Australia to implement mandatory internet censorship | Herald Sun — You can already see where this is headed…political censorship. It’s where it always goes despite the BS.


AUSTRALIA will join China in implementing mandatory censoring of the internet under plans put forward by the Federal Government.

The revelations emerge as US tech giants Google, Microsoft and Yahoo, and a coalition of human rights and other groups unveiled a code of conduct aimed at safeguarding online freedom of speech and privacy. The government has declared it will not let internet users opt out of the proposed national internet filter.

The plan was first created as a way to combat child pronography and adult content, but could be extended to include controversial websites on euthanasia or anorexia. Communications minister Stephen Conroy revealed the mandatory censorship to the Senate estimates committee as the Global Network Initiative, bringing together leading companies, human rights organisations, academics and investors, committed the technology firms to “protect the freedom of expression and privacy rights of their users”.

Mr Conroy said trials were yet to be carried out, but “we are talking about mandatory blocking, where possible, of illegal material.”

The net nanny proposal was originally going to allow Australians who wanted uncensored access to the web the option of contacting their internet service provider to be excluded from the service.

Found by Aric Mackey.




  1. Gasbag says:

    That does it I am moving to New Zealand!

  2. Jägermeister says:

    The Australian Christian Lobby, however, has welcomed the proposals.

    Surprise… surprise… 😛

  3. J says:

    Yeah that is fucked up.

  4. Paddy-O says:

    Thank the Founders for the Bill of Rights and shoot anyone who wants to degrade it.

  5. bill says:

    Just point your SAT dish a little to the EAST… How can they do this technically?

  6. the answer says:

    The Dingos Stole My Internet!!

  7. snh says:

    Censorship will be easily be defeated if passed by the Feds in Oz. Any VPN will bypass it and if you go here http://www.internetfreedom.org These fine folks provide the software and tools to bypass any Gov’t censorship Rudd and his cronies try to put in place. The software already works in China and Iran and other repressive regimes around the world. All Aussies should download the free software while you still have access to it. The way it looks this will be law regardless of what any group or person has to say about it. All Gov’ts including democratic ones are just to afraid of the power of the internet. The only real way to censor the net is to just shut it off to people. Everything else is just a big waste of money and time…….I’m in Oz and not to worried about it really. Although like I said its sounding more and more like a reality here..Cheers.

  8. FRAGaLOT says:

    It’s bad enough they impose a download/upload cap worse than what comcast has put in place, but now this? I guess if you pay more into the monopolistic ISP in Australia you can probably get around this.

  9. Gasbag says:

    brendal you been watching too much of the Simpsons again!

  10. Nimby says:

    So, will they block ALL porn or just ‘roo porn?

    Although I’ve been to Oz a few times, I have to admit ignorance to the governmental systems. Isn’t there a Supreme Court analog in which this overly broad and restrictive legislation could be challenged? I firmly believe, even in the current fascist atmosphere of the USA, such regulation would be summarily dismissed by the courts.

  11. deowll says:

    Give people power and they get a God complex.

  12. snh,

    I’m in Australia too. Thanks for that VPN link – though hopefully we’ll never need it.

    The thing that I’m most worried about (apart from civil liberties, legal content not passing through the filter, and every other problem with this ridiculous proposal) is speed. It’s not as though our internet was fast down here to begin with, but then if ISPs are going to be inspecting *every* packet that comes through them, how much is that going to slow down the internet?

    Surely if the post office searched every single letter that was sent, you’d get your mail much later? The difference here is that more people use the internet than mail letters.

    WTF Rudd…

  13. Bigredcow says:

    This will be worldwide SOON! AKA Internet 2.0

  14. alphgeek says:

    This is for our own good. The government has said that it will protect us not only from pornography but also from other illegal topics such as euthanasia and abortion information, sites that promote the use of harmful drugs like alcohol and sites that promote piracy like the infamous imdb.com.

    Thanks goodness we threw the Howard government out, those permissive deviants.

  15. Jess Hurchist says:

    “The Australian Christian Lobby, however, has welcomed the proposals”

    If I was forced to make a choice Christian sites would be amongst the first I banned.


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