Internet Policies in Other Countries? 18
Panthro asks: "I am writing a paper on how other countries are handling the internet, including censoring, broadband infrastructure deployment, ISP availability and quality, and general involvement levels of governments in the delivery of content to their constituents. Any personal experience involving the creation or enforcing of such policies would be very helpful." It's always wise to know what internet policies are being enforced out there, if only to know what's been decided on by others, which policies you might want to implement and which ones you might want to avoid implementing at any cost.
Re:.br policy (Score:2)
The nerve of some people. How can they get away with this?
Why, the next thing you know,
Clearly, it's time for all Brazilians who think like you to rise up and overthrow their oppressors. Let me know how the three of you make out.
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France (Score:1)
Interconnection between various ISP's is very poor with very long pings. Often faster to download from the US if the ftp server is on another french network than your ISP.
Historically the last country in the free world (whatever that is) to have legalized PGP...
Quite strict privacy laws which seem to defend the user.
The ex-monopoly controls the
Re:Canada (Score:2)
This was done to prevent US carriers from simply putting POPs in Canada and routing traffic through the US, undercutting Canadian suppliers. This regulation is primarily for long distance (voice) carriers. It does appear to have achieved what it set out to do, which was force new entrants to the networking market to build their own networks, rather than route through their networks in the US. And yes, this rule _is_ enforced when it contravenes the _intent_ of the regulation. It isn't intended to beat up individuals.
No idea about the under-18 thing though. Where did that come from?
Jason PollockIn Portugal (Score:3)
So, we pay ISP's for our connection, and we pay for the calls.
We now have free internet access, but it sucks. You really have to pay if you want to have something passable.
Cable is also pratically a monopoly, and is now just starting to offer net access, but there are few people who have it 'cause it's very expensive to set up (and they force you to use their cable modems, even if you have one. Oh, yes, and according to them, it only works on windows and you have to have a cable modem per computer... can you believe that?!?)
Censorship is non-existing (at least that). I really doubt anyone in our gov. can use a computer...
Most teens think Internet is IRC and ICQ... and netiquette is a weird word for mushrooms.
90% of the 5% of the population that knows anything about computers think that Windows is the greatest thing since codfish with garlick (favorite local dish...
Well, at least it's unexplored territory.
Chile (Score:3)
Theres a lot of broadband options, the two big cable companies are offering cable connections (27$ for 160 - 80$ for 960), theres a lot of people offering dsl (40$-as high as you need-want), but the most known and popular are the telephone companies, they are not monopolies and they compete on pretty much every terrain, local, international, internet access, etc.. And everyone and their neighbour is offering dial-up with every conceivable quality and pricing options. Also theres some companies offering special connections to companies, I imagine high quality dsl or t1s, I dont know.
chao
Jajirov
.br policy (Score:3)
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Re:Canada (Score:1)
Of course, most ISP's require an adult to sign up for access and then turn a blind eye to the fact that their kids also use it.
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Canada (Score:2)
Of course, neither of these rules are ever enforced to the best of my knowledge.
Apart from that, Canada has reasonable Internet access. Broadband is available in virtually all cities at a rate of $40 a month or less (Canadian, so about $26 U.S.). Often the service is lousy but no more so than in the U.S. In universities here, basically everyone has to have Internet access (perhaps through computer labs on campus), even for psych and philosophy and other such courses.
Outside of universities and colleges, though, probably only a little over fifty percent of people use the Internet regularly.
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Sweden (Score:2)
Switzerland (Score:1)
Here's a link which should answer your questions regarding registration policy [www.nic.ch].
From my own experience they do a fine job.
México: Non existent (Score:1)
Less than 1% of the population has internet access, so it's not one of our main concerns.
The few that have internet use only 56k modems (except in Monterrey where there is cable, but is not a very good service). The main ISP is TELMEX, a monopoly of communications that disconnects you every 5 minutes (or less), so you have to pay for another phone call. The rest of the ISP's are not better, low bandwith, no connections, etc. So we don't use the internet as entertainer as the USA does, we use it only if we need it.
Even universities don't have broadband access and students don't have personal web pages. Only corporations with heavy risk capital can put web sites that have real content, but for the reasons stated above, nobody regulates them.
