Internet Censorship

[Dirko]

Surprised that this hsan't been given a thread yet, but it's about the Governments plan to censor the internet.

Essentially the Rudd Government is planning to filter and monitor everything every Australian does on the internet, and will ultimately decide what you can and can't look at.

The plan was first created as a way to combat child pornography 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".

CLICK HERE

AND to make it better Conroy has come out today and said the plan may extend to "peer to peer" technology such as Limewire & BitTorrent.

CLICK HERE

Now I fully agree on the child porn filters (which is near impossible as they'd hide them somewhere else) but Adult content, no way, and peer to peer

Here's a good website that explains it well. No clean feed = http://www.nocleanfeed.com/

[Q.]

*cough* CHINA *cough*

[Q.]

Here are a couple of good articles regarding said censorship:

http://www.crikey.com.au/Politics/20080729-Internet-filters-a-success-if-success-means-failure.html

http://www.crikey.com.au/Politics/20081217-The-dishonesty-of-internet-censorship-proponents-.html


"Kiddie-p-rn is hard to find. As Inspector John Rouse, former head of Queensland Police's Taskforce Argos told the authors of The Porn Report, "the chances of stumbling across this material… are minimal as it isn’t really distributed on web pages." P-dophiles use peer-to-peer software and, as Crikey reported six months ago, none of the filters can deal with P2P. The filter will not work. The. Filter. Will. Not. Work.

Every single dollar wasted on a demonstrably unworkable filter isn't just wasting taxpayers' money in tough times. It’s a dollar that hasn't gone to the police so they can do what does work. Good old-fashioned policing and the kind of undercover sting that resulted in 19 arrests last week, including a retired QC and a NSW police officer."

[Gozu]

I have to admit if this comes in (and I dont think they will be stupid enough to seriously try it) on principle I'll vote for the Liberal Party at the next federal election. It would be the first time I'd ever lower myself to voting for a right-wing party but this is disgraceful.

Imagine all the other stuff that will get censored? Also I read somewhere porn wise anything rated more than R will be banned. According to the experts the filter will be pretty easy to get around. I know Rudd is just trying to suck up to the religious nutters out there for the next election but this aint China. I've never come across kiddie porn in my life and from what I've read it's all done through file sharing which this filter wont be able to stamp out which says to me it's purely for political reasons.

[mick]

I have to admit if this comes in (and I dont think they will be stupid enough to seriously try it) on principle I'll vote for the Liberal Party at the next federal election. It would be the first time I'd ever lower myself to voting for a right-wing party but this is disgraceful.

Imagine all the other stuff that will get censored? Also I read somewhere porn wise anything rated more than R will be banned. According to the experts the filter will be pretty easy to get around. I know Rudd is just trying to suck up to the religious nutters out there for the next election but this aint China. I've never come across kiddie porn in my life and from what I've read it's all done through file sharing which this filter wont be able to stamp out which says to me it's purely for political reasons.

`

yeah what is the use of the internet if you can't access porn? unfortunately smarmy Kev is a god botherer.

[Punk Rooster]

Hmmm... Kev O Sev.... definately voting Liberal (I have mostly done anyway)

[Dirko]

yeah what is the use of the internet if you can't access porn? unfortunately smarmy Kev is a god botherer.

yeah and they're usually the ones along with the odd magistrate etc who get into the child porn too....

Heard on the news they are pushing the trial through. I shot a few emails of to MP's etc and have only had the one reply which wasn't that conclusive.

If they try to stop "peer to peer" then watch everyone jump up and down then.....

[Gozu]

That's something that really annoys me with the religious types. They're the types that usually get into all that kind of stuff. I've lost count of how many times I've seen ex-Priests/school principals/judges being arrested for it, it's obviously a control thing and about asserting power.

Yet Conroy the cretin says anyone protesting this (and I'm not just talking porn) is sticking up for child abuse. He should've been sacked the first time he said that but alas the right-wing factions control the Labor party and he's one of their heroes.

If this does go through it could very well be the ALP's WorkChoices. Ideology gone mad and would be the only hope the Libs would have at the next election.

[stan]

That's something that really annoys me with the religious types. They're the types that usually get into all that kind of stuff. I've lost count of how many times I've seen ex-Priests/school principals/judges being arrested for it, it's obviously a control thing and about asserting power.

Yet Conroy the cretin says anyone protesting this (and I'm not just talking porn) is sticking up for child abuse. He should've been sacked the first time he said that but alas the right-wing factions control the Labor party and he's one of their heroes.

If this does go through it could very well be the ALP's WorkChoices. Ideology gone mad and would be the only hope the Libs would have at the next election.

