SCORPIONS' Virgin Killer - UK Wikipedia Blacklisting Dropped
December 9, 2008, 15 years ago
Juan Carlos Perez from Networkworld.com is reporting:
A Wikipedia page blacklisted this weekend in the UK over child pornography concerns has been unblocked, a decision that also fully restores the ability of UK residents to edit articles in this popular online encyclopedia.
The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), the nonprofit group that blacklisted the Web page, announced on Tuesday that it has reversed course on the matter, although it still believes the image is potentially illegal in the U.K. The image in question is of a naked and possibly underage female on the cover of a 1976 album from German rock group the SCORPIONS titled Virgin Killer.
"In light of the length of time the image has existed and its wide availability, the decision has been taken to remove this webpage from our list," the IWF said in a statement. About 95 percent of U.K. ISPs (Internet service providers), by Wikimedia's estimate, block Web pages based on IWF's list.
The Wikimedia Foundation, the nonprofit operator of Wikipedia, praised the IWF's decision. "We are grateful to the IWF for making this swift decision, and to thousands of Internet users from around the world for their outpouring of support," said Sue Gardner, executive director of the Wikimedia Foundation, in a statement.
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