Internet in Iceland
Encyclopedia
The use of the Internet in Iceland places Iceland
among the top countries in the world in terms of Internet
deployment and use.
(OECD) shows Iceland with:
The Global Information Technology Report 2010–2011 by the World Economic Forum
ranked Iceland:
In 2007, Seltjarnarnes
became the world's first town where every citizen had access to fiber optics.
is ADSL2+ (since mid 2005) in the capital and well populated areas and ADSL in other places.
The main providers are: Síminn
, Vodafone
, Hive
, and BTNet
.
is prohibited by the Icelandic Constitution and there is a strong tradition of protecting freedom of expression that extends to the use of the Internet. However, questions about how best to protect children, fight terrorism, prevent liable, and protect the rights of copyright holders are ongoing in Iceland as they are in much of the world.
The five Nordic countries—Denmark
, Finland
, Norway
, Sweden
, and Iceland
—are central players in the European battle between file sharers, rights holders, and Internet service providers (ISPs). While each country determines its own destiny, the presence of the European Union
(EU) is felt in all legal controversies and court cases. Iceland, while not a member of the EU, is part of the European Economic Area
(EEA) and has agreed to enact legislation similar to that passed in the EU in areas such as consumer protection and business law.
Internet service providers in Iceland use filters to block Web sites distributing child pornography. Iceland's ISPs in cooperation with Barnaheill—Save the Children Iceland participate in the International Association of Internet Hotlines (INHOPE) project. Suspicious links are reported by organizations and the general public and passed on to relevant authorities for verification.
On 10 June 2009 the two major ISPs in Iceland, Vodafone Iceland
and Síminn
at the behest of SAFT (Save the Children Iceland) and other interest groups instated a null route on the website
didn't institute the null route, but both Vodafone and Síminn blocked it at their Icelandic routers.
The
Both Vodafone Iceland
and Síminn updated their blocks to null route
-like image board in the Icelandic language
which had been making the news for cyber-bullying
, child porn and similar material. The administrators of the site had rejected these accusations, citing their strict policies of banning users who posted child pornography.
The block against
Thus the censorship in Iceland is not explicitly government mandated, but implemented voluntarily by private corporations in response to pressure from government and private institutions. Vodafone conducted a legal review to investigate whether it was within its rights to restrict access to the website, and after finding that they were within their rights instituted the block.
In a statement two days after the initial block Hrannar Pétursson, the press secretary for Vodafone, indicated that it was not on Vodafone's agenda to implement a more general censoring mechanism, but as ringulreid.org was an "exaggerated example of such a case" Vodafone considered the act justifiable. His colleague Margrét Stefánsdóttir at Síminn echoed those remarks, saying that Síminn would never close a page on its own initiative, but when faced with such serious requests they were compelled to act.
Since
, and the block takes the form of a null route any other sites that happen to share the same IP address are also blocked. As of 30 September 2010 these were the private E-Mail gateway
manufacturer
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
among the top countries in the world in terms of Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
deployment and use.
Access
Data compiled by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and DevelopmentOrganisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development is an international economic organisation of 34 countries founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and world trade...
(OECD) shows Iceland with:
- 83.2% of households having broadband Internet access in 2009 (2nd out of 34)
- 99.5% of businesses using the Internet in 2009-2010 (2nd out of 31)
- 91.5% of the broadband access being DSL in 2010
- 8% of broadband connections using optical fiber in 2010
The Global Information Technology Report 2010–2011 by the World Economic Forum
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum is a Swiss non-profit foundation, based in Cologny, Geneva, best known for its annual meeting in Davos, a mountain resort in Graubünden, in the eastern Alps region of Switzerland....
ranked Iceland:
- 1st out of 138 in terms of Internet users (93.5% of the population used the Internet in 2009)
- 1st out of 138 in the use of virtual social networks (a score of 6.8 in 2009-2010, where 1 is not at all and 7 is widely)
- 1st out of 138 in terms of Internet access in schools (a score of 6.76 in 2009-2010, where 1 is very limited and 7 is extensive)
- 1st out of 138 in accessibility of digital content (a score of 6.62 in 2009-2010, where 1 is not accessible at all and 7 is widely accessible)
- 1st out of 137 in the number of secure Internet servers (1,711.3 servers per million population in 2009)
- 4th out of 138 in the extent of business Internet use (a score of 6.58 in 2009-2010, where 1 is not at all and 7 is extensively)
- 5th out of 138 in terms of international Internet bandwidth (626.8 Mb/s per 10,000 population in 2009)
- 12th out of 138 in terms of laws related to information and communication technology (a score of 5.46 in 2009-2010, where 1 is nonexistent and 7 is well developed)
- 25th out of 138 in terms of intellectual property protection (a score of 5.09 in 2009-2010, where 1 is very weak and 7 is very strong)
- 35th out of 107 in the use of unlicensed software (an estimated 49% of software was unlicensed in 2009)
- 45th out of 138 in terms of freedom of the press (a score of 5.76 in 2009-2010, where 1is totally restricted and 7 is completely free)
In 2007, Seltjarnarnes
Seltjarnarnes
Seltjarnarnes is an Icelandic township located within the Greater Reykjavík area.It took on its current political form shortly after the Second World War and was formally created as a township in 1947. It is the smallest Icelandic township by land ....
became the world's first town where every citizen had access to fiber optics.
