Die “Selbstdisziplin” der chinesischen Zensoren

Rebecca MacKinnon hat einen interessanten Artikel darüber verfasst, wie die chinesische Regierung die Verantwortung für die Internetzensur in weiten Teilen auf die Privatwirtschaft ablädt. “Selbstdisziplin” heißt das dort:

In China, all Internet and mobile companies are held responsible for everything their users post, transmit, or search for. The Chinese call it “self-discipline.” In Anglo-American legal parlance, it’s “intermediary liability,” which in China is taken to its logical extreme with no public accountability or due process. “Intermediary liability” means that the intermediary, a service that acts as “intermediate” conduit for the transmission or publication of information, is held liable or legally responsible for everything its users do.

MacKinnon schreibt auch über ihre Befürchtungen, dass diese Handhabung des Rechts sich in westlichen Ländern ausbreitet:

Meanwhile in the Western democratic world, the idea of strengthening intermediary liability is becoming increasingly popular in government agencies and parliaments. From France to Italy to the United Kingdom, the idea of holding carriers and services liable for what their customers do is seen as the cheapest and easiest solution to the law enforcement and social problems that have gotten tougher in the digital age — from child porn to copyright protection to cyber-bullying and libel.