Aussie censors cause worldwide revision of Fallout 3
Watch out world — The reach of the Australian Classification Board now extends well beyond our sandy shores. The censored Aussie version of Fallout 3 will be the version of the game that is released worldwide. Gaming website Edge has the full details. Here’s what the game’s PR head Peter Hines had to say: Calling...
Sunrise talks Wikipedia censorship
Channel Seven’s Sunrise spoke with Media Studies Professor Karen Brooks this morning about the Wikipedia sex topic uproar. There wasn’t any web bashing or family frothing though as one comes to expect from morning tele. Brooks instead spoke about the importance of supervising children’s Internet use and the need for clear communication between parents and...
Wikiporn? Masturbation images on Wikipedia ‘crosses the line’
Wikipedia has come under fire from some users and child protection advocates because its pages about masturbation and ejaculation also contain ‘graphic’ images and footage (see here and here). Child Wise CEO Bernadette Mcmenamin told News Ltd that while she supports sex education, displaying sexualised images in a freely available online encyclopaedia ‘crosses the line’....
Umbrella’s ‘definitive’ R18+ Deep Throat is censored
Refused-Classification.com draws attention to the fact that Umbrella Entertainment’s R18+ DVD release of the porn classic Deep Throat is censored, despite being marketed as the ‘definitive release.’ Whilst it isn’t edited, all the hardcore sex in this version is zoomed out. Speaking of Umbrella, they also just released Linda Lovelace for President: ‘A makeshift political...
Are our censors deluded?
I just made my first post on NoCensorshipAus (a new collaborative blog) about News Ltd’s puff piece on Australian Classification Board member Alexandra Greene. Greene told the paper that she doesn’t consider her role at the ACB to be that of a censor, she merely informs people about what they are about to watch and...
Censorship events at Brisbane Writers Fest – Free ticket to attend
Heads up Brisbane folk: There’s two censorship related events at this years Brisbane Writers Festival. Firstly the giveaway: Censorship and the Internet is a ‘searching examination of the ways the internet is threatening the rule of some of the planet’s most repressive governments.’ Antony Loewenstein and Annie Guest to host. When: 12:40PM Sunday 21st of...
Collaborative blog about censorship launched
NoCensorshipAus is a new collaborative blog open to anyone wanting to express themselves on matters of censorship. Worth keeping an eye on. Also, remember to check out the NoCensorshipAus YouTube Channel (there’s a condensed version of Salo and Baise-Moi, historical extracts from “The Book that Shook the World”, the Q&A games debate and lots more)....
Should there be a global Internet Bill of Rights?
In November 2007, The Pew Internet & American Life Project surveyed attendees at the second Internet Governance Forum in Rio de Janeiro to find out their views on how governments and other regulators should structure policy about the internet, amongst other things. The results? Respondents indicated strong support for the establishment of a global internet...
WA Greens oppose R18+ game rating, so which party supports it?
UPDATE 01/09/08: The WA greens have confirmed this policy. The WA Greens party will oppose the introduction of an R18+ classification for games if elected in the upcoming Western Australian election. According to WAvotes.org.au, a website run by the Australian Christian Lobby where parties respond to questions likely to be raised by Christian voters, the...
Interview with 2channel founder on website responsibility and crime
Here’s an interesting interview with Hiroyuki Nishimura, the Founder of Japan’s largest online discussion forum 2channel. In it, Nishimura talks about his website’s responsibility in the Akihabara stabbing rampage, the distribution of controversial material online, filtering, and online anonymity. Hiroyuki Nishimura: ‘Is there any evidence that the Internet has led to an increase in crimes?...
NSW Government dropped support for Nine’s Scorched
You’ve probably seen the dodgy previews for Scorched running all week on Channel 9 (or the fake websites). What you might not have known is that the NSW State Government dropped their support for the show before filming back in February. Why? News.com.au reckons it’s because the show’s plot got a little too close for...
