Why does nobody talk about how Finland banned anonymous speech online

I was reading up on internet laws last week because my cousin moved to Helsinki for work. He told me that Finland basically requires you to verify your identity before posting on forums or social media. I thought he was exaggerating so I looked it up and sure enough, since 2011 they have a law that forces platforms to collect your personal info. The weird part is how few people in the US even know about this. I hit a milestone of 50 different sources confirming that Finland has one of the strictest speech laws in Europe despite being seen as so free. It matters because if a Nordic country can do this without much fuss, what stops other governments from trying the same thing? My cousin says most locals don't even think about it, they just comply. Has anyone else run across a country that quietly restricted speech without people noticing?

2 comments

2 Comments

ramirez.sage2d ago

Yeah I just ran into that too my buddy in Sweden told me their laws are almost as strict.

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skyler_anderson652d ago

Oh man, I feel you on that. What worked for me was just being upfront with my buddy about what I was looking for and letting him check local forums for shops that cater to tourists. He found a place in Stockholm that didn't care about the exact rules since they just wanted to move product. I'd say ask your friend to look around for smaller shops or ask around at bars, people usually know the spots that bend the rules a bit.