Archive for December, 2008
List of banned websites in Thailand and Denmark leaked online
This link can be found here.
SECRET lists of websites banned in two countries have been leaked online, as the Federal Government delays a live trial of its controversial internet filtering scheme.
A list of 3863 website addresses banned in Denmark was published yesterday by a whistleblower group and is believed to contain links to illegal material including child pornography.
The department of Broadband Minister Stephen Conroy has previously compared the Government’s filtering plan to “successful” programs in countries including Denmark.
Earlier this week a list of 1203 websites banned in Thailand for political reasons was published by the same group. (more…)
Web filter plan extends further
This page can be found here.
NEWS.com.au
December 22, 2008 04:55pm
In a post on his department’s blog, Senator Conroy today said technology that could filter data sent directly between computers would be tested as part of the upcoming live filtering trial.
“Technology that filters peer-to-peer and BitTorrent traffic does exist and it is anticipated that the effectiveness of this will be tested in the live pilot trial,” Senator Conroy said.
Peer-to-peer file-sharing technology is the most common way for computer users to share video, picture and music files over the internet.
It was previously thought the Government’s filtering plan would be restricted to traffic on the “world wide web” – the channel through which users view websites like news.com.au.
Senator Conroy revealed the plan to trial peer-to-peer filtering technology in a reply to critical comments made on the Digital Economy Future Directions blog launched earlier this month.
The blog was launched to encourage public input on the future of Australia’s digital economy, but has so far been saturated with comments attacking Senator Conroy over the Government’s filtering plan.
Senator Conroy addressed the level of critical feedback in his post and said he had been following discussion of the plan on social networking websites such as Twitter.
“I’m aware that this proposal has attracted significant debate and criticism – on this blog and at other places in the blogosphere,” Senator Conroy said.
“I’m following the debate at sites like Whirlpool and GetUp and on Twitter at #nocleanfeed.”
The filtering scheme has made headlines around the world in the The New York Times and British newspapers and was the target of protests held in major cities across the country earlier this month.
Live pilot trial
A live trial of filtering technology is scheduled to begin this week, but internet service providers have so far been kept in the dark over the details.
Less than a week before the trial was due to begin, participating ISPs Optus and iiNet said they had not been told if their applications had been accepted.
An Optus spokesperson today said the company had still not been notified of the status of its application.
“We still have not received notification about whether or not our proposal has been accepted, however our proposal does not include peer-to-peer filtering,” the spokesperson said.
Comment is being sought from iiNet.
‘Not like China’
Despite announcing the live pilot trial would likely include filtering peer-to-peer traffic, Senator Conroy rejected accusations that the scheme was similar to internet censorship in countries such as China.
“Freedom of speech is fundamentally important in a democratic society and there was never any suggestion that the Australian Government would seek to block political content,” Senator Conroy said.
“In this context, claims that the Government’s policy is analogous to the approach taken by countries such as Iran, China and Saudi Arabia are not justified.”
Senator Conroy said the internet filter would be in-step with existing methods to censor books, films and video games.
“Australian society has always accepted that there is some material which is not acceptable, particularly for children,” he said.
“That is why we have the National Classification Scheme for classifying films, computer games, publications and online content.”
“Australian ISPs are already subject to regulation that prohibits the hosting of certain material based upon the Scheme.
“All the Government is now seeking to do is to examine how technology can assist in filtering internationally-hosted content.”
Links
Senator Conroy’s blog post – http://www.dbcde.gov.au/communications_for_busines…
Amazing turn-outs for Rallies!
Given the weather across the nation was all shades of horrible, from scorching heat to pouring rain (or in Sydney, both!) there were amazing turn outs all over the nation with estimates between 3,000 to 5,000 people reflected in the media.
Numerous guest speakers showed up to support our opposition of censorship, from various political groups, through to industry specific organisations. The support was amazing and much needed for a campaign being run on a shoestring budget opposing a Government which will willingly pour millions of tax payers funds into spin campaigns to avoid media and public scrutiny, or worse (in their opinion) the requisite need for public consultation.
