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Time: Berlusconi vs. Google, Will Italy Censor YouTube?

The political discussion about the regulation of YouTube in Italy just landed on the other side of the Atlantic with an interesting article from the Time magazine by Jeff Israel.
"Hot on the heels of the Google vs. China censorship dispute, a new front in the showdown between state power and Internet freedom is opening in Italy. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's government is pushing through new measures that would give the state control over online video content and force anyone who regularly uploads videos to obtain a license from the Ministry of Communications. The move is seen as yet another challenge to Google — owner of YouTube — which says the new rules would in effect force Internet service providers to police their own content.
The new measures, which are unprecedented among Western democracies, are expected to get final Cabinet approval on Feb. 4 unless opposition parties are able to block them in court. For Berlusconi, this isn't so much an attempt at new media control as it is part of an old story line. The billionaire Prime Minister just happens to own the country's only major private television network, which critics say is a conflict of interest much more troubling for the country than any of his private dalliances or verbal faux pas."

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Tags: Berlusconi, Google, Italy, YouTube