Agree with you there Gozu. I cant stand it when you disagree with them they say your standing up for all that crap. The issue I have is that alot of legit business websites will also get block. It will happen, it something always goes a bit pear shaped. Im not saying block for any reason just caught up in bad luck really.

And as said before this aint china!

[Leaping Lindner]

I have to admit if this comes in (and I dont think they will be stupid enough to seriously try it) on principle I'll vote for the Liberal Party at the next federal election. It would be the first time I'd ever lower myself to voting for a right-wing party but this is disgraceful.

Imagine all the other stuff that will get censored? Also I read somewhere porn wise anything rated more than R will be banned. According to the experts the filter will be pretty easy to get around. I know Rudd is just trying to suck up to the religious nutters out there for the next election but this aint China. I've never come across kiddie porn in my life and from what I've read it's all done through file sharing which this filter wont be able to stamp out which says to me it's purely for political reasons.

`

yeah what is the use of the internet if you can't access porn? unfortunately smarmy Kev is a god botherer.

http://www.efa.org.au/Issues/Censor/lyons.html

Both sides of politics play the religious card.........when it suits them.

[stan]

I have to admit if this comes in (and I dont think they will be stupid enough to seriously try it) on principle I'll vote for the Liberal Party at the next federal election. It would be the first time I'd ever lower myself to voting for a right-wing party but this is disgraceful.

Imagine all the other stuff that will get censored? Also I read somewhere porn wise anything rated more than R will be banned. According to the experts the filter will be pretty easy to get around. I know Rudd is just trying to suck up to the religious nutters out there for the next election but this aint China. I've never come across kiddie porn in my life and from what I've read it's all done through file sharing which this filter wont be able to stamp out which says to me it's purely for political reasons.

`

yeah what is the use of the internet if you can't access porn? unfortunately smarmy Kev is a god botherer.

http://www.efa.org.au/Issues/Censor/lyons.html

Both sides of politics play the religious card.........when it suits them.

This is true.

[Q.]

This is gathering momentum. Banning sites that list banned sites etc. How will we know what is banned?!

Apparently even linking to banned sites or sites that list banned sites (ie. Wikileaks) can get you in hot water. Disturbing times.

Good article here:

http://www.crikey.com.au/Politics/20090318-Rundle-Conroys-attack-on-free-speech-gears-up.html

[Drop Bear]

That's something that really annoys me with the religious types. They're the types that usually get into all that kind of stuff. I've lost count of how many times I've seen ex-Priests/school principals/judges being arrested for it, it's obviously a control thing and about asserting power.

I'm not sticking up for the sick **** that do get caught doing that, but labelling 'religious types' as those who are into kiddie fiddling is like labelling all rugby players as rapists.

[Interceptor]

ACMA blacklist leaked to Wikileaks
Today, 11:30 am

Phil Sweeney

ACMA's secret list of banned web pages has been leaked to Wikileaks.org.

The list, which contains hundreds of links to supposed banned content such as child pornography, also lists large online poker sites, YouTube pages and even some Wikipedia links.

The Australian government plans to use this list as a basis for its mandatory ISP filtering scheme. According to Wikileaks, the list contains 2,395 webpages (dated August 6, 2008) and was taken from a government approved censorship software maker.

"While Wikileaks is used to exposing secret government censorship in developing countries, we now find Australia acting like a democratic backwater. History shows that secret censorship systems, whatever their original intent, are invariably corrupted into anti-democratic behavior", said the Wikileaks announcement.

Wikileaks also recently leaked the censorship list for Thailand, which it claims was also started on the basis of blocking child pornography. That list now blocks over a thousand sites critical of the Thai royal family.

The potential leaking of the list was a regular argument from critics of the Government's filter plan. "This was bound to happen, especially as mandatory filtering would require the list to be distributed to ISPs all around the country", said EFA's Colin Jacobs.

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy told SMH that the leak was "grossly irresponsible" and that the matter may be referred to the federal police. He also said that Australians involved with distributing the list would be at "serious risk of criminal prosecution".

from http://whirlpool.net.au/news/?id=1839&show=replies

[Drop Bear]

Wikileaks! Sounds like a piss after you've been holding on for an hour on a footy trip bus.

[The Big Shrek]

Sounds like a High Court challenge coming up.

[Dogwatcher]

Don't protest too loudly on here, SA Footy might be put on the list

[Gozu]

I've seen the list and as expected even normal consensual porn involving adults is on the list.

[mick]

It will never work, it will only stop those people who are stupid or have very limited knowledge. In China it is possible to circumvent censorship by using external proxy servers, no sooner does the government block one then another opens. Another waste of taxpayers money by the nanny state.

[Q.]

I've seen the list and as expected even normal consensual porn involving adults is on the list.

Even poker sites (that have been linked to in SAFooty's Gambling Forum) are on the blacklist