Political blogger Beppe Grillo has highlighted the passing of a
draft law by Italy's Council of Ministers which he says requires
every blogger to register with the state.
"The 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," said Grillo on
his own blog.
The law still has some hurdles to clear before it comes into
force and is designed to clarify Italy's publishing laws, but one
Italian politician has already said that the law draws comparisons
with those of repressive regimes such as that in Burma.
Italian minister Ricardo Franco Levi, who is said to be behind
the law, claims that it has yet to be decided whether ordinary
bloggers will fall within the remit of the law or not. The
confusion arises from the proposed law's application to 'editorial
products' and confusion about exactly what those are.
One translation of the law says that it defines editorial
products as "any product aimed to inform, educate, divulge or
entertain and which will be published regardless of its form or
distribution", a definition which could easily be stretched to
cover amateur blog publishing.
Grillo made it clear in his blog the extent of his objections to
the proposal. "If the law gets passed, it’ll be the end of the
internet in Italy," he said. "My blog won’t close. If I have to,
I’ll transfer lock stock, barrel and server to a democratic
state."
