Rudd’s Government About to Implement Operation Big Brother Down Under
Allowing the government to block “unwanted” Internet sites to “protect” you and I should send shivers up and down your spine – especially when the government is not releasing a database of which sites are being blocked. That just reeks of Big Brother. Also, I’m pretty darn sure Obama’s Internet Plumbers are watching this with keen interest…
Internet filter to block 10,000-plus “unwanted” sites
Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson
Nov. 13, 2008 – News.com.au
READERS of The Courier-Mail online have blasted plans for Australia’s mandatory internet filter to block 10,000 websites.
The websites form a blacklist of unspecified “unwanted content”, Broadband Minister Stephen Conroy revealed in Federal Parliament.
The 10,000 blacklisted websites would be blocked in addition to 1300 websites identified by the Australian Communications and Media Authority.
The majority of 225 comments posted to 12.44am yesterday revealing fears of interference from ”Big Brother.”
Britomartis of Camp Hill thundered: ”How can the government be allowed to do this?
”Block content and not tell us what it is!
”The list should be public or they should listen to the people and not go ahead with this at all!”
Johan Zetterlund of Annerley and Jason Davies of Greenslopes said the move seemed more in line with certain authoritarian, communist regimes rather than the ideals of a free nation.
Paul of Carina raged: ”This is typical of a government that thinks it knows better than the people that voted them in and the arrogance of (Prime Minister Kevin) Rudd to think he should impose his morals and ideals on the population!
”This is a communist style of imposition and the dopes that voted Labor into power should wake up to themselves!”
Derek Squire of Redcliffe and Dan of Brisbane said that implementation of the policy would ensure electoral defeat for the Labor government.
Senator Conroy revealed details of the Rudd Government’s proposed web filter as he called for expressions of interest from internet service providers for a live trial of the technology.
As part of the trial, ISPs will test different methods of filtering the web with subscribers who volunteer. The trial is expected to last six weeks and will start before Christmas.
“The pilot will specifically test filtering against the ACMA blacklist of prohibited content, which is mostly child pornography, as well as filtering of other unwanted content,” Senator Conroy told Parliament.
“While the ACMA blacklist is currently around 1300 URLs, the pilot will test against this list as well as filtering for a range of URLs to around 10,000 so that the impacts on network performance of a larger blacklist can be examined.”
ACMA’s laboratory trial of web-filtering technology this year found filtering technology could slow internet access by as much as 87 per cent and by at least 2 per cent.
Electronic Frontiers Australia board member Colin Jacobs says live trials of ISP-based web filters would be rushed, as they were scheduled to occur as internet companies geared down for Christmas.
He said large internet providers such as Telstra and Optus would find it hard to participate, while mid-sized providers might take part in the trial simply to prove the technology “unfeasible”.
Mr Jacobs said the civil liberties group was also concerned at what would be deemed “unwanted content”.
“It is unclear how ACMA will scale up their blacklist to 10,000 websites and what will go on the list,” he said.
“Conroy said the list would contain illegal and unwanted content but we still have to see what would end up on that list.
“Under the current mandate that includes adult material, which would mean most material that could be rated R and, in some circumstances, material rated MA15+.
12 November, 2008 at 10:14 pm
Terrific-once one country starts the BS the others have to follow. It wouldn’t surprise me if this site gets blocked-after all, Doc and Ronin are such awful “islamophobes” and as the UN conference on this topic indicates this is the scourge of humanity dwarfing all other problems. No more Gramfan and Mulla L posting here either then and that would suck. Government no longer serves the people-it oppresses them.
13 November, 2008 at 12:53 am
I for one would subscribe as a volunteer for filtered internet access.
The porn industry has ruined the internet as far as I’m concerned.
It is a sick world when I can’t let my kids on a computer for fear that some porn spammer is spamming for keywords such as ‘German Shepherd dog’ or ‘diamond python’ or ‘fun toy’.
I think my children have a right to surf the net without being targeted and buffeted by degrading filth mongers.
