Jul, 2002 : Italian Police Shut Down US-Hosted Sites

📅 July 25, 2002 - Five Web sites considered blasphemous and illegal were shut down earlier this month by Italian police, despite the fact that they were hosted in the United States, where First Amendment protections apply, according to a report by CNN.

Two men are under investigation in Italy for allegedly running Web sites that combined pornographic images with offensive statements about the Madonna. Authorities are reportedly considering blasphemy, computer fraud and other charges that could produce fines and as much as three years in prison.
US hosting companies managing the sites, including New Jersey-based Blue Gravity Communications Inc., feel the content should be subject to the laws of the country in which it resides. A US-based hosting company, they say, can not realistically be expected to know the laws of every country from which the information might be accessed.
Italian authorities used a suspect's computer and password to replace offending images with the insignia of the special police unit involved in the investigation.
The development of international Internet law, say experts, could take years to sort itself out. In the meantime, given the precedent, many individuals and multinational businesses may feel a need to limit their speech and other online activities.