Beware UK users of Eunuch Archive

[Maya67 (imported)]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7364475.stm

The linked news item from the BBC should be read by all those in the UK. The law is changing on the type of item and pornography you are allowed to view. This will affect viewing the archive as this has connections with injury to genitals not that being castrated or having your genitals removed surgically is causing injury but the law makers in this country are some what puritanical.

As defined by the new Criminal Justice Bill

An act which threatens or appears to threaten a person's life

An act which results in or appears to result in serious injury to a person's anus, breasts or genitals

An act which involves or appears to involve sexual interference with a human corpse

A person performing or appearing to perform an act of intercourse or oral sex with an animal

So this may be my only post.

Maya

[ramses (imported)]

There are no pictures here. Does the law cover stories too?

[BossTamsin (imported)]

As near as I can tell, this is the relevant section of the legalese involved in the legislation (http://www.publications.parliament.uk/p ... .html#j400) (or at least a chunk of it):

Possession of extreme pornographic images

(1) It is an offence for a person to be in possession of an extreme pornographic image.

(2) An "extreme pornographic image" is an image which is both—

(a) pornographic, and

(b) an extreme image.

(3) An image is "pornographic" if it appears to have been produced solely or principally for the purpose of sexual arousal.

(4) Where an image forms part of a series of images, the question whether the image appears to have been so produced is to be determined by reference to—

(a) the image itself, and

(b) (if the series of images is such as to be capable of providing a context for the image) the context in which it occurs in the series of images.

(5) So, for example, where—

(a) an image forms an integral part of a narrative constituted by a series of images, and

(b) it appears that the series of images as a whole was not produced solely or principally for the purpose of sexual arousal,

the image may, by virtue of being part of that narrative, be found not to be pornographic, even though it might have been found to be pornographic if taken by itself.

(6) An "extreme image" is an image of any of the following—

(a) a

n act which threatens or appears to threaten a person's life,

(b) an act which results in or appears to result

(or be likely to result)

in serious injury to a person's anus, breasts or genitals,

(c) an act which involves or appears to involve sexual interference with a human corpse,

(d) a person performing or appearing to perform an act of intercourse or oral sex with an animal,

where (in each case) any such act, person or animal depicted in the image is or appears to be real.

(7) In this section "image" means—

(a) a moving or still image (produced by any means); or

(b) data (stored by any means) which is capable of conversion into an image within paragraph (a).

(8) In this section references to a part of the body include references to a part surgically constructed (in particular through gender reassignment surgery).

(9) Proceedings for an offence under this section may not be instituted—

(a) in England and Wales, except by or with the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions; or

(b) in Northern Ireland, except by or with the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland.

Now, I am not a lawyer, but judging by how many times the word "image" is referenced, and the definitions of "image" that are given, I would assume that the law does not apply to anything other than pictures and movies. It seems that text descriptions of such acts are not covered by this law. Remember though, this is just my opinion, and not a form of legal advice.

[tjstill (imported)]

Does anyone know what is covered by image in this context? Does it have to be "real" or would it cover cartoons and computer generated images? I am not sure how a lot of computer games would pass as there is a lot of gory death in those. Thanks for the information.

[Kangan (imported)]

Big Brother is alive and well.

[Uncle Flo (imported)]

My reading of 7(a) and 7(b) would seem to indicate that it would cover computer images and cartoons. --FLO--

[Batman (imported)]

There are some Avatars that are 'after' shots...would they be considered illegal?

That's the only EA images, that and the artwork on the front page...

Batman

[Paolo]

Yeah, and lot of the art in my family Bible is violent and pornographic, too.

Is THAT now illegal?

And for all the lawmakers reading EA - come out of the closet, you cowardly bastards...then go and mind your own damn business. No one gives a FUCK what YOU think anyway.

Better yet, DO email me and come to the MOM this year.

We'll 'discuss' your legal opinions and such matters - provided the Sister still has somewhere to hide the bodies when we're done.

[Riverwind (imported)]

I think someone in the UK needs to get a clarification as to just what this new law is about and how it will effect our members in the UK.

More freedoms taken away for our own good, if this keeps up we will be right back in the middle ages.

Of course we all know were the blame is, religion as a whole or in part by the many factions fighting to have there view of the world be the only view.

but thats just my opinion,

River

[eefje46 (imported)]

Don't we have freedom of speech? I'am glad they don't control my brain.The british should all stand up for their rights. It is so that if politician's feel insecure then regular people are cut in their freedom. I woul'd say don't bother. They can't control every puter. And when they find something just go to jail, it is going to be crowded there. Then you can't have baby pics of your kids anymore. It is totally ridiculus.

