[Politech] France bans citizens from recording violence, Web sites from reproducing videos [fs]

Wed Mar 7 12:12:47 PST 2007

Background on "happy slapping":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_slapping

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: France bans citizen journalists from reporting violence
Date: Wed, 07 Mar 2007 08:57:02 -0700
From: Richard Smith <richard2 at fastermail.com>
To: declan at well.com

http://www.macworld.com/news/2007/03/06/franceban/index.php?lsrc=mwrss

quote:
The French Constitutional Council has approved a law that criminalizes
the filming or broadcasting of acts of violence by people other than
professional journalists. The law could lead to the imprisonment of
eyewitnesses who film acts of police violence, or operators of Web sites
publishing the images, one French civil liberties group warned on Tuesday.

Apparenly there's little mention of it in the mainstream french media.
You can read the press release from Odebi here (in french):

http://www.odebi.org/new2/?p=223

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: FRANCE : New prevention of criminality law poses threat to
citizen  reporting / FRANCE : Loi sur la  privention de la dilinquance ,
un risque pour  l'information citoyenne
Date: Wed, 7 Mar 2007 16:46:56 +0100
From: rsf.Internet <internet at rsf.org>
To: internet at rsf.org

English / frangais
7.03.07

Reporters Without Borders / Internet Freedom desk

FRANCE

NEW PREVENTION OF CRIMINALITY LAW POSES THREAT TO CITIZEN REPORTING

Reporters Without Borders voiced concern today
about a new French law on the prevention of
criminality following its approval by the
constitutional council on 5 March. "The sections
of this law supposedly dealing with 'happy
slapping' in fact have a much broader scope, and
posting videos online showing violence against
people could now be banned, even if it were the
police who were carrying out the violence," the
organisation said.

"We make no assumptions about the government's
intentions and we recognise the need to prevent
the spread of 'happy slapping,' but this law
introduces a dangerous distinction between
professional journalists, allowed to disseminate
images of violence, and ordinary citizens, who
could be jailed for the same thing," Reporters
Without Borders continued.

"It is particularly regrettable that the law
would forbid the online distribution of images
showing acts of violence by the security forces,"
the press freedom organisation added.

The law on the prevention of criminality
(http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/12/ta/ta0680.asp),
which was adopted on 13 February, was referred to
the constitutional council by the socialist group
in parliament. The referral did not specifically
concern the section dealing with 'happy slapping.'

The law provides for sentences of up to five
years in prison and fines of 75,000 euros for
disseminating images concerning the offences
listed in 222-1 to 222-14-1 and 222-23 to 222-31
of the criminal code. These offences range from
acts of serious violence ("torture" and "acts of
barbarity") to ordinary physical attacks. Article
222-13 concerns violence "committed by an agent
of the state in the exercise of his duties."

The law specifies that the ban "is not applicable
when the recording or dissemination is the result
of the normal exercise of a profession whose
purpose is to inform the public or if it is
carried out with the aim of serving as judicial
evidence."

'Happy slapping' is a physical attack on a person
carried out with the aim of obtaining a video
recording of the attack, which is then circulated
by mobile phone or posted on the Internet.

Reporters Without Borders points out that all
Internet users are now in a position to
participate in the creation and dissemination of
information. They are often the "recorders" of an
event, especially thanks to mobile phones with
photo and video capability, and can disseminate
their own content online.

These "citizen journalists" can play a role in
monitoring the activities of the authorities
throughout the world. In Egypt, for example,
bloggers recently revealed a series of scandals
involving the security services and showed, by
means of video recordings made clandestinely in
detention centres, that torture is still
regularly practised in Egypt.

In the field of human rights, it is them and not
professional journalists who have been
responsible for the most reliable reports and
information - the information that has most upset
the government. Reporters Without Borders thinks
it would be shocking if this kind of activity,
which constitutes a safeguard against abuses of
authority, were to be criminalized in a
democratic country.