Technology
ADSL in IcelandIceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
is ADSL2+ (since mid 2005) in the capital and well populated areas and ADSL in other places.
The main providers are: Síminn
Síminn
Síminn, previously named Landssíminn, is an Icelandic telecommunications company. It was acquired by Exista in 2008.-History:Telecommunications play a vital role in Iceland. Although the country's population is relatively small , its penetration rates for network-related products and services are...
, Vodafone
Vodafone
Vodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of...
, Hive
HIVE (ISP)
HIVE was the 3rd largest Telecommuncations company in Iceland, founded in 2004. It provided broadband ADSL connection and VoIP telephone system as well as Wi-Fi fixed and mobile wireless access....
, and BTNet
BT Global Services
BT Global Services is a division of United Kingdom Telecommunications operator BT Group. It delivers a combination of communications and IT services to over 10,000 organisations and governments worldwide. Its customers include over 25% of the global Fortune 500 and it is the largest supplier of...
.
History
The early history of the Internet in Iceland:- In 1986 Iceland obtained a UUCPUUCPUUCP is an abbreviation for Unix-to-Unix Copy. The term generally refers to a suite of computer programs and protocols allowing remote execution of commands and transfer of files, email and netnews between computers. Specifically, a command named uucp is one of the programs in the suite; it...
connection between the Marine Research Institute in Iceland to EUnetEUnetThe roots of EUnet go back to 1982 and the first international UUCP connections. From a very loose collaboration of individual sites under the auspices of the EUUG , it evolved to the fully commercial entity EUnet International Ltd.In April 1998 the company was sold to Qwest Communications...
(European Unix Network) headquarters in AmsterdamAmsterdamAmsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
. The connection provided e-mailE-mailElectronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
and UsenetUsenetUsenet is a worldwide distributed Internet discussion system. It developed from the general purpose UUCP architecture of the same name.Duke University graduate students Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis conceived the idea in 1979 and it was established in 1980...
services. Bandwidth was somewhere between 300 and 1200 bits per second (bps). - In 1989 a connection to the Internet was established using IP over X.25X.25X.25 is an ITU-T standard protocol suite for packet switched wide area network communication. An X.25 WAN consists of packet-switching exchange nodes as the networking hardware, and leased lines, Plain old telephone service connections or ISDN connections as physical links...
with NORDUnetNORDUnetNORDUnet is an international collaboration between the Nordic national computer networks for research and education. The members of NORDUnet are:* SUNET of Sweden* UNINETT of Norway* FUNET of Finland* Forskningsnettet of Denmark* RHnet of Iceland...
in DenmarkDenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
at 2400 bps. - In 1990 a leased line connection to NORDUnetNORDUnetNORDUnet is an international collaboration between the Nordic national computer networks for research and education. The members of NORDUnet are:* SUNET of Sweden* UNINETT of Norway* FUNET of Finland* Forskningsnettet of Denmark* RHnet of Iceland...
in StockholmStockholmStockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
operating at 9600 bps was established. This link was upgraded to operate at 56,000 bps in 1992, 128,000 bps in 1994, 256,000 bps and then 1,000,000 bps in 1995, and 1,984,000 in 1996. - In March 1997 ISnet (a collective term for the Icelandic segments of NORDUnet and EUnet) established a direct connection to Teleglobe in MontrealMontrealMontreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
at 9600 bits/sec. to supplement the European connection. This line was moved to New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and upgraded to 48,178,000 bps in September 1999.
Censorship
CensorshipCensorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
is prohibited by the Icelandic Constitution and there is a strong tradition of protecting freedom of expression that extends to the use of the Internet. However, questions about how best to protect children, fight terrorism, prevent liable, and protect the rights of copyright holders are ongoing in Iceland as they are in much of the world.
The five Nordic countries—Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, and Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
—are central players in the European battle between file sharers, rights holders, and Internet service providers (ISPs). While each country determines its own destiny, the presence of the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
(EU) is felt in all legal controversies and court cases. Iceland, while not a member of the EU, is part of the European Economic Area
European Economic Area
The European Economic Area was established on 1 January 1994 following an agreement between the member states of the European Free Trade Association and the European Community, later the European Union . Specifically, it allows Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway to participate in the EU's Internal...
(EEA) and has agreed to enact legislation similar to that passed in the EU in areas such as consumer protection and business law.
