Main Page | Recent changes | View source | Page history

Printable version | Disclaimers | Privacy policy | Latest revision

Not logged in
Log in | Help
 

Australian Internet Filtering

Revision as of 15:18, 15 February 2009 by Agg (Talk | contribs)

OCAU Discussion:


Latest News Shortcuts:


Highlights:


Contents

About

  • The Government plans to impose mandatory Internet filtering at the Internet Service Provider (ISP) level. There are two lists, a 'child' safe list which filters both illegal content and hardcore pornography; a second which users can 'opt-out' to which only filters unwanted content.
  • Senator Stephen Conroy, the Government Senator responsible for this project has stated that they will also be looking into the possibility of filtering other content that may be illegal in Australia. Which would for example include: euthanasia, abortion, drug-use, etc.
  • Other political parties and members have made their intentions clear to include further content to be banned, such as overseas online gambling, and as suggested by Family First Senator Steve Fielding - hardcore pornography.
  • Mark Newton, a Network Engineer from ISP Internode was the victim of bullying by the Office of Stephen Conroy over his criticisms of the Government's Internet Filtering plans. Conroy's policy advisor Belinda Dennett, sent an email to the Internet Industry Association (IIA) board member Carolyn Dalton stating requesting that Mark Newton rein in his comments over the Government's proposal. This email was accompanied by a phone call demanding that the message be passed onto Senior Internode Management. Mark Newton has made it clear that his comments are his own and do not reflect the opinions of his employer.
  • Senator Conroy accused Senator Ludlam (Greens) of suggesting that people should have access to child pornography when questioning him at committee meeting whether users would truly be able to "opt-out" of the system. 1 2
  • Email, Peer to Peer, Instant messaging, newsgroups and any other custom application protocols are on the ACMA report as things that the Government is also planning to apply the ISP-Level filtering to.
  • Conroy has answered in the Senate at Question Time that the filtering system will block access to "unwanted content". He has avoided answering any questions that Senator Ludlam has directed at him.
  • The filtering trial will begin at the end of 2008. iiNet and Optus have applied to participate in the ISP Level filtering trial, however have maintained they are doing so to prove the inability of the system.
  • At least 10,000 websites would be on the blacklist of the ISP Level filtering trial scheduled for late 2008. It is unknown what is on this list of banned websites, and it is likely that they will not be released at any time in the future.
  • Senator Conroy has been repeatedly questioned on the proposed filtering system by several other Senators from various parties, however has each time failed to answer the actual question directed at him.

Further Information

Misleading Claims

Senator Stephen Conroy has asserted a number of times that the UK, Sweden, Canada and New Zealand have already implemented similar filtering systems with no impact to performance. Mark Newton an engineer from the ISP Internode has outlined that these claims are misleading where these countries are operating filtering systems that are contrary to Senator Conroy's claims.

In the UK the Government is excluded from online censorship by the Communications Act and British Telecom only provides a private voluntary clean feed system to their customers. In Canada eight ISPs run a voluntary parental control tool - there has been no Government intervention for the ISPs to provide this service as there is no legal obligation. A single ISP in Sweden runs an optional blacklist - this system later came under heavy controversy in regards to 'Scope Creep' by the Swedish Police threatening to add the Torrent site The Pirate Bay to the child pornography filter blacklist. New Zealand has no filtering system - an examination of the British Telecom filtering system in the UK was found to only block 10-15% of the targeted restricted material. libertus.net Whirlpool (Mark Newton)

It has also been claimed that users would be able to 'opt-out' of the filtering system when in fact two blacklists would be operating, users who choose to 'opt-out' of the filtering would be still be filtered according to a list of unwanted content. The definition of opt-out has been varied by Stephen Conroy, he has first claimed that it was not possible to opt-out of the filtering system competely, however in a recent comment by Conroy on SkyNews he mentioned that it would be possible to "opt-out" from the cleanfeed. The definition of the cleanfeed at this time possibly meaning the filter list that includes hardcore pornography.

