Senator Conroy keeps telling the same old story: It’s not about free speech
Everybody remembers when their granddad would sit them on their knee and enthusiastically recall a crazy story that happened to them in 1939. It was likely a ripper of a yarn. Unfortunately for you, Granddad probably forgot he’d already told you the same story the last fifty times you visited. Senator Conroy is a lot...
You know your argument for filtering falls flat on its face when…
You use any of these same tactics Clive Hamilton used in his opinion article for Australian IT, the Web doesn’t belong to net libertarians. Such as: You need to spend the first 271 words, or 5 paragraphs, brewing up a completely fictional situation involving a boy looking at “weird-looking vaginas”, upskirts and amputees… golden showers,...
Conroy names ISPs in filtering trial, No iiNet or Optus
Senator Conroy has released the names of which ISPs will be participating in round one of his live filtering pilot. They are: Primus Telecommunications Tech 2U (care for a trip back to 1992 anyone?) Webshield (already offers filtered service) OMNIconnect Netforce Highway 1 Optus and iiNet are not in this first round and whether they...
Safer Internet Day 2009 is February 10
School students across the country (anyone know if all school’s participate?) will again take part in Safer Internet Day this year. Organised by ACMA in Australia, Safer Internet Day (SID) is an International event to promote safe and responsible use of the Internet, and unlike some of the Government’s other so called ‘cyber-safety’ initiatives this...
More op-eds from Australian IT ‘super bloggers’ on filtering
As we’ve all noticed, Australian IT’s ‘Super Bloggers‘ aren’t really bloggers, they’re just people writing opinion pieces on filtering. Neither super or new. Nevertheless, I can’t help but imagine Cory Bernardi (who shared his opinion on filtering in Aus IT last Friday) throwing on a spandex green super hero costume and battling Conroy on the...
Bernadette McMenamin’s argument for filtering hinges on one very big ‘if’
Guest opinion article by Sunili Govinnage I’ve always thought that the title of this blog, Somebody Think Of The Children, was mostly a tongue-in-cheek dig at the use of the “child protection” argument by people who oppose freedom of speech but don’t have any logical arguments to defend their view points. I know some of...
Hot tub scene lands Charlie Wilson’s War ‘partial nudity’ sticker
In response to an application from the Minister for Home Affairs (at whose request I wonder), the Classification Review Board has changed the consumer advice for Charlie Wilson’s War from ‘Moderate coarse language and drug references, Violence’ to ‘Moderate coarse language, drug references and violence; partial nudity’. It remains classified M. Classification Review Board Acting...
Classification Review Board reviews Charlie Wilson’s War
The Classification Review Board today undertook a review of the consumer advice for Charlie Wilson’s War starring Tom Hanks. At this stage I don’t know who lodged the application or why (distributor looking for a more lenient rating?), but the ACB PR says the decision and reasons will appear on www.classification.gov.au (not published at time...
Filtering wrap up: Ludlam will push on in February, The Devil Within
Many of us who contacted Senator Ludlam over the last couple of months heard back from the his office today. Nothing stand out in the correspondence, but Ludlam does offer reassurance that he will be pursuing the issue of mandatory ISP filter at Senate Estimates in February and will be back in touch with us...
Wallace Vs Newton: A visual (and humourous) version of the debate
An anonymous person has created a lighthearted visual version of the Jim Wallace and Mark Newton ISP filtering debate broadcast on ABC radio national last week, complete with a horn sound every time Wallace gets his facts wrong or spurts out ‘logically spurious rubbish’. That’s a lot of horn. Watch below:
Filter trial: Gov gives iiNet the cold-shoulder, filter vendors backing small ISPs
According to a news report on SMH this afternoon, iiNet has heard nothing from the Government about their application (lodged December 6) to participate in the next trial of ISP filtering systems. That trial is still yet to start, despite a Christmas wish from Senator Conroy it would begin as early as December 24. Mark...
Summary: Mark Newton Vs Jim Wallace on ABC Radio National net censorship debate
In brief: Despite Mark Newton’s clear explanation of what prohibited content contains, Director of the Australian Christian Lobby Jim Wallace told ABC Radio National listeners that Newton is telling ‘absolute nonsense’ when he says the Government wants to block legal material (yes I spat out my Weet-Bix). Wallace says the only content the Government aims...
