Australian Censorship Boss Has His 'Series Of Tubes' Moment

from the spams-through-the-portal dept

Thu, Jun 10th 2010 1:47pm — Mike Masnick

A few years back, you may remember, that former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens got a lot of attention for his infamous description of the internet as "a series of tubes," as part of a longer talk that repeatedly highlights that he didn't quite understand what he was regulating:

Given the number of folks in Australia who have been submitting this video of Australian Minister for Broadband, Stephen Conroy (the guy who wants to censor the internet in Australia), it appears that many down under feel that Conroy has had his "series of tubes" moment by talking about how computer users are getting "infected by these spams, or scams, that come through, the portal"

To be fair, in both cases, these politicians are extremely inarticulate in trying to make their point. Everyone has those moments. However, it does seem like this "spams or scams through the portal" quote is starting to go viral. When it comes to politicians who are supposed to be regulating the internet, you would think they'd sound a bit more prepared for not sounding like they have no idea what they're talking about.

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Filed Under: australia, stephen conroy

20 Comments

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PaulT (profile), 10 Jun 2010 @ 2:08pm

The cake is a lie.

(yeah cliche, but the firs thing that comes to mind when thinking of "portals" and "scams")
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Simon, 10 Jun 2010 @ 2:11pm

Communications Minister
I weep
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bradmoreso (profile), 10 Jun 2010 @ 2:11pm

well-intentioned, ill-informed
... and of the state, so inherent doom looms for citizens.

This may not be an intentional power grab, but just as setting filesystem permissions wide open "so the app will work" can lead to serious abuses and security violations. And, you know, disastrous results.
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Anonymous Coward, 10 Jun 2010 @ 2:16pm

Re:
All part of Valve's brilliant PR campaign. Carry on.
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wat, 10 Jun 2010 @ 2:53pm

Re: well-intentioned, ill-informed
well-intentioned? it's people like you, bradley, that are just one tier under these idiots that are trying to make decisions on concepts they know nothing about.
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Anonymous Coward, 10 Jun 2010 @ 3:03pm

Easier this way
In business it is so much easier to supervise something if you are clueless about the subject. If you are lucky you can make a few big, flashy changes that impress your superiors (who are also clueless of course). Hopefully you have a few people working for you who can help you paper over the disasters. This can't go ion forever, but it can go on long enough for you to get promoted out of the job before all the wheels come off. Repeat the process and you will be successful in modern corporate structure where only the short term matters.

It's probably the same thing when it comes to being a regulater.
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Richard Corsale (profile), 10 Jun 2010 @ 3:06pm

dhuaaa
OMG Mike.. Why don't you post about things you know something about! I had a scam crawl through my portal just the other day! I cant believe you. Your probably on the a shill for the portal industry.

GAWD!!!
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Mike, 10 Jun 2010 @ 3:45pm

Seems like the only thing he did wrong was use the word portal incorrectly. Being infected with spam could just be a turn of phrase.
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The Groove Tiger (profile), 10 Jun 2010 @ 4:00pm

It's all the scams coming out of the portal that are clogging up our tubes and preventing from having our movies delivered!
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An Australian.., 10 Jun 2010 @ 5:18pm

A Portals not a Portal.
Hi,

Let see, Last I heard portal, a good 12 years ago, in relation to computer tech, it was a reference to a computer screen, I don't particularly remember it in reference to the net at all...
Similarly, you can't be infected by spam.. or scams.. thats silly. thats like saying youve been infected by mail, and a bad car dealer..

The guy is an idiot. and I love that quote.. It's going to last longer than he does.

So Portal, not a turn of phrase, here atleast. I think he just honestly believes that the internet is magic, and that we can use other magics to control the all powerful net magics, and that knowledge flows through these channels of power, and comes out of the network and into your computer, to be interpreted, and is then displayed on it's magical viewing portal..
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TW Burger (profile), 10 Jun 2010 @ 5:43pm

The worst part (of Conroy's statement)is not the "spams and scams through the portal". Although inept, it's understandable. The "up to 20,000 regularly getting infected" is the problem. Where did that number come from? What's the rate? Clearly he made it up and is lying to us. Shame on him.
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Hephaestus (profile), 10 Jun 2010 @ 6:18pm

Re: well-intentioned, ill-informed
"well-intentioned, ill-informed"

Politicians are really out to save the children

Politicians really care what happens to you

Politicians never lie

Politicians always do the right thing

Politicians never do favor for people who fund their campains

How many of those do you believe?
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Allen (profile), 10 Jun 2010 @ 6:33pm

Re: dhuaaa
Sounds painful.
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Anonymous Coward, 10 Jun 2010 @ 6:35pm

listening to some of his other statements, he really has no idea what he's doing
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Sean T Henry (profile), 10 Jun 2010 @ 6:35pm

Re: Re: well-intentioned, ill-informed
I know the answer 6X0=??? what was the question?
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matrix, 10 Jun 2010 @ 7:54pm

Nuclear intelligence
yes folks we must NUKE intelligence now before they gets any smarter and realize all the peeps running stuff are just one big bunch a crooks

we has to filter the truth now
go hurry it dont matter who you p[ut doing it GET IT DONE QUICKLY before more smarties become blue...dont eat BLUE eat teh red pill er smarty
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Ash Crill, 10 Jun 2010 @ 9:55pm

Conroy claims Googlecould have 'hoovered' bank details
This is all over the news in Australia today. His latest comment is ridiculous and makes him sound even more ill-informed:

"(If) you were doing a banking transaction, or transmitting personal information, they could have hoovered it up, sucked it up into their machine," he told ABC TV yesterday."

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/politics/google-denies-capturing-banking-details/stor y-e6frgczf-1225876667684
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Niall (profile), 11 Jun 2010 @ 4:22am

Tubes...
So in taking about portals and stuff so cluelessly, he has his own 'tubes' moment by sounding like a tube... (pardon the UK slang).
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georgied, 11 Jun 2010 @ 5:48am

Re:
He must be getting his numbers from BP. 20,000 a day! The whole of Australia would be infected within three years.
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BBT, 11 Jun 2010 @ 7:11am

Sometimes I try to imagine just how the average non-technical person sees the internet and computers. Usually it gets triggered by comments like this, or watching "24". "24" always has computer shit be so essential to the plot but it's always the craziest stuff. The way the internet is portrayed on 24 makes me think of some crazy dreamworld like the mages go to in Dragon Age, combined with the streaming numbers of The Matrix.
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