Live filtering pilot has no success criteria
A Freedom of Information request has revealed that the DBCDE has not set criteria to determine if the live ISP filtering trial is a success. According to FOI assessment documents, the outcomes of the Pilot will inform the Government’s decision on the ISP filtering framework and ‘therefore there are not success criteria’. Here’s a copy...
Mandatory filter will block RC
After being as indecisive as a teenage girl choosing what to wear on prom night, Senator Conroy has settled on what classification category will be banned by under the mandatory filter (the one you can’t opt out of). According to IT News, Conroy’s office stated that ‘mandatory ISP-level filtering will only apply to RC content...
Filter may be voluntary says Conroy
Is Senator Conroy feeling the heat? In response to questions from Senator Minchin during estimates about how the Government would impose mandatory ISP filtering, Senator Conroy said one option is that it could be on a voluntary basis where ISPs could voluntarily agree to introduce it. But wait, isn’t it mandatory? Conroy is a little...
Only 32% of current ACMA blacklist is child abuse material
In response to Senate questions, ACMA admitted this evening that their current blacklist contains only 32% child abuse material. During a Senate Standing Legislation Committee for Environment, Communications & the Arts, they revealed that the list contains 51% refused classification material (which includes child abuse material), meaning the other 49% is rated X18+ or less....
The Chaser’s filter on everything
A screenshot of The Chaser’s War On Everything website:
Cyber-safety and filtering remains well funded in 2009-10 Budget
Funding for the DBCDE’s cyber-safety plan (PDF, page 42) which includes mandatory ISP filtering remains relatively untouched in the latest Federal Budget. Flick to page 22 of the 2009-10 DBCDE PBS 02 Section 1 (PDF, 139.7 kb) and you’ll see filtering remains part of the Government’s plan. Under initiatives continuing from previous years: $125.8 million...
ACMA issues EFA with Link Deletion Notice
ACMA has issued EFA’s webhost a Link Deletion Notice because of an article EFA published on their own website containing a link to an anti-abortion webpage declared prohibited content by the media regulator in January this year. EFA writes: ‘To be clear, EFA published only a link to a page that is hosted overseas and is on ACMA’s prohibited...
Optus will participate in Internet filtering trial
Journalists (and other reliable sources) on Twitter are reporting that Senator Conroy’s office has announced Optus will participate in the DBCDE ISP filtering trial. A media release was emailed from Conroy’s office this afternoon, but has not been published on his site yet. Update (3:42PM): Press release published on minister’s site. Here are excerpts from...
Five things I learned from the Insight episode on filtering
1) Conroy isn’t backpedaling, he’s reengineering rhetoric: He now claims his plan is to block only material which would be classified as Refused Classification (RC). Well ‘almost exclusively’ Refused Classification — In typical Conroy fashion he has left himself a backdoor with enough room to park a Hummer-sized load of as much ‘unwanted’ content as...
Conroy wrong again: Says ACMA blacklist hasn’t been updated, RC illegal
What might be the most bizarre thing to escape Senator Conroy’s mouth during his appearance on Q&A (more so than his technical explanation of how a website hacking took place) was his assurance that under his ministry the ACMA blacklist had not been added to. Possibly realising his mistake, or poor choice of words, he...
PG rated Henson website included on blacklist a ‘technical error’ – Conroy
A website containing artistic photographs taken by Bill Henson and classified PG (Parental Guidance Recommended) by the Australian Classification Board (ACB) was included on the ACMA blacklist by mistake says Senator Stephen Conroy. During his appearance on Q&A Senator Conroy described the mistake as a “technical error” and hinted that if mandatory filtering is introduced,...
Podcast of NewMatilda’s Internet regulation forum online
The always-awesome Peter Black has uploaded an audio recording of the NewMatilda Tangled Web forum held in Brisbane this week. Peter chaired the event at which Senator Ludlam, Nic Suzor and Irene Graham spoke about net censorship in Australia. If you missed my live coverage of the event, you can read it here.
