Editing Communications in Argentina (section)

==Internet==
[[File:Locutorio Telefónica Rosario.jpg|thumb|Those without residential access to a PC can avail themselves of ''Locutorios'', the computer/postal service centers ubiquitous in Argentina.]]
The number of Internet users in the country as of 2011 has been estimated at 27 million (two thirds of the population),<ref name=stats>{{cite web |url=http://www.internetworldstats.com/sa/ar.htm |title=Argentina Internet Usage Stats and Market Reports |publisher=Internet World Stats |access-date=March 16, 2011}}</ref> the number of registered [[domain name]]s was approx. 1.7 million in August 2008<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.infobae.com/contenidos/400152-100918-0-La-%22%C3%B1%22-lleg%C3%B3-a-internet|title=Infobae|website=infobae.com|access-date=2008-09-24|archive-date=2012-10-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025043318/http://www.infobae.com/contenidos/400152-100918-0-La-%22%C3%B1%22-lleg%C3%B3-a-internet|url-status=dead}}</ref> and the number of [[internet host]]s in 2009, 6,025,000.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/argentina/|title=The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency|website=www.cia.gov|date=November 2023 }}</ref>

Besides monthly-paid Internet connections (either flat rate or with a number of free minutes), in Argentina there are also a number of [[Internet service provider]]s that have commercial agreements with the telephone companies for charging a slightly higher communication rate to the user for that communication, though without any monthly fixed fee. There were around 12 million PCs registered in Argentina in 2011.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.elargentino.com/nota-151755-La-PC-cumple-30.html |title=La PC cumple 30 |publisher=7 Días |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110919001056/http://www.elargentino.com/nota-151755-La-PC-cumple-30.html |archive-date=2011-09-19 }}</ref> The number of residential and business internet networks totaled around 5.7 million in 2011, of which around 5.5 million were broadband connections, mainly [[ADSL]].<ref name=access>{{cite press release |title=Accesos a Internet |url=http://www.indec.mecon.ar/nuevaweb/cuadros/14/internet_03_11.pdf |publisher=INDEC |date=June 14, 2011 |language=es |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706084352/http://www.indec.mecon.ar/nuevaweb/cuadros/14/internet_03_11.pdf |archive-date=July 6, 2011 }}</ref>

The number of dial-up users has decreased drastically since 2005 in favor of [[broadband internet access]]. This latter service grew from under 800,000 networks in late 2005 (compared to over 500,000 dial-up connections), to nearly 2.6 million by December 2007, and to over 5 million by late 2010 (82% of which were residential and 81% of which connected at a speed of least 512&nbsp;kbit/s).<ref name=access/><ref>[http://www.emprendedoresnews.com/notaR/argentina_lidera_el_crecimiento_de_banda_ancha-5483-4.html Emprendedores] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090416164300/http://www.emprendedoresnews.com/notaR/argentina_lidera_el_crecimiento_de_banda_ancha-5483-4.html |date=April 16, 2009 }}</ref><ref>[http://tecnologia.infobaeprofesional.com/notas/55474-Ya-hay-2-millones-de-conexiones-de-banda-ancha-en-la-Argentina.html+Conexiones+al+internet+%2B+Argentina&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=10&gl=us Infobae]{{Dead link|date=August 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>[[Wireless internet|Wireless]] and [[satellite internet|satellite]] networks expanded markedly during 2008–09, and totaled over 1.5 million in March 2011.<ref name=access/> Among residential users, 38.3% were located in [[Buenos Aires Province]] (including [[Greater Buenos Aires]]), 26.0% in the city of [[Buenos Aires]], 8.2% in [[Córdoba Province, Argentina|Córdoba]] and 7.4% in [[Santa Fe Province]].<ref name=access/>

Among companies and organizations, 788,000 connection contracts were valid as of March 2011, 98% of which were broadband.<ref name=access/> Among the total (in late 2010), 44.7% correspond to the city of Buenos Aires, 21.1% to the Buenos Aires Province, 7.6% to Santa Fe Province, 6.0% to Córdoba Province and 4.5% to [[Patagonia]].

The number of [[e-mail]] accounts in March 2011 was estimated at around 4.56 million, with a monthly traffic of 3 billion messages.<ref name=access/>

Argentina's Internet [[top-level domain]] is [[.ar]].

===Broadband Internet access===
[[ADSL]] first appeared in Argentina in 1998, through Speedy by [[Telefónica de España]], a Spanish company. [[Fibertel]], a cable provider, now offers Cablemodem service in a limited range of cities, and ADSL is monopolized by the 2 major phone companies: [[Telecom Argentina|Telecom]] in the north with Arnet ADSL, and [[Telefónica de Argentina|Telefónica]] in the south with Speedy ADSL.

