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In the past month, Congress has passed several measures to promote electronic commerce and protect children using the Internet. Three such bills were attached to the Federal budget, which President Clinton is expected to sign shortly. The Internet Tax Freedom Act will prohibit state and local governments from imposing Internet access or bit taxes, as well as other "multiple or discriminatory taxes" on electronic transactions during a temporary moratorium. However, the bill will not prohibit taxation on gross or net income derived over the Internet or other non-transactional taxes. The Internet...

On 24 September the Council of the European Union formally adopted a Recommendation on the protection of minors and human dignity in audiovisual and information services. This marks the end of a long institutional process which began with the adoption of a Green Paper in 1996 ( see IRIS 1998-10: 4). The field of application of this new Community instrument is relatively extensive as it covers audiovisual and information services available to the public in any form. Broadcasting services are nevertheless excluded (these are already covered by the Directive on "Television without Frontiers"), as...

A section 177 order which proscribes Eurotica Rendez Vous came into force at Friday 11 September 1998. It is now a criminal offence to supply dedicated equipment ( e.g., smartcards) and programme material, advertise for or on Eurotica Rendez Vous, or to provide any other service in support of the channel within the UK. Section 177 of the Broadcasting Act 1990 enables the Secretary of State to "proscribe" or declare a foreign satellite service as unacceptable if the following conditions are met: (i) the Independent Television Commission has notified the Secretary of State it believes the service...

On 30 June 1998, the television companies in the Association of Private Broadcasting and Telecommunication Operators (VPRT) and the Voluntary Self-Monitoring Agency for Television (FSF) together adopted guidelines on talkshows, with a view to ensuring their social acceptability, particularly where young people and children were concerned. Talkshows are an important part of several TV stations' daytime programmes. They have recently come under fire, partly because of the themes selected, and partly because of the way in which those themes are presented. Another complaint is that they go out at...

The Spanish Parliament is now discussing an amendment to the provisions of the Spanish Criminal Code regulating sex-related crimes. According to the projected version of article 189 (1) (b) of the Spanish Criminal Code, the production, sale, distribution or exhibition of pornographic material in which children have participated would be punished with one to three years' imprisonment. A new article 189 (2) of the Spanish Criminal Law would punish with six months to two years' imprisonment those who are in possession of pornographic material of that kind. http://services.obs.coe.int/en/index.htm...