Latest Australian Internet Censorship Campaign Begins To Widespread Protests

from the free-the-internet dept

Wed, Dec 3rd 2008 3:46pm — Mike Masnick

The latest in a long line of attempts by the Australian government to censor the internet is now starting, as ISPs are beginning to filter the internet (sometimes under protest), agreeing to block access to sites on a government blacklist. This plan will cost Austrlian taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, on top of the large amounts already spent on earlier plans that failed.

In response to the start of the new filtering, Australian citizens are taking to the streets in protest, though it's unclear how much of an impact that will have. Once these "trials" fail, with both false positives and false negatives, maybe, just maybe someone in power down under will recognize that censorship is just a bad idea.

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Filed Under: australia, censorship, filters, porn, protests, regulations

16 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 3 Dec 2008 @ 4:17pm

If censorship is such a bad idea, then when are we going to start seeing peer-reviewed repeatable experiments that damage evolution/big bang in schools.

What's that? Only certain censorship is bad? Only if we disagree with it?

We're no different, it's just in different areas run by different people.
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- Anonymous Poster, 3 Dec 2008 @ 4:43pm
  
  Re:
  Yes, because discrediting horrible scientific "theories" like Intelligent Design and choosing not to teach such "theories" to students because they're not widely accepted by the scientific community at large is EXACTLY the same as blurring tits on a reality show.
  
  You are an idiot.
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- Anonymous Coward, 3 Dec 2008 @ 5:08pm
  
  Re:
  If censorship is such a bad idea, then when are we going to start seeing peer-reviewed repeatable experiments that damage evolution/big bang in schools.
  
  And where might those be?
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- DS, 3 Dec 2008 @ 5:09pm
  
  Re:
  You are such an idiot, I'm embarrased that I'm actually replying to you.
  
  Grade school is NOT THE PLACE for improper science.
  It is only censorship in the same way that we don't allow teachers to teach that 1+2=4, for very high values of 1.
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- Anonymous Coward, 3 Dec 2008 @ 5:26pm
  
  Re:
  Oops, you posted in the wrong place for your humorous entry.
  
  Try one of the following satire sites:
  http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page
  http://www.conservapedia.com/Main_Page
  http:/ /encyclopediadramatica.com/Main_Page
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- Tamara, 3 Dec 2008 @ 5:32pm
  
  Re:
  
  If censorship is such a bad idea, then when are we going to start seeing peer-reviewed repeatable experiments that damage evolution/big bang in schools.
  
  Same reason they don't teach that vampires are real in school.
  
  Censorship is not the same as saying fiction is the truth.
  
  How does blocking porn sites in anyway related to not being allow to teach fiction in schools?
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  - Anonymous Coward, 4 Dec 2008 @ 7:06am
    
    Re: Re:
    Hate to tell you this, but vampires are real, maybe not in the manner depicted in books and movies, but there are animals who exist by consuming blood from other living beings. And there are in fact people who drink human blood as part of their religion. No, I'm not one of them, but I have spoken to several, at great length, and it is part of their particular belief structure.
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    - Anthony (profile), 4 Dec 2008 @ 7:39pm
      
      Re: Re: Re:
      Last time I checked the definition of a vampire is the creature itself, not what they drink. So people that drink blood as part of their religion are not called vampires, neither are animals that consume blood. These people who drink blood don't burst into flame in sunshine, don't get burnt from silver, and the other facets that make up what a vampire is.
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- Mike, 3 Dec 2008 @ 6:43pm
  
  Re:
  What you want are experiments that prove your "god" is real... fortunately we don't all need these fantasies to accept death.
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- Paul`, 3 Dec 2008 @ 8:50pm
  
  Re:
  I hope and pray, well... just hope, that you are trolling.
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- Dawger101, 4 Dec 2008 @ 4:57am
  
  Re:
  If censorship is such a bad idea, then when are we going to start seeing peer-reviewed repeatable experiments that damage evolution/big bang in schools.
  
  When they exist you will, until then we teach science not dogma.
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government Sux, 3 Dec 2008 @ 4:37pm

Its starting...
Good on ya ozzys... make your stand coz the other governments will _TRY_ to implement these plans as well.

Governments, You work for the PEOPLE & we will revolt.
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to Anonymous Coward, 3 Dec 2008 @ 4:44pm

When some starts doing peer-reviewable repeatable experiments that damage evolution/big bang they will be taught!
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Anonymous Coward, 3 Dec 2008 @ 6:18pm

FSM
If you want your children to be taught about the Flying Spaghetti Monster, then you will probably have to do the teaching yourself. Public funds should not be spent for such things.
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Paul`, 3 Dec 2008 @ 8:59pm

Cleanfeed
Read more about it here
http://nocleanfeed.com/learn.html

also there is a protest planned for Melbourne on the 13th, state library. Facebook details here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=46838735931

There will be protests in most major cities on that day around the country.
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pissed off, 8 Dec 2008 @ 5:18am

this is the worst idea ever
as an australian citizen and taxpayer, this is the single most frustrating and dissapointing thing our government has done since coming to power. if they go through with this, they are definitely only serving one term. then out on their asses, and good riddance.
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