Update 6:40PM May 6: Ticket is still available. I can’t make it down to Sydney next week as planned, so my ticket to IQ2 Oz’s Governments should not censor the Internet debate to be held at Angel Place (Tuesday May 11 at 6:30PM) is up for grabs. The only catch is I’d like the winner to write a brief review of the event to be published on this blog. If that sounds like you, email me your details and I’ll express post the ticket.
Speaking against net censorship is journo and author Antony Loewenstein, Google’s Ross LaJeunesse and David Marr. For is Professor and Associate Dean of Law at Flinders University, Elizabeth Handsley, Beijing-based columnist Kaiser Kuo and Alastair MacGibbon, founder of the Internet Safety Institute and Managing Partner of internet consultancy the Surete Group.
When I bought the ticket back in January Senator Conroy was set to speak. Unfortunately, he’s pulled out (for whatever reason). Nevertheless, there’s still a great range of range of high-profile and knowledgeable speakers so I’m sure it’ll be interesting
Event details:
Governments should not censor the internet
May 11, 6:30PM
City Recital Hall Angel Place
2-12 Angel Place
SydneyArchitects of the internet have championed its promise as an instrument of liberty – a free-wheeling republic in which the ordinary person can bypass the gatekeepers of power and influence.
Beneath the shiny towers of liberty electronic sewers run thick with child pornography, terrorist propaganda, racial hatred, crazy conspiracies and other products of the grimy denizens of the internet’s underworld.
Some governments think that they should protect us from what they deem to be harmful to the common weal.
Can we not be trusted to care for ourselves? And if not, then will censorship inevitably shut out the light along with the dark?
It is important that audience members are seated by 6.35pm as the event will be screened live.
You can also buy yourself a ticket here.
4 comments
Bob Bain says:
May 6, 2010
I have had a ticket for quite some time and may (if I feel inclined) write a review.
It should be noted that Kaiser Kuo (who seemingly caused Melinda Tankard Reist to withdraw from the debate – refer archived news items on SOTC) will be on ABC TV’s Q&A on Monday 10th. together with Brendan O’Connor (“Minister for Censorship” in the Federal Australian Labor Governement) and Helen Razer together with others with an interest in Internet Censorship.
Q&A Monday 10 May, 2010
The future of the internet…
The panel includes: Helen Razer, Brett Solomon, Kaiser Kuo, Brendan O’Connor and Sophie Mirabella
It could well be that extracts from the Q&A program will appear on the nocensorshipaus YouTube channel unless the participants digress from the issue of censorship (which seems unlikely).
Bob
Bob Bain says:
May 12, 2010
At the end of this debate a poll was taken with 70.5% for the motion that the government should not censor the Internet 24% against the notion and 5.5% undecided.
David Marr pitched his address to the Prime Minister noting that the moment a government decides to block content is the moment they become responsible for blocking content and made the point that a year after the filter is in place he could well be facing Tony Abbott screaming why certain content is still to be found when the government decreed it would be blocked.
There was no support for the Mandatory ISP cleanfeed plan of the Rudd Labor Government on the “Against” the motion side. Kaiser Kuo noted that he was an outsider and as such knows very little about the Australian Government’s plan but he had a gut feeling that if he were to examine it closely he could well be arguing on the “For” side of the fence. The “Against” side were arguing only that the government should be involved in regulating cyberspace to a certain extent but only to a limited extent.
I understand there either be extracts next Tuesday on ABC1 at 11 am and perhaps the full debate on Wednesday.
For those in Sydney there will be a Greens forum on Internet censorship with Senator Scott Ludliam, NSW Greens MP Lee Rhiannon and Antony Loewenstein at the Gaelic Club 64 Devonshire Street Surry Hills NSW (near Sydney Central Railway Station) on Wednesday 7th. July at 6pm.
Bob
Bob Bain says:
May 13, 2010
Official results from twitter…
http://twitter.com/iq2oz/status/13898502925
Bob
Bob Bain says:
May 15, 2010
The debate is now available as a download in either mp4 (video) or mp3 (audio) formats via:
http://www.abc.net.au/tv/fora/stories/2010/05/14/2900037.htm
Highlight required item, right click and “Save As” in Microsoft Internet Explorer.
Bob