Category: Technology Author : Duncan Riley Posted: October 23, 2008
Tags : australia, conroy, internet censorship
Australia’s ongoing debate over internet censorship has taken an interesting turn, with the Minister in charge of implementing internet censorship attempting to censor a critic of the Government’s proposal.
The Labor Government elected in late 2007 promoted a policy that would make it mandatory for internet service providers to offer a “clean feed” to homes, that blocked content deemed illegal, pornographic and inappropriate. Until recently, Minister Conroy had publicly stated that internet users would be able opt-out of the filter, but in a backflip has since disclosed that the filter will be compulsory, with two levels: one for children, and one for adults. Australia’s strict and sometimes bizarre censorship regime would see online adult games blocked (such as Second Life) because Australia doesn’t offer an R (adult) classification for games, and would also see soft pornography banned online despite being freely available a petrol (gas) stations.
The latest drama was reported by the Fairfax newspapers, who obtained copies of an email, and details of a phone call from the Ministers office directed towards a critic of the Government’s plan.
Mark Newton, an engineer at Australia ISP Internode, has heavily criticized the Government and its filtering policy on popular Australian broadband forum Whirlpool, and went as far as saying that the censorship regime would enable child abuse by ignoring non-web applications which are will not be censored under the plan (the tech behind the censorship plan doesn’t block P2P and chat for example).
The Ministers office wrote to the Internet Industry Association (IIA) board member Carolyn Dalton based on Newton working for Internode, despite his criticism being offered in a personal capacity.
“In your capacity as a board member of the IIA I would like to express my serious concern that a IIA member would be sending out this sort of message. I have also advised [IIA chief executive] Peter Coroneos of my disappointment in this sort of irresponsible behaviour ,”
The email was accompanied by a phone call demanding that the message be passed on to senior Internode management.
As Asher Moses points out in The Age, the irony in the Ministers response is that the Minister himself has constantly branded critics of the censorship plan as being in favor in child pornography.
Although this shouldn’t come as a great surprise, it is none the less unacceptable in a democratic country that a Minister would seek to censor critics who are doing nothing more than exercising their rights to publicly disagree.
Enough is enough. I call on the Minister to resign, or should he not do so, I call on the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, to sack the Minister at the first available opportunity. This abuse of power has no place in a modern, free and democratic society in the 21st century.
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Oct 23, 2008
Here, here!
Oct 23, 2008
third-ed!
Oct 23, 2008
Four'thed!
Oct 24, 2008
Fifthed!
Oct 24, 2008
what a joke this is becoming!
Oct 25, 2008
AUSTRALIA has become the first Western nation to attempt censoring the internet.
The government of the former British Penal Colony has developed an internet filtering system and is refusing to allow its citizens to opt out of it.
Oct 25, 2008
Australian Labor Party is pack of thugs.
Oct 25, 2008
If the Liberal party want to get lots of political points (and become a credible opposition), they should lean on this issue and make Conroy stand up and tell the Australian people what he plans to do. When Conroy says, “not like China”, the opposition would be able to ask, “why not like China? Here are examples”.
Nov 9, 2008
Given that the backflip was exposed not in any official policy update, but extracted (thankfully) against the Minister's wishes by the Senate, his original position and comments, which are the complete opposite of the subsequently revealed one, are in fact known as “lies.” The minister has lied and been caught. Under the Conventions, he *must* resign.
I applaud the Inquisitr for publicly making this call. Under the previous government, this crucial, but unwritten feature of our democracy was all but abandoned, and the nation suffered. Prime Minister Rudd promised us all that the rot ended with his reign. The way foward is clear.
Nov 11, 2008
The minister has also mislead the public (LIED) by stating that the system being considered for Australia is the same as Britain, New Zeland, Canada and Netherlands.
Rudd should sack the minister and appologie for supporting this farce…. or resign himself (yes, I'm serious!)
Not to mention the immense technical infesability of the plan (ever here of encryption?!?!?!?)
It's just a sick joke.
Dec 27, 2008
Australia's Kevin Rudd and his hench men are all COMMUNISTS who want to merge Australia with China for NWO plan to create Asia-Pacific Union, with one government and currency. This is why Rudd has secretly opened the flood gates to let anyone from Asia (China, HKG, Thailand and Korea) in to Australia on extended visa's, and even give citizenship, The internet censorship is so Aussies freedom of speech will be blocked, as all this is taking place.
Time to leave exodus out of Australia NOW.
Dec 27, 2008
You need to sack NWO bumboy Rudd first, as he is pulling the strings, then follow him to his NWO puppet masters (from US & UK). You need to get the word out, before your freedom to do so is taken away.
Dec 27, 2008
I have a sneaking suspicion that Liberal is same same as Labour, they are same party, same ideology, same puppet master, same same, just RED and BLUE ties. See how no one in Opposition (State and Federal) stand up anymore and swing at the other side??!!! WHY???!!!! Coz they all agree, they are same same.
Sad , but true. Too bad Aussies let the DEMOCRATS die….. must be all the apathy and brainwashing of Aussies that the no longer care, about anything, even ther future.
Mar 18, 2009
Here, here! I agree, he should resign and or he should be sacked! I am flabergasted. I feel like this man takes inspiration from the 1950's american senator McCarthy, or worse still some of the dictators we have known in the twentieth centuries. His actions certainly have an eerie echo.
Apr 14, 2009
It seems Conroy actually plans to censor P2P too, if he can find a way to do it, and probably has it in mind to read and censor your e-mail. I mean why would he stop at the internet when he has a chance to censor everything? And all “illegality' will be defined according to archaic “censorship laws” based on some old poll results. We need a new definition of what is acceptable to 'community mores'. If we can have endless referendums for a Republic, why can't we have a new referendum for what is acceptable to Australian morality? It is about time, and hopefully the new poll will be fairly run.