You guys know yourselves the amount of ‘porn spam’ you would have on this website if you didn’t filter it.
13 November, 2008 at 1:11 am
It could be a good thing except I don’t trust the Rudd govt with anything. Are there not software programs that one can buy? I don’t need porn sites etc but I am old enough to decide what I want to see, and it isn’t porn.
I think this is a “thin edge of the wedge” moment. Rudd made promise before the election and this wasn’t one of them. He makes it up as he goes along. And so far I am not impressed.
Then if the Fairness Doctrine comes back where will it lead?
Good piece here mentioning what can happen with controlled media.
http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/11/its_how_you_play_the_game.html
I for one am concerned the Rudd govt and BHO will be in power for a long time.
13 November, 2008 at 3:44 am
I have no objection to a “blacklist” of prohibited content, mainly child porn which is as
far as I know illegal to possess or to view … but, if a certain URL or IP address has
illegal child porn on it, why not prosecute the site operator, rather than block the
site? That would be the approach if they were serious about dealing with child porn
and other “net nasties” like scams & illegal activity, but mission creep will lead in
the direction where a “blacklist” is not enough, and ALL sites will need to be vetted
and registered for inclusion on a “whitelist”, and all internet users will need to be
registered and monitored in all their online activities to ensure that, for example,
they don’t post or view the “islamophobic” content on sites like this.
As Gramfan says, the thin end of the wedge, but ultimately resulting in the
whole pineapple. Oh, and it won’t just be the Rudd Government, it will need
to be a global approach, via treaties and the UN or the like.
13 November, 2008 at 4:25 am
Hmmm…
Rudd did have a meeting with Murdoch before the election and Rudd did get the ’seal of approval’ from Murdoch.
With some of the other conspiracy theories I am reading on the net about the larger conglomerates wanting to monopolize the internet, maybe it wouldn’t be such a surprise if Rudd saw fit to scratch a few backs before the next election.
I mean… it is called ‘politics’ for a reason isn’t it.
13 November, 2008 at 6:07 am
Murdoch is very pragmatic, and he kinda backed Obama although he said Obama would be bad for the economy.
Our Fox site here, SkyNews went so far left before our election that I was amazed.
It’s impossible to sit through their broadcast.
Yes, Mullah. I see it as the whole pineapple also, eventually.
13 November, 2008 at 8:39 am
I do not see the need to withhold the list of blocked sites. If they are going to stiffle the freedoms, at least let the citizens know what specifically is being blocked.
Stating “unwanted content” is much too broad… unwanted by whom?
I am against clowns. Can we block clowns?
13 November, 2008 at 3:25 pm
It is uncanny how the ultra-liberals are the very first to censor. Look at Englandistan, where even thought is now censored, free speech effectively curtailed. This is not liberalism, it is pure and simple communism masquerading as socialism. All power to the worker, who in these systems is the first to get the shaft. A strong sense of nationalism can do much to turn this back, which is why this was the very first to be attacked. Compare Japan with the rest of the world. Low crime, no immigration, they would rather die out as a race than become a mongrel one. Very little poverty, very high education. Little unemployment and a strong economy. Nationalistic and racist to the core, sure formula for success. No hate laws, the prime minister is not ashamed of his history. Practically no laws repressing sexuality, one of the worlds largest producers of pornography yet the people are, compared to the west, remarkably chaste. Somewhere we have taken a wrong turn, it is going to be a long time before we find the road again, it it is not already too late.
13 November, 2008 at 3:42 pm
I have just been looking up the statistics for sex crimes in Japan and the make some very interesting reading, particularly in view of the belief that opening the floodgates of pornography will lead to a massive increase. This is particularly noteworthy in view of the fact that at the same time rapes in Norway and Sweden have quadrupled..
72- pop 107million-4677 rapes-85% conviction rate- 33% juvenile offenders.
95-pop 125million-1500 rapes-95% conviction rate- 9.6% juvenile offenders.
During the same time the murder rate dropped by 40%.
See what modern scientific policing without 3rd world immigration can do.