The Wardman Wire

Index on Censorship covers Alisher Usmanov and Shillings

Justin McKeating, who edits Chicken Yoghurt , has published an article in the Index on Censorship magazine:

Billionaire Alisher Usmanov’s attempt to gag critical British websites backfired badly, and proved that freedom of speech is the one issue on which bloggers agree, writes Justin McKeating

An unprecedented coalition of British bloggers has come together over the last two weeks to fight an assault on freedom of speech from Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov.

Justin notes that this may have wider consequences as bloggers’ attention moves on from the symptom of this situation to the cause:

One of the by-products of all this is a fledgling cross-spectrum campaign to seek reform of British libel laws where they pertain to publishing on the Internet. A number of issues are being examined. A 1999 legal precedent, Godfrey v Demon Internet Service, has meant that web host companies are regarded as the publisher of defamatory statements and can be sued accordingly. It’s a patently ridiculous position – like trying to sue the newspaper delivery boy for the contents of his bag – but one that led to Murray et al’s websites being pulled by a nervous web host.

That is not before time, and MPs are beginning to ask serious questions about why the British Legal situation makes it so easy for serious allegations made online to be suppressed rather than considered through a proper legal process.

The article also notes that this whole episode has received very little reporting so far in the “mainstream” press, and marks a step forward in blogs becoming mature as a forum for news reporting:

It’s also worth noting that, apart from a handful of mentions in the mainstream press, this story was disseminated entirely via blogs. It’s another sign that British blogging is flourishing in its own right. Other campaigns are springing up, including one to secure UK asylum for those employees of British forces in Iraq who are facing torture and murder at the hands of militias (a campaign meeting attended by MPs from all parties takes place at the Houses of Parliament next week). The Usmanov affair shows that the British blogosphere can drive an issue on its own terms.

I applaud both these developments.

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