Issues

Social

  • The ACMA Report in June 2008, has shown the Government's interest in applying filtering/blocking to non-web protocols. These include normally considered private/personal methods such as e-mail, instant messaging, newsgroups and other custom defined non-web protocols.
  • The definition of the 'unwanted content' has not yet been determined, however it has been made clear that the Government will seek to ban content that is considered illegal under Australian law. This would include content concerning euthanasia, abortion, suicide, and drugs.
  • In the implementation of the filtering system, it is likely that many parents would become complacent and assume that the "Internet" is then safe for their children to use without supervision which they would otherwise have maintained a careful vigilance over. eg. More parents would allow their children to use computers in their own bedrooms/personal privacy without supervision.
  • In the event that once the filtering system comes into place, it is highly unlikely that the filtering system would be removed from use at all. (Government admitting defeat on filtering solution).
  • No guarantee in future on what content would be restricted or monitored.
  • Through the denying of inappropriate content, information resources that allow the population to educate themselves and create their own unbiased opinions over issues such as abortion, euthanasia or anorexia would be denied.
  • Sufferers of particular social problems would be restricted contact with online support groups (forums, newsgroups, Instant messaging, irc chatrooms). These types of contact currently allow adults/teenagers to seek support or varying opinions from those that would normally be within their everyday real life peer groups.
  • It is not known what will be blocked, and currently there are no plans to define "unwanted content" or the type of content that will be blocked.

Technical

  • Slows the Internet. Performance degradation may be introduced by the filtering systems onto Australia's Internet infrastructure.
    • Even if a user were able to opt-out completely, performance degradation (PPI in the ACMA report) is still present to an extent.
  • The filters are not perfect, not all of the illegal and pornographic content will be censored by the filter.
  • Websites which are not meant to be filtered or blocked, will be mistakenly blocked/filtered.
    • An ISP may receive 100,000 webpage requests per second - under best scenario conditions would mean that 3,000 of those requests would be accidentally blocked (delta filter which however is also not appropriate for large-scale deployment - ACMA report June 2008).
  • Websites which are banned that share a webhost IP address with other websites will result in those other websites being blocked as well.
  • There are currently no filtering systems that support IPv6 - in future the planned filtering systems may be made redundant; or their performance capacities may be different to what has currently been tested so far. This was not considered the ACMA report (June 2008).
  • The ACMA report in June 2008, does not consider future proofing the filtering systems for modern and future Internet connection solutions. It considers 1.5Mbps as an average connection and the live trials to be held at the end of 2008 would limit users to 12Mbps. Current technologies exist for home users to access Internet connections of up to 50Mbps. [1]
  • Filters are currently not able to handle encrypted data, and other non-web protocols. However, 5 out of the 6 filters tested were able to filter HTTPS traffic potentially making all online purchases and banking insecure.

Financial

  • The Internet will become more expensive for the end user. Ongoing maintenance costs of the filter will be passed onto the consumer.
    • Similarly services provided by businesses that utilise the Internet may also be forced to pass the additional costs onto customers or allow it to detract from their profits.
  • Smaller Internet Service Providers (ISPs) may not be able to afford the costs associated with the filtering. Initial setup costs and costs to provide adequate network infrastructure would be comparable to larger ISPs who are more able to provide the necessary funding.
  • ISPs who have already built a 'family friendly' brand around them already offering "clean feed" would be hurt by the Government's duplicitous ISP Level filtering scheme.
    • The product chosen by the Government would extinguish the need for any other filtering products in the Australian market. Companies and businesses who have already spent money on providing filtering solutions for their networking uses would find their chosen product pointless and an unnecessary duplication of infrastructure.
    • Would cause a monopolisation in the Australian market by a single filtering company who owns the product that the Government would select. Any additional filtering would mostly be redundant and performance restrictive.
  • The costs are going to be far beyond what the government has budgeted for. $189M.
  • In the event that a website be blocked (and subsquently added to the blacklist) accidentally, Internet oriented business stand to lose entire days of profits. The same can be said for non-Internet oriented businesses as where they are communicating and advertising to potential and existing customers.
  • Overseas investors are currently unsure what effect the filtering system will have on business with Australia, and what changes may take place in future.