Japan (Score:1)
ISP information (Score:1)
Singapore (Score:1)
All the internet access goes through a proxy server which censors everything according to what the goverment deems correct, which of course includes anti goverment stuff, p()rn, etc. but can also include lame stuff as Cosmopolitan for who knows which bizarre reasons.
People of oposition parties have been thrown in jail or legaly arrased (sued for something they said until they are out of money, in courts that surpise, surprise, always favour the gov.sg) for something that appeared in USENET attributed to them (i.e. who knows who put the name of oposition politician in post). Etc. ad nauseam.
UK (Score:1)
-Many providers charge just for the phone call for speeds up to 56K.
-Some providers bundle free Internet (completely free, one can hang on for around 2 hours before being disconnected, one just dials in again) access if combined with other services like phone cable or digital TV.
-Affordable broadband is beginning, one company offers it for 40 GBP (1GBP=1.45US$)per month. Another offers DSL for 20.
Censorship: most stuff is OK, only the absolutely unacceptable is prosecuted by police, if there is censorship very often are ISPs taking preventive measures on their own, not necesarily goverment intervention.
In several court cases ISPs or message boards have been found liable for what people post in their services.
The UK goverment is aiming to be very intrusive in digital comunication (the old "we need to fight the criminals" stuff); one does not have any right of privacy at work when it comes to the Internet.
Promotion:
Mixed, in one hand the gov is trying to give access to all to the Internet, easing work permits for foreigner with IT skills but in the other hand they are pestering IT contractors with unecesary, hazzy, badly written regulations to close supossed "loopholes" when tax time comes.
Apparently there's this fucked up country... (Score:2)
... where 75% of narrowband surfers are tied to an ISP that charges them a fortune for the priviledge of handing out their confidential information to anyone who asks, where the government censors citizens' net access, where innovation is smothered by a patent, copyright and legal system that ensures that access to lawyers, not conformance with laws, decides right from wrong, where private corporations use government money to perform global control of the internet by fiat and decree, where...
Yeah, I'd hate to live in a foreign country like the USA. Those guys have seriously lost the plot.
State of play down under (Score:1)
The internet backbone is run by Telstra, formerly Telecom Australia, a semi privatised company with 51% goverment ownership. About 95% of ISPs buy their backbone access through Telstra with only very large ISPs able to afford the cost of putting in their own transatlantic lines so that situation is unlikely to change.
Dialup is available at local call access nationwide, with calls costing 25c or less, untimed. Most ISPs offer unlimted time for about $25 ($12.50US). WAP is available but very slow (as it is in the rest of the world) and broadband is also available in some metropolitan areas. Cable is available but the speeds are generally capped to protect the bandwidth. This is a good and a bad thing, it protects the network but many people don't like the cap. I think that if it keeps it stable, it is worth it. The cost is about $70 ($35US) a month for unlimited but capped.
ADSL has been available for about the past 6 months. It is being run out very differntly than in the US. Users need an ADSL modem at their location and a splitter rather than have it done at the exchange. Apparently, DSL providers are watching us with interest, to see if it comes out more stable than the shoddy network you guys seem to have. DSL is also pretty much a monopoly as Telstra owns all the phone exchanges.
With regards to other things, domain names in the
Porn is a hotspot in Oz. From my understanding, you cannot host offensive or pornographic content on a server in Australia. If you do, the government can fine you for each day it remains on view. I think the fines are about $10k a day, so pretty hefty fines. As far as I know, there is no porn hosted in Australia.
Email and privacy in the workplace is in a state of flux. I heard a while ago that the government is putting in place a law which will require companies to not look at emails and internet browsing done on ompany time. Apparently the government views having internet access at work like having a phone, it is fair to say that you can use it for personal use as well. I think this is a very sensible way to go.
On the other hand, it has been decided that any email you send is automatically copyrighted. That means that you can sue someone who forwards your email without your express permission. Now, it has been pointed out, in this very forum, that it could mean that forwarding spam to ubuse@provider.com could land you in court for breach of copyright.
Well, that's my take on the state of this nation
Myanmar (Score:2)