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Australia to get compulsory internet censorship
by Scott Gilbreath ~ October 29th, 2008
Is another Western democracy about to sacrifice freedoms of speech and the press to government nannies?
THE Federal Government is planning to make internet censorship compulsory for all Australians and could ban controversial websites on euthanasia or anorexia.
Australia’s level of net censorship will put it in the same league as countries including China, Cuba, Iran and North Korea, and the Government will not let users opt out of the proposed national internet filter when it is introduced.
The government admits the censorship scheme will not stem the flow of child pornography and other illegal material because it will not cover peer-to-peer file-sharing networks.
This is shaping up like Canada’s gun registry: A complete waste of taxpayer money and government resources. I hope the CRTC doesn’t get any stupid ideas from Australia’s pointless political charade.
h/t: Australian Politics
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October 30th, 2008 at 02:21 PM
[...] WHERE WE’RE HEADED? “No free speech in Australia: The Australian government will now decide what its citizens can and cannot read on the web“.. I’d say we’re luck not to have a Liberal government right now …. [...]
October 31st, 2008 at 06:49 AM
It is with regret that I must inform you that the CRTC is looking into PRECISELY the same kind of “national Internet censorchip”. In fact, Canada precedes Australia in “looking into” the issue. In typical Canadian fashion, of course, it take the Canadian government and/or significantly longer to actually DO anything about is intentions.
Remember that Canada’s alleged “war on child poverty” – declared over three decades ago – has been SO effective that rates of child poverty today are PRECISELY where they were 30 years ago.
I have grave concerns about the direction in which Canadian government and its agencies are headed. My concern is tempered by the knowledge that “things Canadian” move more slowly than molasses flows uphill in December.
October 31st, 2008 at 01:57 PM
I have just read about this and am outraged! If Australia goes down this path, the precedent will be set for other western liberal democracies to follow suit.
I would fear even more for freedoms in “Big Brother” Britain, and elsewhere.