Internet Censorship and Filters

Howdy, March has arrived – University has just started – so it must be time to update my Uni blog.

After today’s Media Democracies lecture about blogging we had a workshop where we began to set up our own blogs. After listening to the ABC ‘Background Briefing’ we learnt about Senator Conroy’s proposed filtering of the internet.

$85.000,000 was spent on the ‘Net Nanny Filter’ used by fewer than 35,000 people. Then Prime Minister Rudd introduced his clean feed filter proposal – compulsory internet censorship for all; his Communications Minister, Conroy has not faced the media about internet filters for over six months.

In addition to proposals to filter pornography, there are suggestions that gambling, euthenasia, anorexia sites and other ‘unwanted and inappropriate material’ could also be banned and subject to a secret blacklist – that is not subject to Freedom of Information laws.

There is plenty of opposition to these censorship proposals. Technically, there are concerns about slowing down our already slow broadband connections to the net. Others share concerns about civil rights issues, about issues that are already covered by legislation.

Bloggers around Australia are voicing their opposition – Why Internet Filtering Won’t Work, is Wrong and Dangerous by Margaret Simons, is one such example. Margaret begins her blog “It won’t work. There it is. Flat out. It won’t work.” Nor should it be allowed to work, because it’s dangerous. and quotes (her friend) David Wright who says:

It does not stop FTP, where one machine holds the files and sends them to individuals on request.

IT does not stop SMTP (good old email).

IT does not stop P2P (Sending directly from one machine to the other).

It does not stop IM (sending over instant messaging like AOL, ICQ, AIM, etc),

IT does not stop IRC (Inter-relay Chat). Think massive chat rooms which can be created for free instantly.

And that list doesn’t include all the options.

Similarly, The Sydney Morning Herald, in its blog, on February 26Web censorship plan heads towards a dead end reported:

The Government’s plan to introduce mandatory internet censorship has effectively been scuttled, following an independent senator’s decision to join the Greens and Opposition in blocking any legislation required to get the scheme started.

The Opposition’s communications spokesman Nick Minchin has this week obtained independent legal advice saying that if the Government is to pursue a mandatory filtering regime “legislation of some sort will almost certainly be required”.