In 2004, Arnet announced new plans. Controversy ensued, as in small print it mentioned that it was capped to 4&nbsp;GB monthly. This plans were never put in practice until late 2005, though they were modified from the original announcements. There are no longer any capped plans. As of June 2010, they currently offer from 1&nbsp;Mbit/256&nbsp;kbit/s download/upload at around 20 [[USD]]/mo to 20&nbsp;Mbit/s / 512&nbsp;kbit/s for home users at about 77 [[USD]]/mo.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://venta.arnet.com.ar/|title=Venta Online|website=venta.arnet.com.ar|access-date=2010-06-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100608101551/http://venta.arnet.com.ar/|archive-date=2010-06-08|url-status=dead}}</ref> Arnet has been slowly recovering its reputation, which was tarnished amongst connoisseurs due to their 2004 announcement.

===Censorship===
Argentina is not individually classified by the [[OpenNet Initiative]], but is included in the ONI regional overview for Latin America.<ref name=ONIRO-LatinAmerica>[http://opennet.net/research/regions/la "ONI: Regional Overview: Latin America"], OpenNet Initiative</ref>

The regulation of Internet content addresses largely the same concerns and strategies seen in North America and Europe, focusing on combating the spread of [[child pornography]] and restricting child access to age-inappropriate material. As Internet usage in Argentina increases, so do [[defamation]], [[hate speech]], [[copyright]], and [[privacy]] issues.<ref name=ONIRO-LatinAmerica/>

Argentina has strengthened [[intellectual property]] rights protections by drafting and updating laws and ratifying international agreements such as the [[WIPO Copyright Treaty]].<ref name=ONIRO-LatinAmerica/>

Since the 1997 presidential declaration regarding "Free Speech on the Internet" that guarantees Internet content the same constitutional protections for freedom of expression, Argentina has become a haven for neo-Nazi and race-hate groups around the region.<ref>[http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0823/p07s02-woam.html "Race-hate groups find virtual haven in Argentina"], Colin Barraclough, ''The Christian Science Monitor'', 23 August 2002</ref> In 2000 an Argentine appellate court affirmed a lower court's dismissal of a claim that a Yahoo! site selling Nazi memorabilia violated Argentina's anti-discrimination law (no. 23.592), holding that the equivalent restrictions of non-Internet speech would be unacceptable.<ref>[https://www.privacyinternational.org/article/silenced-argentina "Silenced – Argentina"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120319162353/https://www.privacyinternational.org/article/silenced-argentina |date=March 19, 2012 }}, Privacy International, 21 January 2003</ref> Under Argentina's anti-discrimination law a crime is aggravated if racism is involved.<ref name=ONIRO-LatinAmerica/>

The defendant in the 2006 case Jujuy.com v. Omar Lozano was found liable for publishing slanderous content on his Web site after imputing adulterous conduct to a couple and failing to remove the content promptly. An injunction was imposed and damages were set at $40,000 (USD).<ref name=ONIRO-LatinAmerica/>

Prosecutors and police pursue cases of Internet child pornography. In June 2008 the Congress passed a law criminalizing child pornography; however, the law does not penalize possession by individuals for personal use.<ref>[http://www.asira.org.ar/07bas_del_proycomision.htm "Anteproyecto de ley de delitos informáticos redactado por la Comision Interministerial Sobre Delitos Informaticos" (Spanish)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130622024007/http://www.asira.org.ar/07bas_del_proycomision.htm |date=2013-06-22 }} ([http://www.google.com/translate_c?langpair=en&u=http://www.asira.org.ar/07bas_del_proycomision.htm English translation]), Information Security Association of the Argentine Republic (ASIRA)</ref>

In 2010 an appeals court overturned a lower-court ruling that found [[Google]] and [[Yahoo]] liable for defamation for including sex-related Web sites in their search results for an Argentine entertainer. The appeals court ruling said the firms could be held liable for defamation only if they were made aware of clearly illegal content and were negligent in removing it.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/20/technology/internet/20google.html?src=busln&_r=0 "Google and Yahoo Win Appeal in Argentine Case"], Vinod Sreeharsha, ''New York Times'', 19 August 2010.</ref>

