Filtering wrap up: Background Briefing’s filtering report, Stephen Fry and Scott Ludlam
March 15, 2009 – 8:04 pmACMA’s decision to issue Whirlpool’s host Bulletproof Networks with a link take-down notice last week was big news and rightfully so. If the Rudd government is already attempting to censor free speech, it doesn’t take much to imagine the severe consequences of having a mandatory filter in place.
However, it wasn’t the only net filtering news worth noting.
Radio National’s Background Briefing piece on filtering is now available to listen to here. Wendy Carlisle’s report is in my opinion the most in depth media piece to date. She speaks with the AFP, Irene Graham, Senator Cory Bernardi and a number of others. Naturally, Senator Conroy declined to take part and Jim Wallace hopes the filter causes the sex industry go broke. I recommend listening in full.
Meanwhile, Senator Scott Ludlam is alarmed that Australia has joined South Korea in being placed under surveillance by Reporters without Borders for imposing anti-democratic internet restrictions. That Reporters without Borders report is here.
Libertus.net now includes research about what methods the Government have, or may have, for implementing compulsory ISP-level filtering. Covered is legislation, legislative instruments and non-legislative means.
To other side of the globe and UK actor and comedian Stephen Fry says there are slums, red light districts and really sleazy areas on the Internet where you wouldn’t want your children wandering alone. Too right.
Fry says what you don’t need is a huge authority or a series of identity cards and police escorts to take you round the city because you can’t be trusted to do it yourself or for your children to do it.
And I think people must understand that about the internet – it is a new city, it’s a virtual city and there will be parts of it of course that they dislike, but you don’t pull down London because it’s got a red light district. – Fry
5 Responses to “Filtering wrap up: Background Briefing’s filtering report, Stephen Fry and Scott Ludlam”
I didn’t really think of Stephen Fry as a net libertarian before I saw his GNU speech. The man became more awesome than Chuck Norris in my eyes from that point on
By Steve on Mar 16, 2009
Thanks for pointing out the Stephen Fry thing. He’s on my list of favourite ever people, but I missed that bit.
By Simon on Mar 16, 2009
“Fry says what you don’t need is a huge authority or a series of identity cards and police escorts to take you round the city because you can’t be trusted…. da da !”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/4987415/All-travel-plans-to-be-tracked-by-Government.html
14th. March 2009
All travel plans to be tracked by Government
The travel plans and personal details of every holidaymaker, business traveller and day-tripper who leaves Britain are to be tracked by the Government, the Daily Telegraph can disclose.
The full extent of the impact of the government’s “e-borders” scheme emerged amid warnings that passengers face increased congestion as air, rail and ferry companies introduce some of the changes over the Easter holidays.
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This is what it was like under the former Soviet Union – which I visited in the days when the United Kingdom was considered a free country. The United Kingdom is (IMHO) no longer a “free country” and is becoming increasingly totalitarian.
I raised this point in answer to a question raised at the Penrith Human Rights Forum when it was asked if Australia can be considered to be a “free country” and remarked that compared to the United Kingdom it can be considered to be so (relatively speaking)..
Jim Wallace forgot in ABC address to mention a third mob of stirrers regarding the proposed filtering apart from “civil libertarians” and “the sex industry” and that is the group he represents – “The God Squad”.
Bob
By Bob Bain on Mar 16, 2009
“ACMA’s decision to issue Whirlpool’s host Bulletproof Networks with a link take-down notice last week was big news and rightfully so. If the Rudd government is already attempting to censor free speech, it doesn’t take much to imagine the severe consequences of having a mandatory filter in place.”
The government is censoring free speech already. You might remember Mark Newton criticizing the government for labeling opponents pro-child pornographers. Conroy did not like his comment and sent his secretary to do all the talking for him. If Australia was similar to China, then Mark would have been in jail by now.
“Radio National’s Background Briefing piece on filtering is now available to listen to here. Wendy Carlisle’s report is in my opinion the most in depth media piece to date.”
I agree. I just listened to it today, and it was very informative and is a “must listen” to anyone who is not familiar with Labor’s plan. I don’t think the part regarding the Digital Economy blog was correct. As far as I know, Conroy decided to make the filter mandatory even before the blog was created. Wendy also did not describe the methods of which filters can be bypassed. Still, I think that the ABC did a good job at discussing the filter in detail.
By Glenn on Mar 16, 2009