The proposed internet censorship bill requires cellphone carriers to contractually oblige that filtering functions are activated for handsets used by children unless their guardians decline; It will also require computer manufacturers to install filtering software before shipments, while no penalties will be provided for violators.
The government engagement will be exclusived
From an article of the Asahi Shimbun on 4th June 2008, the proposed legislation excludes engagement of the government in drawing up criteria on content. The measure shall have been taken on account of concerns about freedom of expression on the Constitutional Law (art.21).
Therefore, it is said that the focus will now shift to how the private sector, which will be entrusted with assessing what constitutes harmful content, will implement effective steps on a voluntary basis.
Background of the bill
Above article explained the background of the bill as follows.
The legislation was originally proposed by a panel of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party following a series of crimes victimizing children who accessed dating and other sites. According to the National Police Agency, more than 1,000 children under the age of 18 are victims of prostitution and other crimes annually through access to cellphone or computer websites. There have been instances of minors being killed or becoming involved in group suicides arranged through Internet bulletin boards.
The state involvement still remained
The article also indicates that it still leaves room for state involvement, with a provision allowing entities developing filtering software to register with the government.
