Political Motivation Behind Google Ruling in Italy?

The New York Times suggests the recent Italian court ruling that Google executives are criminally responsible for offensive Internet content may have a broader political motivation and that the ruling is related to Prime Minister Berlusconi's ownership and control of many of Italy's media outlets:

"Critics of Mr. Berlusconi say the measures go beyond routine copyright questions and are a way to stave off competition from the Web to public television stations and his own private channels — and to keep a tighter grip on public debate."

Specifically, the accusation is that those who control the broadcast media in Italy want to control the Internet as well:

"Paolo Gentiloni, a leading opposition member and a former communications minister, said Internet regulation was inevitably political. Today in Italy, he said, “political power is in the hands of people who do TV, not the Internet."

The Italian government denies any such motivation for the courts ruling or recently proposed measures by the Italian legislature to regulate Internet activities:

"Paolo Romani, a deputy communications minister who sponsored the measure, said the issue was copyright protection. “It has nothing to do with the fact that our prime minister also owns television stations,” he said. “It’s in Berlusconi’s interest not to be accused of conflict of interest.”

Larger Threat Is Seen in Google Case

U.K. Sentences 18 Year Old for Downloading Terrorist Material

Eighteen year old Hammaad Munshi was sentenced in the U.K. to two years in prison for using the Internet to gather terrorist related information:

"During his trial at Blackfriars Crown Court, the jury heard that Munshi had spent many hours viewing jihadist websites and had downloaded guides to making napalm, detonators and explosives."

Computer terror teenager jailed

Kurdish Immigrant in Germany Convicted for Promoting Terrorism Online

An unnamed Kurdish immigrant to Germany has been convicted and sentenced to three years in prison for posting files and making statements that supported al-Qaeda leaders.

"The court in the northern German city of Celle convicted him on 22 counts of recruiting on behalf of a non-German terrorist organization, which is a crime under German law.

"Defence lawyers had called for the acquittal of the man, who has Iraqi nationality. Presiding judge Wolfgang Siolek said the verdict sets a legal precedent in Germany, as the first where a person has been jailed for remarks on the internet in support of a foreign terrorist cause.

"The court said the internet postings had the purpose of urging others to join in the jihad, and went well beyond a mere statement of sympathy with al-Qaeda, which would have been protected by free-speech laws and would not have been punishable."

Kurd used internet to urge terrorists on: three years jail

Belgian Woman Convicted for Islamist Website

A Belgian woman has been convicted in Switzerland for maintaining a website supporting Islamist groups including al-Qa'eda. Malika El Aroud (who's husband Abdessatar Dahmane killed the anti-Taliban resistance leader Ahmed Shah Massoud in Afghanistan two days before September 11th) is quoted in the article:

"I have a weapon. It's to write. It's to speak out. That's my jihad. You can do many things with words. Writing is also a bomb."

"I write in a legal way. I know what I'm doing. I'm Belgian. I know the system."

"...ask your mothers, your wives to order your coffins Vietnam is nothing compared to what awaits you on our lands [sic]".

Female al-Qa'eda supporter uses internet as 'bomb' to recruit others to wage jihad on West

Conviction in 2007 Estonia Cyber Attack

An Estonian court has convicted the first individual in the 2007 cyber attacks against Estonia.

"Dmitri Galushkevich used his home PC to launched a denial-of-service attack that knocked down the Web site for the political party of Estonia's prime minister for several days..."

He was fined 17,500 kroons (approx. US$ 1,642).

The motive for the attack was to protest the relocation by the Estonian government of a statue to Russian war veterans.

Student Convicted in Attack Against Estonian Web Site

Another article on the conviction is available at:

Estonia convicts first 'cyber-war' hacker: prosecutors