Censor 'Eyes' Global Mode

Forums › New Zealand Broadband › Censor 'Eyes' Global Mode - Seriously?

scuwp

3885 posts

Uber Geek

#154765 7-Nov-2014 07:26

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11354334

NZ’s chief censor is eyeing charges against Slingshot and Orcon, for allowing 'global mode' access.

They can't be serious?

Prosecuting a company for providing a service that allows users to access (NZ) unrated content?

What about the VPN providers, or the lines company for providing the connection, or the power company for providing the electricity that runs the computer that allows the connection, or the computer manufacturer...and...and...and.

PC madness?

Lazy is such an ugly word, I prefer to call it selective participation

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

487 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1170442 7-Nov-2014 07:29

So is the Censor going to watch all the videos on youtube before we can see them?

Andib

1364 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

#1170443 7-Nov-2014 07:29

Better go after samsung for allowing me to play display these movies on my TV aswell!

<#
.DISCLAIMER
Anything I post is my own and not the views of my past/present/future employer.
#>

MrJonathanNZ

54 posts

Master Geek

#1170444 7-Nov-2014 07:40

We want a world that is open and competitive yet some people will do everything they can to keep their monopolies.
One can only imagine this comes from the likes of SKY etc..

scuwp

3885 posts

Uber Geek

#1170446 7-Nov-2014 08:00

Had to laugh. This is the advert that popped up next to the original post.

GZ complicit in promoting unauthorized content?

Lazy is such an ugly word, I prefer to call it selective participation

nakedmolerat

4629 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1170448 7-Nov-2014 08:07

I guess he also works for Hollywood?

sbiddle

30853 posts

Uber Geek

Retired Mod

Trusted

Biddle Corp

Lifetime subscriber

#1170449 7-Nov-2014 08:13

nakedmolerat: I guess he also works for Hollywood?

Certainly not - the censor is very impartial.

There have been plenty of people over the years fined in NZ for breaking out censorship laws by selling content that doesn't carry NZ ratings or has been banned. Any VOD services setting up in NZ also have to abide by these censorship rules.

Do these DNS/VPN services break those rules? I guess it's something we've very shortly see.

scuwp

3885 posts

Uber Geek

#1170453 7-Nov-2014 08:32

sbiddle:
nakedmolerat: I guess he also works for Hollywood?

Certainly not - the censor is very impartial.

There have been plenty of people over the years fined in NZ for breaking out censorship laws by selling content that doesn't carry NZ ratings or has been banned. Any VOD services setting up in NZ also have to abide by these censorship rules.

I do see a slight difference between 'selling' a specific content, and providing a service that allows customers to acquire the content from a 3rd party. Like you say if this goes through then any VPN type service (assume jurisdiction restricted to NZ based) had better get a good lawyer.

The silly thing is that there are soooo many ways to get the content, it's kind of like shooting a BB gun into a stampeding heard of bulls and hoping they will all stop.

Lazy is such an ugly word, I prefer to call it selective participation

Sharesies

Trade NZ and US shares and funds with Sharesies (affiliate link).

sbiddle

30853 posts

Uber Geek

Retired Mod

Trusted

Biddle Corp

Lifetime subscriber

#1170458 7-Nov-2014 08:41

scuwp:
I do see a slight difference between 'selling' a specific content, and providing a service that allows customers to acquire the content from a 3rd party. Like you say if this goes through then any VPN type service (assume jurisdiction restricted to NZ based) had better get a good lawyer.

The silly thing is that there are soooo many ways to get the content, it's kind of like shooting a BB gun into a stampeding heard of bulls and hoping they will all stop.

Yes it is interesting that they see global mode type services as a legal issue - if you import a banned DVD into the country you are breaking the law, but I've never seen NZ Post in court for transporting the goods.

kiwitrc

4123 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#1170464 7-Nov-2014 08:47

To turn the tables, having a censor is an archaic concept, its time the office of censor was abolished. Save a pile of money in the process.

eXDee

4032 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#1170465 7-Nov-2014 08:48

For anyone techy - shrug, there will always be services like unotelly, unblock-us etc.
When they try and block access to these however - then there's a major problem.

Beccara

1469 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

#1170480 7-Nov-2014 08:57

End users are normally fine if your not thumbing you nose at anyone about it but these companies have specifically stated that the purpose of this product is access to media content and as such they should be on the hook like everyone else is (Sky,MediaWorks,TVNZ,Spark/Lightbox now).

Arguing about the validity of the censor's job in the first place is a different bag of cats

Most problems are the result of previous solutions...

All comment's I make are my own personal opinion and do not in any way, shape or form reflect the views of current or former employers unless specifically stated

Stress

48 posts

Geek

#1170482 7-Nov-2014 09:01

Oh dear. Looks like someone in the censors office has been given a rough idea on how some of the technology works and has gotten but-hurt about it. Shhh dont tell them you can do the same thing with a vpn or we'll become China. No offence China.

ckc

321 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#1170503 7-Nov-2014 09:26

What next? Banning books?

I'm just kidding, I know they already ban and censor books. That's why I order the really horrible ones from overseas.

xpd

Geek @ Coastguard NZ
13769 posts

Uber Geek

Retired Mod

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1170513 7-Nov-2014 09:32

Might as well ban post, roads, thought processes.... all can lead to objectionable material being sourced and viewed.

Gavin / xpd / FastRaccoon / Geek of Coastguard New Zealand

LinkTree

sen8or

1789 posts

Uber Geek

#1170538 7-Nov-2014 09:45

I'm guessing the local distributors (Roadshow, Sony, Fiveight (Warners) & Universal) have all had their lawyers look into things and come up short, hence pressure now being applied to the censor to step in to try and shut them down.

The censorship law is a bit hazey as to who is providing the material.

When we had our vid shop, an enforcement officer came in to do a ratings check one day, she said that if we knowingly provide restricted material to anyone underage, then thats an offence. She stated that even mom/dad bringing up the said item for little Johnny did not relieve us of our duty not to provide the goods (IE 8 year old goes to game section, grabs GTA5, gives it to dad to hire out for him, we were meant to refuse to hire). Ofcourse, if we enforced that, we would have been the only DVD shop in Christchurch that stopped "mom renting GTA5" so other than pointing out the rating label to the parent, there was little we could realistically / practically do.

I guess it comes down to if Slingshot are being seen to be the ones facilitating the viewing of said material even if they are not the ones providing it.

Pretty skinny straws they are clutching at, and all the exposure in the Herald can't be doing Slingshot / Orcon any harm as more people will begin to wonder "what this netflix thing is", afterall, theres no such thing as bad publicity

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5