BAGHDAD, IRAQ — Liberation from one oppressive regime may have done little more than give rise to another for Iraqi citizens, at least where the free flow of ideas across electronic boundaries is concerned. The government of Iraq is poised to ban websites that incite violence or publish pornography and censure internet service providers who allow access those sites.The plan, announced Tuesday, immediately drew harsh criticism from free-speech advocates who fear the move may be a first step toward censorship of less-provocative, politically motivated content.
Under the first phase of the plan, the government will license internet cafés. Those who do not adhere to strict guidelines about content access can lose their Web connections. A second phase of the plan calls for ISPs to be licensed and regulated, as well.
“All websites that glorify terrorism and incite violence and sectarianism, or those that violate social morals with content such as pornography will be banned,” Sameer al-Hasoon, a spokesman for the communications ministry, told The Associated Press.
Guidelines and expectations have not been made public, but Al-Hasoon said he expects the Iraqi Cabinet to approve them next week. After that, they must be enacted by the country’s parliament.
During the second phase of the crackdown, the communications ministry will license only five of the country’s 10 wireless ISPs in order to limit the potential for unapproved material to enter the country. An unnamed spokesman told the AP which five ISPs will be licensed, but he said the internet crimes division of the country’s interior ministry would be involved in oversight of the ones allowed to remain online.
Since former Iraqi dictator Sadam Hussein was deposed in 2003, Iraq has enjoyed some of the least restricted internet access in the region. That has caused concern among government officials, who worry about the effect pornography may have on the primarily Muslim society. The bigger concern, they said, is limiting access to pro-terrorism materials.
Regardless the intent of officials, Iraq’s Journalist Freedom Observatory has condemned the plan as a violation of the country’s new constitution. The document, based on the U.S. Constitution, was enacted in 2005 and includes provisions for freedom of all communication media.
“Excuses of protecting national security or moral standards are unacceptable,” according to a JFO statement. “[The excuses are] only being used to censor internet service and control freedom of expression.”
The owner of one of the hundreds of internet cafés that opened following Saddam’s fall said some types of internet content should be restricted, but he worries the government’s plan will lead to restrictions on other types of speech.
“No one opposes blacking out websites that offer pornography because of the damage such sites bring to society,” Hassan al-Kaabi, 26, told the AP. “But the government decision that deals with websites that incite violence and terrorism is vague and needs more clarification.
“This is just like a trap to me,” he added. “This will definitely affect our business.”