In August 2011 a judge ordered all ISPs to block the site LeakyMails, a Web site that obtains and publishes documents exposing corruption in Argentina.<ref>[http://www.cnc.gov.ar/noticia_detalle.asp?idnoticia=106 "A todos los Licenciatarios de Telecomunicaciones que brindan Servicios de Acceso a Internet"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130224170350/http://www.cnc.gov.ar/noticia_detalle.asp?idnoticia=106 |date=2013-02-24 }} ("Comisión Nacional de Comunicaciones (CNC) communique to all telecommunications licensees that provide Internet Access Services") {{in lang|es}} ([http://www.google.com/translate_c?langpair=en&u=http://www.cnc.gov.ar/noticia_detalle.asp?idnoticia=106 English translation]), CNC, 11 August 2011. Retrieved 2 July 2014.</ref><ref>[http://opennet.net/blog/2011/08/argentina-judge-orders-all-isps-block-sites-leakymailscom-and-leakymailsblogspotcom "Argentina: Judge orders all ISPs to block the sites LeakyMails.com and Leakymails.blogspot.com"], OpenNet Initiative, 11 August 2011. Retrieved 2 July 2014.</ref> In response some internet service providers blocked the website IP address 216.239.32.2 which is linked to more than one million blogs hosted on Google's Blogger service disrupting the access to all of them.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2011/08/argentina-isps-ip-overblocking |title=Argentine ISPs Use Bazooka to Kill Fly |author=Jillian York |publisher=Electronic Frontier Foundation |date= 19 August 2011 |access-date=19 August 2011}}</ref>

In November 2012 the CNC ({{langx|es|Comision Nacional De Comunicaciones}}) ordered the blocking of websites that contained information about bootloader unlocking of [[netbook]]s supplied by the Argentine Government.<ref>[http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1525869-las-netbook-estudiantiles-en-el-medio-de-un-demanda-judicial "Las netbook estudiantiles, en el medio de un demanda judicial"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714182401/http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1525869-las-netbook-estudiantiles-en-el-medio-de-un-demanda-judicial |date=2014-07-14 }} ("Student's laptops in the middle of an injunction") {{in lang|es}} ([http://www.google.com/translate_c?langpair=en&u=http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1525869-las-netbook-estudiantiles-en-el-medio-de-un-demanda-judicial English translation]), Tecnologia, La Nacion, 12 November 2012. Retrieved 2 July 2014.</ref><ref>[http://www.cnc.gov.ar/noticia_detalle.asp?idnoticia=158 "A la totalidad de los Licenciatarios de Telecomunicaciones que tienen Registro de Servicio de Valor Agregado y prestan Servicio de Acceso a Internet."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714123409/http://www.cnc.gov.ar/noticia_detalle.asp?idnoticia=158 |date=2014-07-14 }} ("List of websites to be blocked") {{in lang|es}} ([http://www.google.com/translate_c?langpair=en&u=http://www.cnc.gov.ar/noticia_detalle.asp?idnoticia=158 English translation]), CNC, 6 November 2012. Retrieved 2 July 2014.</ref> The legality of these actions in Argentina remains controversial.<ref>[http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1525931-prohiben-webs-que-explican-como-desbloquear-netbooks "Prohíben webs que explican cómo desbloquear netbooks"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715032735/http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1525931-prohiben-webs-que-explican-como-desbloquear-netbooks |date=2014-07-15 }} ("Websites Showing How To Unlock Netbooks Banned") {{in lang|es}} ([http://www.google.com/translate_c?langpair=en&u=http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1525931-prohiben-webs-que-explican-como-desbloquear-netbooks English translation]), José Crettaz, La Nacion, 13 November 2012. Retrieved 2 July 2014.</ref>

In July 2014 the CNC ({{langx|es|Comision Nacional De Comunicaciones}}) ordered local ISPs to block [[Pirate bay|The Pirate Bay]] due an injunction of CAPIF ({{langx|es|Cámara Argentina de Productores de Fonogramas}}) against the popular Torrent index.<ref>[http://torrentfreak.com/the-pirate-bay-now-blocked-in-argentina-140701/ "Pirate Bay Now Blocked in Argentina"], Torrent Freak, 1 July 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2014.</ref>
CAPIF is an Argentine music industry group and a member of [[International Federation of the Phonographic Industry]] ([[IFPI]]). The CNC is an agency of the Argentine Government created to certify wireless devices; to regulate communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, cable and postal services.<ref>[http://www.cnc.gov.ar/institucional/nuestro_org_introduccion.asp "Acerca de la CNC: Nuestro Organismo"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140708082022/http://www.cnc.gov.ar/institucional/nuestro_org_introduccion.asp |date=2014-07-08 }} ("About the CNC: Our Agency") {{in lang|es}} ([http://www.google.com/translate_c?langpair=en&u=http://www.cnc.gov.ar/institucional/nuestro_org_introduccion.asp English translation]), CNC. Retrieved 2 July 2014.</ref>
In retaliation for the blocking, the online site of CAPIF was hacked and turned into a Pirate Bay [[Proxy server]].<ref>[https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/07/anti-piracy-music-industry-site-hacked-turned-into-pirate-bay-proxy/ "Anti-piracy music industry site hacked, turned into Pirate Bay proxy"], David Kravets, Ars Technica, 1 July 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2014.</ref>