The end of internet in Italy

October 20, 2007 by Emanuele Feronato
Filed Under Blogging • 13 Comments 

I suggest a game: tell me the name of a Country that’s trying to “close” internet. China? Maybe. Cuba? Maybe.

Italy? Sure!

Ricardo Franco Levi, Prodi’s right hand man, (Prodi is the Prime Minister here in Italy – I did not vote him and I am proud of it) undersecretary to the President of the Council, has written the text to put a stopper in the mouth of the Internet.

The draft law was approved by the Council of Ministers on 12 October. No Minister dissociated themselves from it.

The Levi-Prodi law lays out that anyone with a blog or a website has to register it with the ROC, a register of the Communications Authority, produce certificates, pay a tax, even if they provide information without any intention to make money.

This means that almost all no-profit sites (or sites with a small profit) will shut down, and the few survivors will have to pay taxes and risk to be guilty of defamatory content in accordance with articles 57 and 57 bis of the penal code (JAIL).

Obviously this blog won’t close. I am planning to transfer it to a democratic State soon as possible.

Maybe I will even get some more extra bucks when I’ll have to assist my customers to the “migration”.

What really pisses me off is the situation. They think they can do what they please.

Anyway… do you know a good internet provider in a democratic State? It would be even better if there are no morons in charge.

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13 Responses to “The end of internet in Italy”

  1. Ahmet on October 20th, 2007 11:42 pm

    try infomaniak.ch (a bit expansive but a good provider!).

    For Prodi I understrand your frustration but Berlusconi wasnt so much better… (?)

  2. Lo psicologo on October 21st, 2007 12:34 am

    Hi,

    hopefully this monstrous document will never become a law. Anyway it’s highly significant…

    This government is really doing anti-democratic things and my wish is to see it fall as soon as possible.

    We have too many taxes, everything is expensive and salaries are modest; this is not the right way to govern a nation.

    I hope also to be able to express my opinion in the future.

  3. Jimbo on October 21st, 2007 1:34 am

    I am shocked and sorry to read this post. For all of the bad things that the U.S. has given the world, our legislators still fight hard to keep the internet free in the U.S. – I have used http://dreamhost.com for several years, and host 22 sites with it, and am very pleased. It is located in Los Angeles.

  4. Thomas on October 21st, 2007 7:48 am

    AAAAAAAAAAARGH!!

    Is that legal??

    Hope it never happens in NZ! :(

    (Looks around suspiciously)

    Good luck mate. I’m sorry for ya.

  5. Peter on October 21st, 2007 3:13 pm

    Dreamhost works nicely for me…

  6. Sean on October 21st, 2007 5:47 pm

    Are there opposition parties in Italy that can renounce this and bring international pressure to bear? I though Italy was done with fascism…

  7. xirclebox on October 24th, 2007 7:54 am

    Dude that sux!! Here are some hosts that I use often.

    bluehost.com – USA
    lunarpages.com – USA
    hostingplex.com – CANADA

  8. paolo on June 1st, 2009 9:48 am

    Italian don’t know exctly the cost of freedom.
    Our democracy experience is far too young and we
    tend to vote as you do for the assembly.
    I think we need to buy different newspaper
    and read them well to compare politics designs.
    Our left was far too weak to contrast the far right partyes

  9. mmankt on July 31st, 2009 9:34 pm

    No wonder, Italy joined the Axis and some bad blood is still there, anyway I think that our sweet EU will not allow to do this.

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