Síminn and Og Vodafone, two Icelandic telecommunications companies and
internet service providers, told reporters they have not changed their
customer service policy and are not engaging in internet censorship.
Questions as to whether or not either company had adopted a new policy whereby they would determine what websites their customers may or may not access were raised after both ISPs blocked access to the website Ringulreid. The site in question has been charged with being a haven for e-bullying and underaged pornography. Both the police and children’s advocacy groups requested the ISPs to block Icelandic access to the site.
“We are not diverging from our general policy and getting involved with what’s on the internet,” Hrannar Pétursson, a spokesperson for Og Vodafone, told Morgunblaðið. “This is just an extreme case we’re talking about here and thought it was wise to respond.”
Margrét Stefánsdóttir, a spokesperson for Síminn, told reporters, “We would never close a website on our own accord, it’s not our place to do that. But when a request this serious comes to us, we will respond.”
Iceland does not have particularly strict legislation with regards to web content, but as the site in question is the subject of a police investigation, both ISPs responded to official requests to block access. Ringulreid is hosted overseas.