Government to push on with controversial internet filter
The government today signalled that it is to go ahead with its controversial plans for internet filtering in Australia, despite fears that it will dramatically slow down broadband speeds.
Championed by the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy Stephen Conroy, the move will put the onus for filtering on internet service providers such as Telstra, iinet and Optus.
The new cyber-safety measures include:
1. Introduction of mandatory ISP-level filtering of Refused Classification (RC)–rated content.
2. A grants program to encourage the introduction of optional filtering by Internet Service Providers, to block additional content as requested by households.
3. An expansion of the cyber-safety outreach program run by the Australian Communications and Media Authority and the Cyber-Safety Online Helpline – to improve education and awareness of online safety.
On revealing the details of the Enex Test Laboratory report into the pilot trial of Internet Service Provider (ISP)-level filtering, Conroy said:
“We welcome the constructive input of Australia’s four largest ISPs – Telstra, Optus, iiNet and Primus. These companies came forward to help inform the Government’s approach. Between them these ISPs account for more than 80% of internet users in Australia.
The Government has always maintained there is no silver bullet solution to cyber-safety. That is why we have established a comprehensive range of cyber-safety measures, including funding for 91 additional online Australian Federal Police officers and education.
Through a combination of additional resources for education and awareness, mandatory internet filtering of RC-rated content, and optional ISP-level filtering, we have a package that balances safety for families and the benefits of the digital revolution.”
The Government will introduce amendments to the Broadcasting Services Act which will require all ISPs to block RC-rated material hosted on overseas servers.
RC-rated material will encompass child sex abuse content, bestiality, sexual violence including rape, and the detailed instruction of crime or drug use.
The Government said it will also add the specific internet addresses (URLs) of known child abuse material through sharing lists with international agencies.
Meanwhile, the Minister for Home Affairs yesterday announced a public consultation process into whether there should be an R18+ classification category for computer games.
The Government is planning to introduce legislation during the Autumn 2010 parliamentary sittings, which will then be followed by a 12 month implementation process.
“The Government will immediately undertake public consultation with the release today of a discussion paper on additional measures to improve the accountability and transparency of processes that lead to RC-rated material being placed on the RC Content list,” Conroy said.
ACMA will also be allocated funds to enhance the security of the RC Content list and to automate its transmission to ISPs.
For families wishing to have a wider range of material filtered, including possibly X18+ and gambling sites, the Government said it will establish a grants program to encourage ISPs to offer these services on a commercial and optional basis.
Conroy added: “These additional filtering services will help parents to choose what they want filtered without having to download and install software to their home computers.”
The decision comes inspite of a widespread movement against internet censorship in Australia. The Censordyne campaign created for political activism group Get Up! was part of the Mumbrella Readers Choice Awards shortlist for social media campaign of the year.
Created by Fnuky, it aimed to turn internet filtering into a household product in order to galvanise support against it. The campaign launched on July 19 with a single Twitter post by Fake Stephen Conroy, a popular impersonator of the communications minister.
Linkedin
http://bit.ly/MCaLs
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FUCKERS
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Kevin Rudd has almost 900,000 followers on Twitter. If you follow @KevinRuddPM and you oppose Internet Censorship, tweet your disgust then block him on Twitter right now. Let’s cut Rudd’s Twitter followership in half by Friday. That’s a first easy step in stopping this draconian absurdity.
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Conroy you total total utter utter complete fucking fucking moron
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At the risk of saying the same obvious thing for the millionth time…
1) Australia is about to provide the whole planet with its greatest list of reprehensible filth ever. List won’t leak? Nonsense.
2) All those millions of luddite parents in Australia who now think their kids are going to be protected from Cyber baddies, when they are not, are going to have their kids put at increased risk.
3) It won’t work. The simple notion is moronic.
4) At worst it will slow down an already dire broadband network.
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They feed it to us using the common control method – fear, and telling us its to keep our kids safe. Really what they want to do is restrict our access to information.
The current level of communications we are experiencing is contributing to making people more aware of how we can take our power back from the governments and start to make them work better for us.
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I just cannot believe, people can be this stupid. I am really starting to hate our country.
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As an intensive internet user who is already unsatisfied with current internet speeds, to say that I was disappointed by this news is an understatement.
The laws of this country are already homophobic, racist and gender imbalanced enough. Now we are going to have an internet filter along with the likes of China.
If they really go through with this, it will be the last straw for me I’m afraid. I’ll be starting over in another country.
