The organisers of the increasingly irrelevant and ultimatly camp Eurovision Song Contest have threatened to bring broadcasting sanctions against TV networks if they disclose information about the contest's voters' identities.
This shocking news follows reports that a number of people in Azerbaijan were interrogated by police after voting for a song by neighbouring Armenia [with whom Azerbaijan had conflicted with over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region in the 1990s] in this year's contest. One such person told the BBC he had been accused of being unpatriotic and a "potential security threat", after he sent a text backing Armenia's song, Jan Jan.
Telecoms companies had previously been responsible for protecting voters' details, but now broadcasters will shoulder the burden as the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) does not have the ability to penalise telephone companies, "for any disclosure of information which could be used to identify voters". The EBU's director general, Jean Reveillon, said violating the privacy of voters "or interrogation of individuals... is totally unacceptable". Banning a broadcaster would effectively stop a country from being able to take part.
Norway's Alexander Rybak won the contest this year, smashing the record for the most points awarded during the competition with 387.
This shocking news follows reports that a number of people in Azerbaijan were interrogated by police after voting for a song by neighbouring Armenia [with whom Azerbaijan had conflicted with over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region in the 1990s] in this year's contest. One such person told the BBC he had been accused of being unpatriotic and a "potential security threat", after he sent a text backing Armenia's song, Jan Jan.
Telecoms companies had previously been responsible for protecting voters' details, but now broadcasters will shoulder the burden as the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) does not have the ability to penalise telephone companies, "for any disclosure of information which could be used to identify voters". The EBU's director general, Jean Reveillon, said violating the privacy of voters "or interrogation of individuals... is totally unacceptable". Banning a broadcaster would effectively stop a country from being able to take part.
Norway's Alexander Rybak won the contest this year, smashing the record for the most points awarded during the competition with 387.
Source: BBC News, Vaughan
2 comments:
Well what ever about treason I'd be in favor of randomly electrocuting eurovision telephone voters through their hand sets when they ring in. Some may call call it cruel I call it natural selection. If you are dumb enough to vote in eurovision the future of the species may depend on you being turned to charcoal as swiftly as possible.
Eurovision is shocked by the news of this attempt at vote rigging....funny they weren't shocked way back in the Sixties when Spains "La, la ,la laaaaa" (yes those were the words) beat Cliff Richard singing "Congratulations!", After Everyones favourite facist Dictator Franco how shall we say it?"Influenced every jury in the competition (except England and Ireland) to see reason and vote for Spain!Sadly in this case evil didn't triumph and "la,La Laaaa" has been forgotten while "Congratulations" is sung at every bloody wedding , baptisim , engagement party, Graduation and in some cases Funerals across the Land!
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