Sweden to censor the Internet?

Is Sweden to join the likes of Turkey, China and Cuba?

It turns out that the Swedish government is looking into the possibility to censor non-licensed online gambling sites.

The pretext is the health and safety of the Swedish people. But the real reason is rather glaring: Money.

The state-owned national gambling company, Svenska Spel, sends a lot of money to the treasure. But that’s just the beginning. Let’s follow the money.

The Social Democrats, who are in government at present, are also the owners of one of the few licensed Swedish gambling companies, A-lotterierna. From this, the party pockets some five million euros a year.

Furthermore, the Swedish foreign minister — Margot Wallström — was recruited from a senior policy position at another licensed gambling company, Postkodlotteriet. This company has been sending millions of euros to the Clinton Foundation. Just between friends.

So, of course, the Swedish government doesn’t want the Swedish people to go to other, foreign gambling sites. The money should stay in the country, preferably in Party hands.

This is preposterous.

So the idea, now being aired, is to block access to all non-licensed gambling sites. (And there are quite a few in the world.)

Opening the doors for Internet censorship — what could possibly go wrong?

I can imagine the ruling political class could fancy blocking quite a few sites that annoys it, if that option becomes available.

Swedish Internet censorship is still under consideration. Now, the civil rights movement will have to sound the alarm and try to stop the idea before it reaches Parliament.

The Swedish government also has a plan B: To block payments to non-licensed gambling companies.

That also is a terrible idea, but in a different way.

/ HAX

2 Responses to Sweden to censor the Internet?

  1. Kari Lantto January 24, 2016 at 11:20 am #

    You should also watch the investigation into privacy due to January 31 (Dir. 2014:164).. One sentence iin the directives adreßses “hot och kränkningar” (threats and abuse?) as a problem of privacy on par with patient data leaks from the health care system. Thefore the new agency will probably work against the freedom of the internet. What else will it do against those who call each other and journalists and politicians names in commentary sections. They will try to take away the right of anonymity!

  2. Kari Lantto January 26, 2016 at 8:55 pm #

    See also, for a sense of an interpretation of that sentence in those terms of reference Dir. 2014:164,

    http://www.dn.se/debatt/journalister-vagar-inte-vittna-om-det-vaxande-nathatet/

Leave a Reply to Kari Lantto Click here to cancel reply.