Coverage of the event by all major Australian networks, most papers, online news sites, and even quite a bit of international media coverage and an interview in Rolling Stone magazine will hopefully send a message home to the Government that we, the people of Australia, are not satisfied with an undemocratic enforcement of censorship above and beyond what any rational Australian would ask for.
Our opposition resounded from all capital cities; this is not the answer. The mandatory filter should be shelved and compulsory and enforced censorship should be taken off the table forever in a free and democratic nation like Australia.
We wish to thank all those who volunteered across the country to bring this rally to a head, we have managed to represent an otherwise voiceless minority of well educated internet users who would otherwise remain lurking in blogs or tech columns of the media. We have also managed to educate and inform not just regular Australian’s, but many journalists as to the fact this censorship will also apply to them.
In a nation which already has an abhorrent track record for freedom of the press, this censorship issue will impact their ability to report on stories, or their ability to research; not just journalists, but lawyers, academics, students, et cetera.
It was absolutely heart warming to see so many people stand up and be heard in defence of their liberties and behind all the hard work and sleepless nights that one day and it’s subsequent storm of media coverage and interviews has without a doubt inspired all members of the Digital Liberty Coalition that they are fighting for good people and a good cause; the Government may have infinite resources, but we have infinite time, patience and most of all, the one weapon that they have to dismiss the most–logic–on our side.
Direct Action Rally Locations for Saturday December 13th
CLICK HERE FOR THE PRESS RELEASE
Below is a list of the official rally locations for the December 13th protests, if you have any questions or wish to volunteer please click your state to the upper right or refer to the forums section. All event coordinators can be contacted at -organiser [at] nocensorship.info and all media contact would be preferred through humanresources [at] nocensorship.info. Help us spread the word, click on GET ACTIVE above to find out how!
Brisbane:
13th of December
11am - 3pm
Brisbane Square
FB Attendance List
Sydney:
13th of December
11am-4pm
Town Hall
FB Attendance List
Melbourne:
13th of December
12pm-5pm
State Library
FB Attendance List
Adelaide:
13th of December
12pm - 4pm
Parliament
FB Attendance List
Hobart:
13th of December
11am-1:30pm
Parliament Lawns
FB Attendance List
Perth:
26/11/08 Update:
13th of December
12pm-3:00pm
Stirling Gardens
FB Attendance List
Canberra:
9/12/08 Update:
13th of December
12pm-2:00pm
City Walk (near the fountain outside of Canberra Centre), Civic
FB Attendance List
If this is your first rally, never fear; it’s a good place to start. The most important thing is your comfort, if you’re worn out, overheated and dehydrated you can’t really get a message home to the public about what you’re protesting for. It’s a good idea to dress to the weather, bring water, comfortable shoes, eat before attending and bring a sign! A cheap piece of board plus a stencil kit can yield a pretty nifty message delivery system.
For more tips and tricks on protest angles, check the forums! Got any good advice? Post it there!
Children’s welfare groups slam net filters
This article can be found here.
Asher Moses
December 1, 2008 - 9:21AM
“Support for the Government’s plan to censor the internet has hit rock bottom, with even some children’s welfare groups now saying that that the mandatory filters, aimed squarely at protecting kids, are ineffective and a waste of money.
Live trials of the filters, which will block “illegal” content for all Australian internet users and “inappropriate” adult content on an opt-in basis, are slated to begin by Christmas, despite harsh opposition from the Greens, Opposition, the internet industry, consumers and online rights groups.
Holly Doel-Mackaway, adviser with Save the Children, the largest independent children’s rights agency in the world, said educating kids and parents was the way to empower young people to be safe internet users.
She said the filter scheme was “fundamentally flawed” because it failed to tackle the problem at the source and would inadvertently block legitimate resources. (more…)
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