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?Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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Filed Under: australia, censorship, filters
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more of the same
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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Re:
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
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Wikileaks is next
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..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ACMA#Internet_censorship_and_criticisms
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fattyboombatty look at the facts
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Re: fattyboombatty look at the facts
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
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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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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Konrad Jenkins | http://www.meterboxsecurity.com.au/services.html
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