No opt-out of filtered Internet

Policy to be set after trial

Darren Pauli (Computerworld) 13/10/2008 15:10:00

Australians will be unable to opt-out of the government's pending
Internet content filtering scheme, and will instead be placed on a
watered-down blacklist, experts say.

Under the government's $125.8 million Plan for Cyber-Safety, users can
switch between two blacklists which block content inappropriate for
children, and a separate list which blocks illegal material.

Pundits say consumers have been lulled into believing the opt-out
proviso would remove content filtering altogether.

The government will iron-out policy and implementation of the Internet
content filtering software following an upcoming trial of the
technology, according to the Department of Broadband, Communications
and the Digital Economy.

A spokesman for Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said the
filters will be mandatory for all Australians.

“Labor’s plan for cyber-safety will require ISPs to offer a clean feed
Internet service to all homes, schools and public Internet points
accessible by children,” Marshall said.

“The upcoming field pilot of ISP filtering technology will look at
various aspects of filtering, including effectiveness, ease of
circumvention, the impact on internet access speeds and cost.”

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) contacted by Computerworld say
blanket content filtering will cripple Internet speeds because the
technology is not up to scratch.

Online libertarians claim the blacklists could be expanded to censor
material such as euthanasia, drugs and protest.

Internode network engineer Mark Newton said many users falsely believe
the opt-out proviso will remove content filtering.

“Users can opt-out of the 'additional material' blacklist (referred to
in a department press release, which is a list of things unsuitable
for children, but there is no opt-out for 'illegal content'”, Newton
said.

“That is the way the testing was formulated, the way the upcoming live
trials will run, and the way the policy is framed; to believe
otherwise is to believe that a government department would go to the
lengths of declaring that some kind of Internet content is illegal,
then allow an opt-out.

“Illegal is illegal and if there is infrastructure in place to block
it, then it will be required to be blocked — end of story.”

Newton said advisers to Minister Conroy have told ISPs that Internet
content filtering will be mandatory for all users.

The government reported it does not expected to prescribe which
filtering technologies ISPs can use, and will only set blacklists of
filtered content, supplied by the Australia Communications and Media
Authority (ACMA).

EFA chair Dale Clapperton said in a previous article that Internet
content filtering could lead to censorship of drugs, political
dissident and other legal freedoms.

“Once the public has allowed the system to be established, it is much
easier to block other material,” Clapperton said.

According to preliminary trials, the best Internet content filters
would incorrectly block about 10,000 Web pages from one million.

http://techworld.com.au/article/263637/no_opt-_filtered_internet

****

WM
www.critest.com

Webmanager_CritEst wrote:
> No opt-out of filtered Internet
> 
/

Hurray! Does that means Tone willl be filtered?

On Wed, 15 Oct 2008 00:37:34 -0400, Mike Ross 
wrote:

>On Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:54:04 -0700 (PDT), Webmanager_CritEst
> wrote:
>
>>No opt-out of filtered Internet
>>
>>Policy to be set after trial
>>
>>Darren Pauli (Computerworld) 13/10/2008 15:10:00
>>
>>Australians will be unable to opt-out of the government's pending
>>Internet content filtering scheme, and will instead be placed on a
>>watered-down blacklist, experts say.
>
>This is nasty. What the hell is it with Aussies? They seem to be more hardline,
>censorious, and controlling than most other 'Western' nations! Holier-than-thou
>puritanism is alive and well it would seem.
>
>Oh, and .gov.au - free clue: proxies. 
>
>Mike
When the UK proposes a similar scheme they can always turn around and
say well it works in Australia.

D

On Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:54:04 -0700 (PDT), Webmanager_CritEst
 wrote:

>No opt-out of filtered Internet
>
>Policy to be set after trial
>
>Darren Pauli (Computerworld) 13/10/2008 15:10:00
>
>Australians will be unable to opt-out of the government's pending
>Internet content filtering scheme, and will instead be placed on a
>watered-down blacklist, experts say.

This is nasty. What the hell is it with Aussies? They seem to be more hardline,
censorious, and controlling than most other 'Western' nations! Holier-than-thou
puritanism is alive and well it would seem.

Oh, and .gov.au - free clue: proxies. 

Mike
--
http://www.corestore.org
'As I walk along these shores
I am the history within'