Editing Telecommunications in Austria (section)

===Internet censorship and surveillance===
In August 2014, [[IFPI Austria]] has requested Internet blocking for several file sharing web sites such as [[The Pirate Bay]] and [[isoHunt]], starting the latest August 14, 2014 (postponed from August 1, 2014). This procedure has been heavily criticized in the media, as there is no formal procedure for unblocking such IPs ever again, and no formal review process that incorrect blocks cannot be obtained. Users sharing an IP may be blocked as a side effect, too.

{{As of|May 2016}}, Austrian ISPs are now once again free to unblock all previously blocked sites after the government appealed a new law for file sharing similar to the one in [[Switzerland]]. Although the IFPI is still trying to challenge this ruling.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://torrentfreak.com/pirate-bay-blockade-lifted-by-austrian-court-160623/|title=Pirate Bay Blockade Lifted By Austrian Court - TorrentFreak|date=2016-06-23|work=TorrentFreak|access-date=2017-08-07|language=en-US}}</ref>

There are no government restrictions on access to the Internet or credible reports that the government monitors [[e-mail]] or [[Internet chat]] rooms without appropriate legal authority. Individuals and groups engage in the peaceful expression of views via the Internet, including by e-mail. Authorities work to restrict access to Web sites containing information that violates the law, such as [[neo-Nazi]] and [[child pornography]] sites. Authorities restrict access to banned Web sites by trying to shut such sites and forbidding the country's Internet service providers to carry them.<ref name="CRHRP-Austria-2012">[https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/humanrightsreport/index.htm?year=2012&dlid=204260 "Austria"], ''Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2012'', Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, U.S. Department of State, 22 March 2013. Retrieved 30 October 2013.</ref>

The Austrian constitution provides for freedom of speech and press, and the government generally respects these rights in practice. An independent press, an effective judiciary, and a functioning democratic political system combine to ensure freedom of speech and the press. The independent media are active and express a wide variety of views with few restrictions. Individuals generally criticize the government publicly or privately without reprisal. The law prohibits arbitrary interference with privacy, family, home, or correspondence, and the government generally respects these prohibitions in practice.<ref name="CRHRP-Austria-2012" />

The law prohibits [[hate speech|incitement, insult, or contempt against a group because of its members’ race, nationality, or ethnicity]] if the statement violates human dignity and the government strictly enforces these laws. The law prohibits [[Holocaust denial|public denial, belittlement, approval, or justification of the Nazi genocide or other Nazi crimes against humanity]] in a print publication, a broadcast, or other media and the government strictly enforces these laws. Strict [[libel]] and [[slander]] laws discourage reporting of governmental abuse. For example, many observers believed that the ability and willingness of the police to sue for libel or slander discourages individuals from reporting abuse by police.<ref name="CRHRP-Austria-2012" />

On 31 July 2012, a 26-year-old man received an 18-month sentence, of which 12 months were to be served, for posting that his favorite book was [[Hitler]]’s ''[[Mein Kampf]]'' and linking to Nazi material on his Facebook page.<ref name="CRHRP-Austria-2012" />

In February 2007 Austrian authorities were able to uncover a "[[child pornography|child-pornography ring]]" involving seventy-seven countries, based on a report by a man working for a [[Vienna|Vienna-based]] Internet file-hosting service.<ref>[https://opennet.net/studies/europe2007 "Internet Filtering in Europe 2006-2007"], OpenNet Initiative. Retrieved 30 October 2013.</ref>

As of March 2022 the websites of [[RT (TV network)|RT]] have been blocked by the major Internet service providers.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.puls24.at/news/digital/oesterreich-wer-blockiert-den-rt-internetauftritt/260905 | title=Österreich: Wer blockiert den RT-Internetauftritt? }}</ref>

In August 2022, ISPs were ordered to block further domains, as well as individual IP addresses belonging to CDN providers. The latter rendered a large number of websites to become unavailable.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/pirate-sites-ban-in-austria-took-down-cloudflare-cdns-by-mistake/ | title=Pirate sites ban in Austria took down Cloudflare CDNS by mistake }}</ref>