According to the BBC 95% of internet users have access blocked to Wikipedia in the UK today - due to an album cover - the 1976 Scorpions cover of a pre pubescent girl. Editors of Wikipedia likewise cant access the site.

The cover has been deemed child porn ( after 32 years ) by the Internet Watch Foundation. The cover is on loads of fan sites - discography sites including the band site itself. So it is amazing that Wikipedia has been hit it this way.

We are getting to the point where pictures of anyone under 18 will be banned altogether - but worse than that over-reaction we are seeing the Wikipedia blocking the start of the battle against free speech on the internet.

If you get a 404 error on sites - often it means they are blocked. Many of these sites are sites which are WHISTLEBLOWING against the current corruption of our governments and their actions.

Today we get an announcement about a further dumbing down of the school curriculum - to REMOVE HISTORY !!! so that kids have no idea of how to learn from the past and about dictators etc.

I must be one of the 5% who have access. I have no problems at all with the site.

Fine for me too; this sounds like rubbish; link please BR.

I heard this article on Radio 4 news. I think the block {courtesy individual - and only certain - ISPs} is on the page containing the image in question. I don't think there's ever been any question of "blanket" blockage of Wiki... a little overenthusiasm I think, BR. But don't worry. Just 'cos you're paranoid coesn't mean they're not out to get ya!

I can believe this..Imagine if you had a copy of the album in the attic or sell it at a garage sale..completely innocently and then bang ! Busted and 2 years inside !

it's time to take down your Caravagio painting from the living room wall and burn it !

Another tale from Oz:
Cartoon porn kids are people, judge says in Simpsons porn case
Man appeals child porn convictions
"Simpsons children" shown having sex
Judge says cartoon characters are people
CARTOON characters are people too, a judge has ruled in the case of a man convicted over cartoons based on The Simpsons, in which children are shown having sex.
www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,24767202-2,00.html
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what concerns me is that any malicious person could email you offending material and you wouldn't even know it as it worms it's way deep into your comp.

I reckon there will be so many more cases like this before it gets any better..if it ever does.

I think this is what he was referring to. It's not been shut down, only had an offending page blocked - for an image which is widely available elsewhere including Amazon.

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7770456.stm

I've just got onto wikipedia too, no problem.

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7770456.stm

www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2008/dec/08/internet

The page is missing for EVERYONE and the site blocked for THOSE WHO ARE EDITORS - so unless you are an editor you will get general access.

Yes - it has been blocked. Google is your friend !

The story is in the Guardian:
www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/dec/08/wikipedia-censorship

Virgin producing child "porn" !! tsk tsk

BR wrote:

The page is missing for EVERYONE and the site blocked for THOSE WHO ARE EDITORS - so unless you are an editor you will get general access.



well I have frequently edited wikipedia pages, and I just did an edit to see if I still could- no problem.