Thousands of internet users signed a petition addressed to President Lech Kaczyński early last week, asking him to veto the government's gambling bill, arguing that the proposed law would infringe on the freedom to use the internet.

As part of its recent effort to restrict gambling, the government presented a draft law in late January that among other things, would give government officials the power to block access to certain internet pages containing internet gambling, as well as facilitate shutting down pornographic sites, most particularly those featuring child pornography.

The proposed regulations introduce a register of banned pages and services, which would be supervised by the Office of Electronic Communications. Pages would be entered into the register at the request of the police and other such entities. Internet providers would then have up to six hours to block the page.

The draft elicited vocal reactions from various groups. A protest was organized by the “Pirate Party” – a political group promoting internet piracy – while other internet users set up protest web pages and Facebook groups. Representatives of internet-based businesses and organizations also issued an official letter to the PM claiming that the law was tantamount to censorship.

Recent research has shown that internet users tend to support the ruling Civic Platform party. Little wonder then, that Prime Minister Donald Tusk has proven sensitive to the mood in the online community. In an open letter published last week, he invited internet users to join him in a debate on the bill, held both live and online, that was due to take place this week.