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Australia to implement mandatory internet censorship
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| culorut |
Wow, just incredible. I fear more are soon to follow suit after this.
Australia to implement mandatory internet censorship
October 29, 2008 12:02pm
AUSTRALIA will join China in implementing mandatory censoring of the internet under plans put forward by the Federal Government.
The revelations emerge as US tech giants Google, Microsoft and Yahoo, and a coalition of human rights and other groups unveiled a code of conduct aimed at safeguarding online freedom of speech and privacy.
The government has declared it will not let internet users opt out of the proposed national internet filter.
The plan was first created as a way to combat child pronography and adult content, but could be extended to include controversial websites on euthanasia or anorexia.
Communications minister Stephen Conroy revealed the mandatory censorship to the Senate estimates committee as the Global Network Initiative, bringing together leading companies, human rights organisations, academics and investors, committed the technology firms to "protect the freedom of expression and privacy rights of their users".
Mr Conroy said trials were yet to be carried out, but "we are talking about mandatory blocking, where possible, of illegal material."
The net nanny proposal was originally going to allow Australians who wanted uncensored access to the web the option of contacting their internet service provider to be excluded from the service.
Human Rights Watch has condemned internet censorship, and argued to the US Senate "there is a real danger of a Virtual Curtain dividing the internet, much as the Iron Curtain did during the Cold War, because some governments fear the potential of the internet, (and) want to control it"
Groups including the System Administrators Guild of Australia and Electronic Frontiers Australia have attacked the proposal, saying it would unfairly restrict Australians' access to the web, slow internet speeds and raise the price of internet access.
EFA board member Colin Jacobs said it would have little effect on illegal internet content, including child pornography, as it would not cover file-sharing networks.
"If the Government would actually come out and say we're only targeting child pornography it would be a different debate," he said.
The technology companies' move, which follows criticism that the companies were assisting censorship of the internet in nations such as China, requires them to narrowly interpret government requests for information or censorship and to fight to minimise cooperation.
The initiative provides a systematic approach to "work together in resisting efforts by governments that seek to enlist companies in acts of censorship and surveillance that violate international standards", the participants said.
In a statement, Yahoo co-founder and chief executive Jerry Yang welcomed the new code of conduct.
"These principles provide a valuable roadmap for companies like Yahoo operating in markets where freedom of expression and privacy are unfairly restricted," he said.
"Yahoo was founded on the belief that promoting access to information can enrich people's lives, and the principles we unveil today reflect our determination that our actions match our values around the world."
Yahoo was thrust into the forefront of the online rights issue after the Californian company helped Chinese police identify cyber dissidents whose supposed crime was expressing their views online.
China exercises strict control over the internet, blocking sites linked to Chinese dissidents, the outlawed Falun Gong spiritual movement, the Tibetan government-in-exile and those with information on the 1989 Tiananmen massacre.
A number of US companies, including Microsoft, Cisco, Google and Yahoo, have been hauled before the US Congress in recent years and accused of complicity in building the "Great Firewall of China".
The Australian Christian Lobby, however, has welcomed the proposals.
Managing director Jim Wallace said the measures were needed.
"The need to prevent access to illegal hard-core material and child pornography must be placed above the industry's desire for unfettered access," Mr Wallace said.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/st...37-2862,00.html |
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| pkcRAISTLIN |
wow, for once you and i might be on the same side of an issue!
im writing to my local MPs as well as the relevant senator. an absolute disgrace. |
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| culorut |
Yeah go nuts and write to them I am sure they will be censoring those outlandish 9/11 conspiracy theories.
:disbelief |
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| pkcRAISTLIN |
Haha, most people in australia havent heard of the conspiracy theories ;)
This was going to be an optional choice for net users, but now they're making it mandatory. Our ing internet speeds are already painfully slow, adding a filter is only going to make it worse. ing idiots. |
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| josh4 |
Australia??
Where did this come from? WTF are you blokes doing down there? This is really terrible. |
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| pkcRAISTLIN |
| quote: | Originally posted by josh4
Australia??
Where did this come from? WTF are you blokes doing down there? This is really terrible. |
dont ask me, this crept up on me (as i didnt know they'd changed the implementation). im quite ed off. stupid nanny-state labor party tards (and im a labor voter). |
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| culorut |
| quote: | Originally posted by pkcRAISTLIN
Haha, most people in australia havent heard of the conspiracy theories |
Of course Australians have no idea what is going on, I really bet you would like everyone to believe that nonsense.
:rolleyes:
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| josh4 |
| quote: | Originally posted by pkcRAISTLIN
dont ask me, this crept up on me (as i didnt know they'd changed the implementation). im quite ed off. stupid nanny-state labor party tards (and im a labor voter). |
I'm pretty up to speed on these tech things and I've never heard of it. From what I'm reading its coming from the extreme right Family First Christian government you recently put in office. Way ta go! |
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| pkcRAISTLIN |
| quote: | Originally posted by culorut
Of course Australians have no idea what is going on, I really bet you would like everyone to believe that nonsense.
:rolleyes:
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Jesus, you have to turn everything into a BS conspiracy theory. The "truthers" in australia are even less numerous than in the US (and that is going by the number at turnouts estimated by aussie truthers). I guarantee you that 911 is completely irrelevant in australia. Virtually nobody knows of the conspiracy theories: fact. Im sorry if that hurts your feelings. i didnt say that 911truth didnt exist, just that almost no australians have even heard of them. |
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| pkcRAISTLIN |
| quote: | Originally posted by josh4
I'm pretty up to speed on these tech things and I've never heard of it. From what I'm reading its coming from the extreme right Family First Christian government you recently put in office. Way ta go! |
LOL, we just got rid of the extreme right government! :rolleyes: |
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| NoError |
Completely agree. This thing will be largely useless and slow down an already appallingly slow internet. From yesterday's Media Report:
| quote: | Antony Funnell: Now there's been a lot of talk in the press over the last couple of weeks about possible unintended consequences of an internet filtering system in terms of slowing down internet speeds. What can you tell us about that?
Mark Pesce: Well as near as we can tell, with the small test that they ran, it slowed down access speeds by about 86%, so it would take us from a nation that's not particularly fast in our broadband, to a nation that's much more molasses-like in broadband. Now whether this is going to be truly annoying or noticeable, it's going to be something that's going to be there, and the more aggressive that the government is about detecting things that are unacceptable, the slower that is, the more processing that's required. And that's essentially going to be a cat and mouse race, because not only is the filter going to be easy to get around using technologies like TOR, not only is the filter going to give you false positives, but it's actually going to ruin the quality of the internet experience. So it's going to be a lose, lose, lose situation. |
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/mediarepor...008/2405376.htm |
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| culorut |
| quote: | Originally posted by pkcRAISTLIN
Jesus, you have to turn everything into a BS conspiracy theory. The "truthers" in australia are even less numerous than in the US (and that is going by the number at turnouts estimated by aussie truthers). I guarantee you that 911 is completely irrelevant in australia. Virtually nobody knows of the conspiracy theories: fact. Im sorry if that hurts your feelings. i didnt say that 911truth didnt exist, just that almost no australians have even heard of them. |
You should use google, it's your friend. The number of Aussies who believe the official story is horse is undeniable.
Of course you live under a rock so..... |
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