France stumbles trying to shut down terror websites
PARIS - France's Interior Ministry says it has begun its crackdown on Internet sites glorifying terrorism by shutting down five sites as part of its growing campaign against the problem of extremists in Europe. However, four of the five were still functioning a day after they were said to be inoperative.
Ministry officials conceded on Monday that the first try at scrubbing away hundreds of sites that defend terrorism via videos or statements is still in its infancy and may not work perfectly. When it does, a red hand is to appear on the screen instead of the site, with a message saying the user has been redirected because the contents can provoke or glorify terrorism.
As of early Tuesday no red hand appeared on any of the five sites.
Cleaning up the Internet is part of a new terrorism law, which has led to scores being arrested by French authorities for hate speech and defending terrorism.
The crackdown by French authorities, including the arrest of a controversial French comedian for comments he posted on Facebook, has sparked a backlash among some free speech advocates who see "cherry picking" in the application of laws surrounding speech.