Internet censorship in the lucky country.

[starrkers]

Seems the Australian Government is hell bent on "protecting" us from the horrors of the internet, whether we want it or not.

http://www.smh.com.au/technology/te...-plan-gets-the-green-light-20091215-ktzc.html

http://www.smh.com.au/technology/te...-move-a-smokescreen-expert-20091216-kw7d.html

 

[Karathesexkitten]

hey!
I just posted something about this on the general board.
It's just absolute BS, don't you think?

I can't believe what our government is coming to.

 

[starrkers]

Total and absolute BS, yes.

 

[Dragonlipz]

Sad and lamentable but definitely part of a trend that seeks to 'save us from ourselves'. I wonder if it'll stop all that crap from Nigeria from spamming you folks.
A sidebar comment to all this: My niece is teaching english in the Uighur province in China which has had all contact with the outside world tightly censored for months....She has no phone service outside of local calls and absolutely no internet.....

 

[Karathesexkitten]

No, it doesn't block email spam!

Just RC (refused classification) websites. I think.

Yeah, I know someone in China who is lucky to even get onto facebook once every few months.
So scary. Hope your niece is OK! :S

 

[vrosej10]

Not happy Jan!! I'm a grown up. If I want chicken fucking porn, I should be able to have it!

 

[ishtat]

I was told by a federal public servant that the political target ie. the justification was child pornography but that the Governments real interest was financial in that the real target is the poker and other online betting sites.

Basically Treasury doesn't like on line betting unless they can take a cut of the profits.

As usual the problem with censorship is where does it end.

I think they will float this to see the level of public response and then hopefully they will back off.

 

[TxRad]

After reading both articles I have one question. I understand the need maybe for a blacklist but why does it have to be secret? Secrets cause all sorts of problems from the get go. There should also be some kind of appeals process.

Just some thoughts from across the pond.

 

[vrosej10]

The one thing I have always liked about the USA is freedom of speech. We don't really have that here, but the illusion of it. I violently oppose censorship.

 

[Karathesexkitten]

The one thing I have always liked about the USA is freedom of speech. We don't really have that here, but the illusion of it. I violently oppose censorship.

I do too.
And you're right. This kind of thing probably couldn't happen in America because they're protected by their constitution. We don't have that protection. But I think a lot of the public is under the delusion that we do, and therefore aren't too concerned when the government talks about 'protecting' us from illegal content.
It's a teeny tip of a huge iceberg that could affect the western world as a whole in terms of censorship laws and what the government can get away with.
I'm worried that it'll start at firewalls for 'protection' and bleed out into privacy laws, where the government can monitor what you view.

I posted this on the other thread. But I think this sums it up really well.
http://google-au.blogspot.com/2009/12/our-views-on-mandatory-isp-filtering.html

 

[Vermilion]

Just popping online to say hi to Starrrkers - haven't seen you for ages

Miss you!
x
V

 

[ishtat]

The one thing I have always liked about the USA is freedom of speech. We don't really have that here, but the illusion of it. I violently oppose censorship.

I think that summary is flawed vrosej. In the USA they have constitutional protections with regard to freedom of speech but their predominently commercial media tends in my view to self censor much more because of a fear of offending advertisers and other interest groups.

In Australia we have freedom of speech but we also have archaic and draconian defamation laws, so saying what you think can cost a lot in legal actions. However if you compare the major media the American media is generally much more bland than in OZ.

The USA is a much more overtly religious country than Australia; that tends to temper an awful lot of public comment and whilst they have all sorts of legal rights they don't necessarily translate into everyday realities. At least that was my experience on living there for a number of years.

 

[xssve]

I think that's essentially accurate Ishtat, and censorship laws in America are actually pretty Draconian, dating back to the Comstock era which creates a loophole for censoring anything that crosses state lines, which in the internet era, is everything.

 

[Jenny_Jackson]

Damn it Starrkers. Where you been?

 

[oggbashan]

I'm doomed, doomed I say.

Fetish counts as unacceptable by Aussie standards.

What is a fetish? (Please don't answer that rhetorical question because anything can be considered a fetish by someone)

The academic paper implies that "golden showers" are acceptable for 18+ but not "scat" or "bukkake". Why?

More work for Australian Civil Servants?

Og

 

[CrimsonMaiden]

Starr!! Been wondering where you disappeared to. How's things?

 

[TE999]

Yet another example of how allowing any government too much control over citizen's lives results in the eventual enslavement of the people they are supposed to serve.

 

[vrosej10]

I think that summary is flawed vrosej. In the USA they have constitutional protections with regard to freedom of speech but their predominently commercial media tends in my view to self censor much more because of a fear of offending advertisers and other interest groups.

In Australia we have freedom of speech but we also have archaic and draconian defamation laws, so saying what you think can cost a lot in legal actions. However if you compare the major media the American media is generally much more bland than in OZ.

The USA is a much more overtly religious country than Australia; that tends to temper an awful lot of public comment and whilst they have all sorts of legal rights they don't necessarily translate into everyday realities. At least that was my experience on living there for a number of years.

I will take your word for this because I have no actual experience of the US, I am basing my opinion on a outsiders view. I really detest censorship. I have no problem with the restriction of minors, but adults should be free to choose what they watch. Parenting us doesn't help anything.

 

[Tricialen]

Starr! I've missed you! How are you?