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Australian Web Censorship Project Moves Ahead, Despite Lack Of Political Support
from the just-enough-rope-to-hang-themselves dept
At the end of last month, it looked like Australia's plan to censor the web had died after it lost support in the country's senate. But The Register reports that Australian regulators are going ahead and using the same blacklist that was part of that effort to threaten sites with fines. The Australian Communications and Media Authority threatened a broadband discussion forum with an A$11,000 ($7,250) daily fine after one of its users posted a link to an anti-abortion site on the blacklist. But it gets a little deeper, as the site was apparently put on the blacklist on the basis of a single complaint -- made by a guy who wanted to illustrate the stupidity of the system by getting a site listed that's got nothing to do with child porn, the supposed target of the censorship plan. When even politicians won't support something like this that's supposed to "protect the children," it should be pretty apparent that it's not a good idea. So why is the regulator moving ahead with it?
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Reader Comments
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You can't actually expect politicians/regulators to see why a complaint was filed. They are too busy grandstanding
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more of the same
The regulators actually went directly to the ironically named hosting provider (Bulletproof) of the site for the takedown, never contacting the site (Whirlpool) itself. Unfortunately, the site buckled without so much as a whimper and removed the link.
This is a link to the site's discussion of the event:
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=1161107
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This is what you get when you let the conservative types run the country.
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Re:
Nice try 0/10
This is what you get when you have government trying to regulate everything. It doesn't matter which group only what the target is...
Government intervention and regulation is unnecessaryerwww especially when trying to use technology that does not work.
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Re: Harold you moron
Nice one Weirdo - the government imposing this ill conceived plan is a Labor government - a (supposedly) left-wing, union favouring, commie outfit (if you listen to the opposition). In fact, the previous government (the ironically named Liberal party), who governed as conservatives, dismissed the plan for a national filter on the basis of it being impractical. Harold - you really add nothing to ANY of the discussions on this site other than ignorance. and I hear you like to masturbate frequently
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Wikileaks is next
Seems like they've banned parts of wikileaks too;
http://www.wikileaks.org/wiki/Australia_secretly_censors_Wikileaks_press_release_and_Danish_ Internet_censorship_list,_16_Mar_2009
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now their own page..
now to really test how commited they are, people have been posting the link to the very same abortion site on ACMA wikipedia page.... are they going to threaten wikipedia? or blacklist their own entry?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACMA#Internet_censorship_and_criticisms
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fattyboombatty look at the facts
fattyboombatty, yes it is the Labor party bringing this in. But look at the reasons. They want to suck up to the Christian-nutjobs Family First. Due to the 2004 senate result, when the Liberals won a tonne of seats, the ALP need his vote on anything they want passed, so he's using this as leverage.
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Re: fattyboombatty look at the facts
Tamara, to be honest the reasons for implementing this filter absolutely befuddle me. I have no idea why someone would want to impose a filter on me when I don't want one.
If I am doing something illegal, then prosecute me. If I wish to have an interweb that is free from morally bankrupt options then spend hundreds of millions of dollars to provide that option for me. But DO NOT arbitrarily and secretly block my access to the tubes - makes me feel all stabby.
My original comment was directed at the absolute ignorance spewed by Weird Harold in not only this discussion, but almost all of the discussions of this site. Troll or not - there is nothing to be gained by allowing his FUD to be spread without retort.
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Aust. Fed Senate Estimates Transcript
http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/committees/estimate/11635/toc_pdf/6530-4.pdf
Here's a transcript to a recent Senate Estimates discussion on the blacklist, its intended uses and the potential for things to go wrong... it's 133 pages, so I recommend keyword searches... I didn't read the whole thing, that's for sure.
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"So why is the regulator moving ahead with it?"
Maybe that regulator has simply gone off the reservation?
Then again, maybe it's part of a Xanatos Gambit by someone who fancies himself a Darth Sidious. You know, like when the guy facing you across the chess table makes an unexpected and stupid-looking pawn move, and you go "What the?" and then three moves later "Oh, fu..." and he goes "Checkmate".
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Re
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