French To Outlaw Anonymous Web
Posting

By uk.internet.com staff

The French government plans to crack down on illegal
Web sites and cybercriminals by requiring anyone
posting content on the Internet to identify themselves.

During a second reading at the French Parliament of a
new law concerned with the freedom of communication,
a proposal was added which requires that an author of
content on the internet must provide identification
details to their ISP.

The proposal has angered the ISP industry who say that
the proposals are unclear and will risk alienating French
ISPs.

EuroISPA, the European association of the ISPs
associations of European Union countries, said the bill is
not specific enough, and while intended to control
website operators, could be extended to individuals in
chat rooms, bulletin boards and discussion groups.

Although ISPs are not required to police the new system,
there is nothing in the bill to prevent policing duties
being imposed on them. French citizens could risk six
months imprisonment and a 7000 euros (#4300) fine for
providing false identity information.

"As a law-abiding consumer, this law could push you to
use non-French hosting providers and chat rooms in order
to avoid both the possible bureaucracy of this system and
to avoid any possibility of coming under a jurisdiction
where incorrect registration could land you in prison for
six months," said Cormac Callanan, president of
EuroISPA.

Although the legislation is for French Internet users, a
spokesman for EuroISPA said the bill could have wider
implications for the rest of Europe. "The French have a
strong hard line on Internet issues in general. It's possible
that if and when the bill is introduced, the French may
put pressure on counterparts to implement similar
legislation."

In the UK, the government has been criticised for its
Regulation of Investigatory Powers Bill. Critics
have argued that the Bill will criminalise the use of computers, turn
ISPs into surveillance centres, violate the
presumption of innocence and harm UK ecommerce.

http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/6_328561