Internet service providers in Iceland use filters to block Web sites distributing child pornography. Iceland's ISPs in cooperation with Barnaheill—Save the Children Iceland participate in the International Association of Internet Hotlines (INHOPE) project. Suspicious links are reported by organizations and the general public and passed on to relevant authorities for verification.
On 10 June 2009 the two major ISPs in Iceland, Vodafone Iceland
Vodafone Iceland
Vodafone Iceland is an Icelandic telecommunications company and is part of the Icelandic IT company Teymi. Although the company carries the Vodafone brand and trademark, Vodafone Group owns no interest in the company, but rather franchises the brand and associated advertising styles to Teymi, the...
and Síminn
Síminn
Síminn, previously named Landssíminn, is an Icelandic telecommunications company. It was acquired by Exista in 2008.-History:Telecommunications play a vital role in Iceland. Although the country's population is relatively small , its penetration rates for network-related products and services are...
at the behest of SAFT (Save the Children Iceland) and other interest groups instated a null route on the website
ringulreid.org , making it inaccessible to most commercial Internet users in Iceland. Other members of the Reykjavik Internet ExchangeReykjavik Internet Exchange
Reykjavik Internet Exchange is an Internet Exchange Point located in Reykjavík, Iceland.- External links :* *...
didn't institute the null route, but both Vodafone and Síminn blocked it at their Icelandic routers.
The
ringulreid.org domain subsequently expired and the site was taken down by its operator. But a similar site slembingur.org sprang up to replace it.Both Vodafone Iceland
Vodafone Iceland
Vodafone Iceland is an Icelandic telecommunications company and is part of the Icelandic IT company Teymi. Although the company carries the Vodafone brand and trademark, Vodafone Group owns no interest in the company, but rather franchises the brand and associated advertising styles to Teymi, the...
and Síminn updated their blocks to null route
83.99.152.251, the IP address slembingur.org resolves to.History
ringulreid.org was a 4chan4chan
4chan is an English-language imageboard website. Launched on October 1, 2003, its boards were originally used for the posting of pictures and discussion of manga and anime...
-like image board in the Icelandic language
Icelandic language
Icelandic is a North Germanic language, the main language of Iceland. Its closest relative is Faroese.Icelandic is an Indo-European language belonging to the North Germanic or Nordic branch of the Germanic languages. Historically, it was the westernmost of the Indo-European languages prior to the...
which had been making the news for cyber-bullying
Cyber-bullying
Cyber-bullying is the use of the Internet and related technologies to harm other people, in a deliberate, repeated, and hostile manner. As it has become more common in society, particularly among young people, legislation and awareness campaigns have arisen to combat it.-Definition:The term...
, child porn and similar material. The administrators of the site had rejected these accusations, citing their strict policies of banning users who posted child pornography.
ringulreid.org had been set up after a similar site, handahof.org, had been voluntarily closed down by its operator on request of the Iceland Capital Police following their investigation into the matter.The block against
ringulreid.org was instated at the behest of the National Police of Iceland, Iceland Capital Police, the Child Protection Authority of Iceland (part of the Iceland Ministry of Social Affairs), Save the Children Iceland (SAFT) (a private organization) and various other private and government groups, which made public statements encouraging all internet service providers in the country to block access to the site.Thus the censorship in Iceland is not explicitly government mandated, but implemented voluntarily by private corporations in response to pressure from government and private institutions. Vodafone conducted a legal review to investigate whether it was within its rights to restrict access to the website, and after finding that they were within their rights instituted the block.
In a statement two days after the initial block Hrannar Pétursson, the press secretary for Vodafone, indicated that it was not on Vodafone's agenda to implement a more general censoring mechanism, but as ringulreid.org was an "exaggerated example of such a case" Vodafone considered the act justifiable. His colleague Margrét Stefánsdóttir at Síminn echoed those remarks, saying that Síminn would never close a page on its own initiative, but when faced with such serious requests they were compelled to act.
Since
slembingur.org is hosted on a shared web hosting serviceShared web hosting service
A shared web hosting service or virtual hosting service or derive host refers to a web hosting service where many websites reside on one web server connected to the Internet. Each site "sits" on its own partition, or section/place on the server, to keep it separate from other sites...
, and the block takes the form of a null route any other sites that happen to share the same IP address are also blocked. As of 30 September 2010 these were the private E-Mail gateway
ns1.bighost.lv, the cosmeticsCosmetics
Cosmetics are substances used to enhance the appearance or odor of the human body. Cosmetics include skin-care creams, lotions, powders, perfumes, lipsticks, fingernail and toe nail polish, eye and facial makeup, towelettes, permanent waves, colored contact lenses, hair colors, hair sprays and...
manufacturer
saulesfabrika.com, the construction company timbersolution.com, the printing house veiters.com and the boilerplate site ventus.lv. As of 8 February 2011, slembingur.org had changed IP addresses and is therefore no longer blocked by Vodafone. The null route is still in place, so collateral damage is the only result from this incident.