It’s time for real European Democracy. You have next week to change the outcome. Call your national parliament now, and ask for a vote on internet upload filters!”

He remembers 15 years ago: “Poland saved SMEs from the harmful software patent directive, any country can do it again. Merkel and Macron sold SMEs for a Russian gas pipeline, it’s time to fix the European democratic deficit and replace diplomats by a network of national parliaments. Ministers of Culture should not be allowed to dictate the position of a country. The CETA debate was the same undemocratic mess, it was barely discussed in 3 national parliaments out of 28, and a few unelected ministers decided on the positions of their countries.”

Internet companies are already looking to relocate in Switzerland to avoid the unsupportable liabilites created by the European Filternet. And the copyright lobby is also pushing for Switzerland to copy/paste the same absurd legislation that small companies cannot comply with.

He finishes: “Macron’s dream of a French startup nation did not last long. His guiding principle appears to be: “Leave business to big business!” ”