SECTOR 1 1.9 Websites and blogs are not required to register with or obtain permission from state authorities. There is no requirement to register or get permissions for websites and blogs Scores: Individual scores: 1 Country does not meet indicator 2 Country meets only a few aspects of indicator 3 Country meets some aspects of indicator 4 Country meets most aspects of indicator. 5 Country meets all aspects of the indicator Average score: 5.0 (2008 = n/a; 2006 = n/a) 1.10 The state does not seek to block or filter Internet content unless laws provide for restrictions that serve a legitimate interest and are necessary in a democratic society. Currently, there are no indications of the state seeking to block or filter internet content. The Department of Home Affairs, however, is working on a bill which supposedly aims to ban child pornography on the internet. The definition of “pornography” is said to be so broad that the bill, if indeed tabled and enacted, would seriously endanger the freedom of the internet. It is reported that the bill has been authored by a conservative family values lobby, which has support from fundamentalist right wing Christian groups in the USA. Should this law be passed, government could force Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to place filters on their servers to block certain information. Nonetheless, as the bill has not become law yet, it was not taken into consideration for the scoring of this indicator. 20 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER SOUTH AFRICA 2010