*********

Create your blog with Reporters Without Borders,
and read our weekly blog review at www.rsfblog.org

----------------------------

FRANCE

LOI SUR LA PREVENTION DE LA DELINQUANCE : UN
RISQUE POUR L'INFORMATION CITOYENNE

Reporters sans frontihres exprime son inquiitude
aprhs la validation par le Conseil
constitutionnel, le 5 mars 2007, de la loi sur la
privention de la dilinquance. "Les passages de ce
texte censis traiter du 'happy slapping' ont en
rialiti une portie beaucoup plus large. Les
internautes se voient disormais interdire de
publier des vidios montrant des violences sur
personne, mjme si ces actes sont commis par les
forces de police", a diclari l'organisation.

"Nous ne prisumons pas des intentions du
gouvernement et reconnaissons qu'il est
nicessaire d'empjcher la propagation du 'happy
slapping'. Mais cette loi introduit une
distinction dangereuse entre les journalistes
professionnels, autorisis ` diffuser des images
de violences, et les simples citoyens, qui
risquent la prison pour les mjmes faits. Il est
particulihrement regrettable que ce texte
instaure une interdiction de faire circuler sur
Internet les images d'iventuelles exactions
commises par les forces de l'ordre", a ajouti
l'organisation.

La loi sur la privention de la dilinquance
(http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/12/ta/ta0680.asp),
adoptie le 13 fivrier 2007, avait iti portie
devant le Conseil constitutionnel par le groupe
socialiste ` l'Assemblie. Mais la saisine ne
portait pas spicifiquement sur le passage de la
loi didii au happy slapping.

Le texte privoit des peines allant jusqu'` cinq
ans de prison et 75 000 euros d'amende pour la
diffusion d'images portant sur les infractions
mentionnies dans les articles 222-1 ` 222-14-1 et
222-23 ` 222-31 du code pinal. Les dilits
concernis vont des actes de violence graves
("tortures" et "actes de barbarie") ` de simples
agressions. L'article 222-13 porte sur les
violences "commises par un dipositaire de
l'autoriti publique (?) dans l'exercice (?) de
ses fonctions".

La loi pricise que cette interdiction "n'est pas
applicable lorsque l'enregistrement ou la
diffusion risulte de l'exercice normal d'une
profession ayant pour objet d'informer le public
ou est rialisi afin de servir de preuve en
justice".

Le Happy slapping est l'agression physique d'une
personne commise dans le but d'obtenir un film de
cette agression. Le document vidio est ensuite
ichangi par le biais de tiliphones portables ou
publii sur Internet.

Reporters sans frontihres rappelle que tous les
internautes ont aujourd'hui la possibiliti de
participer ` la criation et ` la diffusion de
l'information. Ils sont parfois les "capteurs"
d'un ivinement, grbce notamment aux tiliphones
portables capables d'enregistrer des images et
des vidios, et peuvent diffuser leurs propres
contenus sur le Net. Ces "journalistes citoyens"
ont notamment une fonction de surveillance de
l'activiti des pouvoirs publics partout dans le
monde. En Egypte, par exemple, des blogueurs ont
ricemment rivili une sirie de scandales
impliquant les services de sicuriti et dimontri,
au moyen de vidios tournies clandestinement dans
des centres de ditention, que la torture itait
encore rigulihrement pratiquie dans ce pays. Dans
le domaine des droits de l'homme, ce sont eux, et
non des journalistes professionnels, qui ont iti
` l'origine des informations les plus fiables et
les plus dirangeantes pour le gouvernement.
Reporters sans frontihres considhre qu'il serait
choquant que ce type d'activiti, qui constitue un
garde-fou important contre d'iventuelles dirives
du pouvoir, soit criminalisi dans un pays
dimocratique.

--

Bureau Internet et libertis / Internet Freedom desk
___________________________________________

Reporters sans frontihres / Reporters Without Borders
TEL: ++ 33 (0) 1 44 83 84 71
FAX: ++ 33 (0) 1 45 23 11 51
internet at rsf.org
www.internet.rsf.org

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www.leblogmedias.com / "L'actualiti des midias" (en frangais)

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