Strange policy changes are afoot in Italy, where the government’s Communications Authority has just issued two resolutions that effectively turn YouTube and other video services into TV stations subject to stricter regulation — and stricter liability for the content they host.
Under the new rules, any site that exercises even the smallest amount of editorial control over its content will be considered an “audiovisual service,” and have to pay additional taxes, take down videos within 48 hours if anyone complains of slander, and — most oddly of all — somehow refrain from broadcasting videos “unsuitable for children” at certain times of the day.