Is not a problem with the lawmakers, it is to respect the law of the country in which you offer a “service”. And it is valid also for web sites.
Now, I suppose you would agree that Amazon US cannot sell me (in Italy) an item that was not legal here, like gun, am I correct ? Like we in EU cannot sell an item to US customers since it is not legal in US. Then depending on the item, there can be a US version and a EU version (think cars probably).
So, why a US site should not respect also the laws of the country the pages are visible ?
I completely agree that the UK’s law is beyound stupid, but still, if you want to operate somehow in UK you need to follow it.
You can fight it, no doubt, and even violate it, if you are willing to accept the consequences, but here 4chan has simply a binary choice: follow it or block access from UK.
Now, I suppose you would agree that Amazon US cannot sell me (in Italy) an item that was not legal here, like gun, am I correct ?
If you, being in Italy, caused an American to send a gun from the US to Italy, I believe Italy would prosecute you for gun smuggling. It would confiscate and possibly destroy the contraband. But I don’t think they would try to prosecute the American. I’ve never heard of such a thing.
Do you think maybe feelings on such matters are changing?
If you, being in Italy, caused an American to send a gun from the US to Italy, I believe Italy would prosecute you for gun smuggling.
I don’t say smuggling, I said sell. And while guns are an extreme example, there are things that are legal in US and not in EU (and viceversa), liek some woodworking tools that were banned on safety concern, for example.
But the point is that Amazon US refuse to sell it to me in Italy since they know they cannot sell to me.
It would confiscate and possibly destroy the contraband. But I don’t think they would try to prosecute the American. I’ve never heard of such a thing.
Nope, Italy would incrimate (or try to) both the seller and the buyer in case of smuggling.
I don’t think I get the point. Amazon’s branches in Europe are like any other European companies that happen to be owned by an American company. They own and operate warehouses, trucks, “lockers”, and employ a lot of people.
I know that a lot of illegal goods are intercepted at the border. Products that fail to meet standards, even counterfeit brand name products, … I’ve never heard about the EU trying to prosecute the sellers that mail these products.
I don’t think I get the point. Amazon’s branches in Europe are like any other European companies that happen to be owned by an American company. They own and operate warehouses, trucks, “lockers”, and employ a lot of people.
True, and Amazon Italy have not on list items that are illegal in Italy, but you can also buy from other Amazon stores, I placed a couple of order on Amazon France, for example.
The point is that if I try to buy from Amazon US, the US branch of Amazon don’t sell me items they know they cannot sell in Italy (or cannot be sent for whatever reason).
I know that a lot of illegal goods are intercepted at the border. Products that fail to meet standards, even counterfeit brand name products, … I’ve never heard about the EU trying to prosecute the sellers that mail these products.
Because the seller know better than sell an illegal product, a seller know what can sell and where.
But be sure that if for some reason I order a book from Amazon US and somehow a gun is sent, obviously for some error, Italian authorities would ask both me and Amazon US what’s going on. Then ok, both us and Amazon can demostrate it is an error and then nothing came out of this (if not that Amazon US maybe does not get the gun back).
I don’t want to argue, I just want to know. You feel it’s always been like that. And you feel that way because that’s been your experience with Amazon. Would you agree to that summary?
What is your intuition about the technological background? When someone sets up a website, what do they have to do or not do, so that it is visible in the UK, Italy, … ?
I don’t want to argue, I just want to know. You feel it’s always been like that. And you feel that way because that’s been your experience with Amazon. Would you agree to that summary?
No, I had the same experience with every site that sell something. I cannot buy online a gun from San Marino from Italy. But I agree that not everyone respect that, for example from Aliexpress I bet I could buy something illegal in Italy (a laser over a given power for example) and face no consequences, but that because it is not really easy to persecute someone in China.
What is your intuition about the technological background? When someone sets up a website, what do they have to do or not do, so that it is visible in the UK, Italy, … ?
Technically speaking, you should restrict contents that is not legal in a country. I fully understand that it is way more difficult than not selling something, in the end if you sell something you have an address while with a website you simply have an IP address that could not be the real one (think VPN).
So yes, in this specific case 4chan is the asshole of the situation: it they want that their site to be visible from UK they should respect the UK laws, even if, as I said, the law is beyond stupid.
Normally, criminal laws apply only within a country’s territory, with a limited list of exceptions. Attempting to prosecute citizens of another country for something they legally did in their home country is a breach of international norms. It’s not just that it is hard to prosecute, it really gets you into trouble with the other country.
I checked Italy’s penal code and it does not seem an exception, despite the imperial origins. (BTW. It is a serious embarrassment. Is it so hard to remove just the overt fascism?)
