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Pirate Party Banned From Social Networking Site 354

An anonymous reader writes to tell us that as the European Parliament elections loom, StudiVZ, Germany's largest social networking site, has opened up to political parties for election campaigning. That is, if you aren't the Pirate Party. "The other political parties were allowed to have a special account to show they are an organization and not an individual. The Pirate Party, however, was not allowed to have one and instead operated on a standard user account registered by an individual. StudiVZ noticed that the Pirate Party account was not a "real person" and despite it having a thriving network with hundreds of followers, it was summarily deleted. This means that it is impossible for the Pirate Party to have a presence at all on the largest social networking site in Germany." Update: 05/02 19:17 GMT by T : Reader riot notes: "FYI: I just translated the press release to English."
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Pirate Party Banned From Social Networking Site

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  • Oh well (Score:4, Insightful)

    by timeOday ( 582209 ) on Friday May 01, 2009 @03:31PM (#27792331)
    Once you hoist the Jolly Roger, you excuse yourself from polite society. Isn't that sort of the point of being an outlaw?
    • Who isn't an outlaw on a social networking site? Isn't the whole point of them to show super cool or super something? Aren't social networking sites the everyman's new way of finding fame?

      Yes, I am about to get flamed by every woman on slashdot for using the term "everyman". Except this is slashdot, so ...

    • Re:Oh well (Score:4, Interesting)

      by Tikkun ( 992269 ) on Friday May 01, 2009 @03:51PM (#27792571) Homepage
      They're not outlaws. They're for amateur librarians and are anti-monopolist. Just because they believe that laws today are unjust and want to reform them doesn't make it right to exclude them from political debate.

      Would you really want social networking sites to prevent the ALA from having their say because Barnes and Nobel decided that libraries are killing the publishing industry?
    • Considering polite society's one experiment with socially acceptable piracy [wikipedia.org] was a dismal failure, I'd say yes.

    • I thought this was about social networking sites.

  • Aye (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 01, 2009 @03:34PM (#27792375)
    One such member was quoted saying

    "Aye. We just want to run for pARRRRRRlament!" No ninjas were found for comment.
  • by JO_DIE_THE_STAR_F*** ( 1163877 ) on Friday May 01, 2009 @03:39PM (#27792435)
    Except that they are more about civil liberties then they are about hijacking ships off the Somalian coast.
    It does not matter what your party name is. If you have a sufficient sized following and your trying to get into power to improve your country why should you be treated any different than the rest of the political parties?
    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      If you have a sufficient sized following and your trying to get into power to improve your country why should you be treated any different than the rest of the political parties?

      Here's a hint: they probably don't let white supremacist or neo-Nazi parties sign up for accounts, either. Because expressing those kinds of opinions about how to "improve your country" is illegal in Germany. Which may offend American 1st-Amendment sensibilities, but given Germany's history, I can't say it's such a crazy policy.

      So

      • Outlawing thought certainly sounds crazy to me. But I have those "American 1st-Amendment sensibilities"
      • but given Germany's history, I can't say it's such a crazy policy.

        Um, looking at Germany's history I can say that it is not only crazy, but insane. Had Hitler not been imprisoned and seemingly "martyred" for his beliefs, he wouldn't have written Mein Kampf, and the Nazi party, unable to find a martyr to rally behind would slowly fade away (that is not to say that another dictator wouldn't have sized power, but it wouldn't have been Hitler). Same reasoning applies today (just look at the Stresint effect).

        • that is not to say that another dictator wouldn't have sized power, but it wouldn't have been Hitler

          Great. Someone with a little more tactical sense. Someone who plans campaigns based on strategy rather than astrology. Someone who might have won.

        • by lucas_picador ( 862520 ) on Friday May 01, 2009 @04:47PM (#27793155)

          Had Hitler not been imprisoned and seemingly "martyred" for his beliefs, he wouldn't have written Mein Kampf, and the Nazi party, unable to find a martyr to rally behind would slowly fade away ...

          Agreed. Henceforth, we shall stop imprisoning people who do bad things, lest they become martyrs to the cause for which they were imprisoned, thus creating a fascist movement dedicated to (murder/rape/jaywalking). Indeed, we should instead imprison those who do GOOD things, creating martyrs who will inspire virtue in the populace! And all men shall walk on the water, and swim upon the land. Huzzah!

          In other news, your historical counterfactual is ridiculously overstated, as is the argument it tries to support. Look, I'm not an advocate of censorship, but I understand its appeal to Germans, who understand fascism and the cultural forces giving rise to a bit better than, I daresay, you seem to. America today is much closer to fascism than Germany, despite the wonderful (I mean that sincerely) protections for speech afforded by the US constitution.

          Note also that this story is not about government censorship, but about some guys running a website that shows you ads and sells your personal information in exchange for letting you talk to your friends and post pictures of your boobs. As The Dude would say: this isn't a First Amendment thing, Walter.

      • Not saying that I agree with that law (I don't), but if it's the law the website must obey it.

        However when the website chooses, without compulsion and of its own free will, to favour one party over another that's wrong.

  • by Locke2005 ( 849178 ) on Friday May 01, 2009 @03:48PM (#27792527)
    Prepare to be boarded by the cutthroats and brigands of The Crimson Permanent Assurance!
  • Is the Pirate Party an officially-registered political party in GERMANY?

    I know they've gotten press in Sweeden, but I didn't know they were active in Germany too.

    • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

      by hyanakin ( 1545359 )
      it is... they are running also for the upcoming EU parliament elections. Just to quote from the TF article: Andreas Popp, lead candidate for the upcoming European Parliament elections characterizes the censorship as undemocratic.
  • They should go to Facebook, they have even added a special language option [facebook.com] just for them. English (Pirate)

  • Because there are already several other groups, I think more popped up, aand: Before this, was in none of them. Now I am in all of them. :D

  • WAIT A MINUTE! (Score:5, Informative)

    by AlgorithMan ( 937244 ) on Friday May 01, 2009 @05:04PM (#27793389) Homepage
    Not ALL Parties are allowed on that social network (StudiVZ) - only the ones which are currently in the Parliament... which the Pirate Party isn't... I'm angry about the lockout, too, but this report is just plain exaggerating!
    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by tenco ( 773732 )
      So only parties that have been elected can advertise on StudiVZ? How convenient.
  • by AnalPerfume ( 1356177 ) on Saturday May 02, 2009 @03:59AM (#27797043)
    There is a limit on the number of "r"'s allowed and the pirates seem to go through them at quite a rate. Perhaps we could allow them in if they paid for each additional "r", but then we'd be seen as profiting from one party and not another so we can't win either way.

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