Internet censorship Brussels style

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    Date: 
    6 April 2010

    Internet activists are worried that the EU is following in China's footsteps by adopting a 'Eurofilter' designed to block child pornography. They fear the door to censorship is also being left ajar by a treaty to combat illegal downloading. Their concerns are far from unfounded.

    What do Tony the Tiger from the Frosties breakfast cereal ad, the late Thai princess Galyani Vadhana and a Finnish hearing-aid manufacturer have in common? All three have fallen foul of internet censorship. Not in China or North Korea, but right here in Europe.

    A condolence page for the princess and an advert for hearing aids ended up on a Finnish list of 1000 supposed child pornography websites. And a British man found himself in court last year for downloading a saucy clip of Tony the Tiger sent to him as a joke.