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The great thing about all of this religious or “culty” guff, is that all the sheeple groveling in their steeple, they all have “opinions” about what their deity is “saying” and righteously so, but the deity in the last few thousands of years of “omnipotence”, has never once put in a personal appearance.
You know like if “JC and the Space Cadets” were a rock band – the clueless would have caught on that while the promoters claim that they play in gigs all over the land, but they have never turned up; while the clueless and stupid keep rocking up and buying the tickets.
Losers.
So the same overlording us with more holier than thou drivel, is projected into the area of computer games and internet sites.
Again while people get slaughtered for fun and profit in the movies and the real world, playing computer games doing the same stuff is just not on?
Why?
Am I surprised that the people thrusting their liturgical loins at the censors office for “standards and decency” are not trying to put the shackles on those who choose to have their own autonomous opinions, by declaring them to workers of the devil, sorcery and witches – starting with the jabbings for the devils mark.
Am I even further surprised that this is now extending into the Great Australian Firewall.
Perhaps those who cry loudest are those who look forlornly upon the promises of the bible, such as Ezekiel 23: 21 “whose members were like those of donkeys, and whose emission was like that of stallions.”
I mean who wouldn’t want that or to be getting that?
I mean thank god Conroy is standing up for real Christian family values.
Jesus said in Revelation 2:22-23 “And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.”
So Jesus wants to kill our kids – that’s cool cause it is Jesus.
Timbo says I Timothy 2:11-14 “Let the women learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.”
So all the women ought to keep their traps shut. I mean it’s in the bible – so it must be true right.
And God digs killing pregnant chicks by knifing them and smashing their kids brains out on the ground; so the christians have got this family values stuff down pat: Hosea 13:16 “Samaria shall become desolate; for she hath rebelled against her God: they shall fall by the sword: their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with child shall be ripped up.”
So Conroy and his catholic buddies have got this right – we have to be protected against them out there on the internet and subjugate ourselves to the righteous christians showing us how their god loves us and how we ought to be kissing his ass, on the basis of their say so.
Oh did I mention that the old testament is a scammed copy of the Code of Hammurubi? The King of Babylons state laws – and the first 6 books of the bible are bare faced rip offs of this, just rebranded to a diety instead of the king?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_of_Hammurabi
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F.....murabi.pdf
Yep gotta remember them good old christian family values, the true word of god is the bible… except that getting nailed for copyright and plagarisim wasn’t invented then.
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Tim I think there’s only one thing you can do now.
Start a Mumbrella NZ Jobs board.
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I really don’t care about what government does with security, privacy and other stuffs but if it impacts broadband speed then it will surely piss me off.
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Surely this sort of thing wont fly.
The technology that exists to filter this sort of thing, will be outdone by an anti-filter technology almost immediately
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I just read something about the trials. They found the filter worked but not on P2P content. The government is telling us this filter will keep children safe from pedophiles. The government has also accepted that the networks of these low lives operate in the P2P networks because it is actually already illegal. So what exactly are we being defended from. I so wish they would use this money and energy to tackling the real issues of saving the planet.
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@Jahm Mitt Looks like that ‘Bible’ will be RC pretty quickly. Sounds like a Snuff publication to me
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Amazing considering the government spent 16 million on a firewall for schools, only to have it hacked into by a 15 year old with in 3 hours.
The 15 year old was reported to have said he could have done a better job for 250k.
Ultimately the people they are trying to protect, will most likely bring this idea to its knees.
D
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What is your problem people? What is the matter with entrusting Christian zealots like that lovely Mr Conroy with total control over what you access on the web? It is standard practice in many major countries like Saudi Arabia, Iran, Russia and China and you don’t hear them whining do you? So what if it slows down your access time a little…OK, a lot? Isn’t that a small price to know your children aren’t looking at naughty pictures? I mean, we never did that sort of thing. Censorship and supression of free will were good for us wern’t they? And supression of the list of naughty websites is a good thing too. I mean look at the Haneef situation. If he had actually known what evidence was being used to hold him indefinitely without charge or the right to reply then he might have gotten out of jail a lot earlier and then where would be our protection against those wicked terrorists he was helping ? No, this internet censorship will be a good thing and it will certainly keep you rebellious media types in line. And if Mumbrella doesn’t watch its Ps and Qs it will go straight to the top of that list!
With God’s Love,
Stephen.
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