[thefraj (imported)]

I think I warned people about this almost three years ago (http://eunuch.org/vbulletin/showthread. ... ht=illegal)

All I will say now is: do not worry. In that time I've done much thinking. And I will urge UK friends in my community to continue comming here to get support for gender issues and information as you always have.

Yes, EA is technically about to become an illegal site in the UK, as the storyboard section is technically pornographic (words can fall under the legal definition of porn too from what I understand)

But laws come and go.

If they block the site from UK users, there are ways around it. You can use a PROXY, or simply revert to using the USENET group to contact members of EA.

But yeah, it does suck. Badly.

[kristoff]

I think I warned people about this almost three years ago (http://eunuch.org/vbulletin/showthread. ... ht=illegal)

All I will say now is: do not worry. In that time I've done much thinking. And I will urge UK friends in my community to continue comming here to get support for gender issues and information as you always have.

Yes, EA is technically about to become an illegal site in the UK, as the storyboard section is technically pornographic (words can fall under the legal definition of porn too from what I understand)

But laws come and go.

If they block the site from UK users, there are ways around it. You can use a PROXY, or simply revert to using the USENET group to contact members of EA.

But yeah, it does suck. Badly.

Perhaps, you'd go on about how to use a proxy?

[thefraj (imported)]

Of course, Kristoff. Sorry. I think I may have mentioned it before, but just in case, here is a very brief overview:

Basically a proxy is a third-party computer you can request web pages from which then returns them to your computer.

So any government trying to block access to a specific site can be fooled as they will only see your connecting to an innocent-looking PC in a foreign country (where laws may be different) which will do your dirty work.

Step 1: Locating a proxy

There are many software solutions out there, but it's cheapest and probably quickest to locate one manually. Try googling "public proxy" (http://www.google.co.uk/search?client=f ... gle+Search) and you'll get a few websites who host LISTS of addresses of machines you can use.

Pick one, say for example, 200.51.41.29 and socket 8080. (based in Argentina. The first one that appeared on the page I looked at).

Step 2: Configure your browser to route your packets via that machine

In Firefox 2 it's TOOLS->Options->Network (tab) then select "Manual proxy configuration" and enter the address and socket number (obtained in Step 1) into the "HTTP Proxy" box.

In Internet Explorer it's "Tools->Internet Options->connections (tab)" Then click the "LAN Settings" button and tick the "use a proxy server" and enter the same details you obtained in STEP 1.

I think the procedure will vary slightly from one browser or software to the next, but the principle should be the same.

______________

An alternative is one which is an HTTP driven HTML forwarding service such as the the-cloak.com (http://www.the-cloak.com)which does essentially the same job. But neater and they ask for money.

Well I hope this helps. Even when it works it's slow, because you're asking the machines to pass your data around the world a couple more times than they should have been.

Some proxies are already dead and you may have to try a few before it works at all.

And some proxies only live for a few minutes before being shut off.

It is big, clanky. But will work if you live in a war-torn, fucked up country where being different can get you arrested.

It can be frustrating. But with perseverance it will work.

Feel free to contact me with any specific problems getting it working.

Especially UK inhabitants.

[SunLord (imported)]

Yeah, and lot of the art in my family Bible is violent and pornographic, too.

Is THAT now illegal?

And for all the lawmakers reading EA - come out of the closet, you cowardly bastards...then go and mind your own damn business. No one gives a FUCK what YOU think anyway.

Better yet, DO email me and come to the MOM this year.

We'll 'discuss' your legal opinions and such matters - provided the Sister still has somewhere to hide the bodies when we're done.

You'd make a great President some day , you know.

If that legislation goes through in UK, my worry would be that the rest of the Western world will follow suit. In which case the 'Free' world won't be free anymore.

Cheers

[simonserb (imported)]

I sort legal advice some years ago The word "image" includes photographs, Even "doctored" ones as well as drawings and other art work (however up to that time no procecutions had been brought on thatr score) There is a real problm here for any case as there are many famous paintings of say St Sebastian which are is extreme as any Tom of finland etc.

However it was clear that the written word was not included in this

BUT there is one proviso if you have a story and associated with it is a photograph even quite innocent then the contents of the story can make that image pornographic!

even if there was a drawer with decent photographs and indecent writings jumbled together they COULD be associated!

I was also waerned that a photographs that had been "lost" was a common source of proceution.

I play safe - virtually every thing is stored in text format!

[Geraden (imported)]

Of course we all know were the blame is, religion as a whole or in part by the many factions fighting to have there view of the world be the only view.

If you think religion is to blame for sexual puritanism, you need to read up on 19th century "medicine," which is responsible for most psychological attitudes towards sex today.