Actually, I do remember the Italian state attempting to enforce some ill-considered IP laws against German company Ravensburger a few years ago. That wasn’t a criminal case but the state did want money. Of course, that went nowhere outside of Italy.
A pre-internet equivalent to running a website could be running a telephone hotline, or a mail-order bookstore. Maybe the bookstore sells banned books or media. The hotline may talk about forbidden subjects. Perhaps another equivalent could be a TV or radio station that intentionally broadcasts across borders, like Radio Free Europe.
I don’t think anyone ever considered trying to fine someone in another country over this.
Is not a problem with the lawmakers, it is to respect the law of the country in which you offer a “service”. And it is valid also for web sites. Now, I suppose you would agree that Amazon US cannot sell me (in Italy) an item that was not legal here, like gun, am I correct ? Like we in EU cannot sell an item to US customers since it is not legal in US. Then depending on the item, there can be a US version and a EU version (think cars probably).
So, why a US site should not respect also the laws of the country the pages are visible ?
I completely agree that the UK’s law is beyound stupid, but still, if you want to operate somehow in UK you need to follow it.
You can fight it, no doubt, and even violate it, if you are willing to accept the consequences, but here 4chan has simply a binary choice: follow it or block access from UK.
If you, being in Italy, caused an American to send a gun from the US to Italy, I believe Italy would prosecute you for gun smuggling. It would confiscate and possibly destroy the contraband. But I don’t think they would try to prosecute the American. I’ve never heard of such a thing.
Do you think maybe feelings on such matters are changing?
I don’t say smuggling, I said sell. And while guns are an extreme example, there are things that are legal in US and not in EU (and viceversa), liek some woodworking tools that were banned on safety concern, for example.
But the point is that Amazon US refuse to sell it to me in Italy since they know they cannot sell to me.
Nope, Italy would incrimate (or try to) both the seller and the buyer in case of smuggling.
I don’t think I get the point. Amazon’s branches in Europe are like any other European companies that happen to be owned by an American company. They own and operate warehouses, trucks, “lockers”, and employ a lot of people.
I know that a lot of illegal goods are intercepted at the border. Products that fail to meet standards, even counterfeit brand name products, … I’ve never heard about the EU trying to prosecute the sellers that mail these products.
True, and Amazon Italy have not on list items that are illegal in Italy, but you can also buy from other Amazon stores, I placed a couple of order on Amazon France, for example.
The point is that if I try to buy from Amazon US, the US branch of Amazon don’t sell me items they know they cannot sell in Italy (or cannot be sent for whatever reason).
Because the seller know better than sell an illegal product, a seller know what can sell and where.
But be sure that if for some reason I order a book from Amazon US and somehow a gun is sent, obviously for some error, Italian authorities would ask both me and Amazon US what’s going on. Then ok, both us and Amazon can demostrate it is an error and then nothing came out of this (if not that Amazon US maybe does not get the gun back).
I don’t want to argue, I just want to know. You feel it’s always been like that. And you feel that way because that’s been your experience with Amazon. Would you agree to that summary?
What is your intuition about the technological background? When someone sets up a website, what do they have to do or not do, so that it is visible in the UK, Italy, … ?
No, I had the same experience with every site that sell something. I cannot buy online a gun from San Marino from Italy. But I agree that not everyone respect that, for example from Aliexpress I bet I could buy something illegal in Italy (a laser over a given power for example) and face no consequences, but that because it is not really easy to persecute someone in China.
Technically speaking, you should restrict contents that is not legal in a country. I fully understand that it is way more difficult than not selling something, in the end if you sell something you have an address while with a website you simply have an IP address that could not be the real one (think VPN).
So yes, in this specific case 4chan is the asshole of the situation: it they want that their site to be visible from UK they should respect the UK laws, even if, as I said, the law is beyond stupid.
Normally, criminal laws apply only within a country’s territory, with a limited list of exceptions. Attempting to prosecute citizens of another country for something they legally did in their home country is a breach of international norms. It’s not just that it is hard to prosecute, it really gets you into trouble with the other country.
I checked Italy’s penal code and it does not seem an exception, despite the imperial origins. (BTW. It is a serious embarrassment. Is it so hard to remove just the overt fascism?)
Actually, I do remember the Italian state attempting to enforce some ill-considered IP laws against German company Ravensburger a few years ago. That wasn’t a criminal case but the state did want money. Of course, that went nowhere outside of Italy.
A pre-internet equivalent to running a website could be running a telephone hotline, or a mail-order bookstore. Maybe the bookstore sells banned books or media. The hotline may talk about forbidden subjects. Perhaps another equivalent could be a TV or radio station that intentionally broadcasts across borders, like Radio Free Europe.
I don’t think anyone ever considered trying to fine someone in another country over this.