Backbone provider Level 3 Communications has cut off German websurfers from the Ogrish.com website.

The site allegedly violates local legislation by failing to do a proper age check. Level 3 didn't wait for a court order, but instead simply cut off access to the service after a German watchdog group called "Jugendschutz" (translated: Youth Protection) contacted the firm.

Ogrish offers rather unpleasant pictures and movies of people dying in accidents, war situations and natural disasters. The site admits that the images are distasteful, but at the same time claims that they are part of everyday life.

Level 3 is a backbone provider, selling access to the internet to internet providers, hosting providers and large enterprises.

The telco feels responsible for the website because it is hosted by a customer of a customer of a customer. As a result it now blocks users of certain German internet providers that buy bandwidth of Level 3's network.

Although I didn't enjoy looking at the pictures and certainly wouldn't want any children to be confronted with them, there is something smelly about the path that Level 3 took. The company is fine hosting the website, but will also block access to it for its network customers.

Level 3 could easily block access to the website from all German IP addresses. Instead it chose to add an IP block for the website's IP on its routers in Germany. This only prevents German customers of its network services from accessing the content, leaving the site open to customers of providers that rely on other backbone providers.

Why take such a lacklustre approach if you want to protect innocent children from viewing disturbing materials? There is only one answer: PR move. Level 3 can now say that it has acted against the site without hurting its business.

Speek no evil

tags: ogrish, level3, censorship

31 Aug 2005