Legal

  • Will hinder Police and cooperative International Police operations in the task of tracking child sexual offenders.
    • Operation Auxin (2004) made use of the current ability to track a specific user's "paths" along international data networks. In terms of escalating technological efforts of both sides of the law, it will force more offenders to utilise methods (eg. encryption) which the policing bodies have no ability to monitor. Mick Keelty, AFP Commissioner has described this as a "silver lining" of the Internet in its ability to help authorities track criminals. [2] [3]
    • Child sex offenders have even used their credit card details to sign up for bait and trap child pornography websites set up by policing authorities.
    • However it should be noted that people who are committing crimes willingly and regularly already know what they are doing is illegal. As such they have already utilised encryption, Peer to Peer and other methods to circumvent detection. This means that ISP Level filtering will have minimal effect on most current offenders.
  • Illegal content is not defined uniformly between the State, Territory and Federal levels. What may be legal in one state/territory, may be banned by the filtering system.
  • Contents of the blacklist (inappropriate material) may be released to the public and would enable offenders access to a list of where to find illegal content (eg. Child pornography). See the leaking of the Danish and Thai censorship lists.
  • Would limit the content of illegal content available to Australians over the Internet. However would never stop such material from being available without being a breach of freedom of expression. (Australian Institute of Criminology)
  • Which party would be to blame should the occasion arise that a business or company would seek compensation for profits lost in the event that their website/IP gets added to the list and becomes inaccessible.

Action against the Government's Plans for Internet Filtering

  • Get in contact with your local members or Senators. (Letter, email, phone call).
  • Spread the word to all your friends and family. Let them know what it is about and what they can do.
  • Join facebook groups.
  • No Clean Feed
  • Contact local and national newspaper outlets. (eg. Herald Sun, Courier Mail, The Age, your local city newspapers, etc)
    • Write Letters to the Editor
  • Contact television and radio productions. (eg. ABC, ACA, TT, 3AW, FoxFM, etc)
  • Contact businesses and companies other than those involved directly in IT. Essentially every industry utilises the Internet in some form in Australia, even farmers.
    • casgeroth has written an excellent letter to contact banks/credit card companies, here.
  • For ideas on where to start try this thread on Whirlpool.
  • Sign the TakingITGlobal online petition
  • Sign the GetUp! online petition.

Responsible Parenting and the Internet - The Right Way

  • Have your child's or family's computer in a visible family space such as the living room. This way they are unlikely to go and seek out inappropriate websites while in plain view of others. (eg. Pornography) This does mean necessarily that the parents will have to actively watch them, for younger teens the chance that they may be caught would be enough of a deterrent from fear that they may get caught.
  • Do not leave young children unattended alone at a computer browsing the Internet.
  • Filtering Software such as Net Nanny will help aid in protecting younger children from accessing unwanted content such as pornography, or graphical violence.
    • Many ISPs are already "family-friendly" and offer their own filtered feeds to help aid parents. Contact your ISP to find out if they support filtering or provide filtering software to install.

Facts

Discussion in Parliament

Media Coverage

Items in italics are related in some manner to internet filtering however not directly to the current Government's plans.

Some duplicates exist due to the nature of the media industry.

2006

  • A study on server based internet filters | Performance Graphs - NetAlert - 2006
  • Giants say no to porn filter trial - AustralianIT - 18 Apr 2006
  • Australia to give away porn-filtering software - CNET - 21 June 2006
  • The senator, the surrogate and the new baby - The Age

2007

  • ISPs give cautious welcome to PM's porn crusade - Ninemsn - 10 Aug 2007
  • Howard's net porn crusade - The Australian - 10 Aug 2007
  • Australia to spend $189 million on anti-porn tech initiative - ars technica - 14 Aug 2007
  • Coonan seeks to censor the Web - The Australian - 20 Sep 2007
  • Labor's plan for cyber safety | Stephen Conroy - ALP (pdf) - Election 2007
  • Conroy announces mandatory internet filters to protect children - ABC - 31 Dec 2007
  • Australian government caught editing Wikipedia - The Age Issues with Government in control of information

Early 2008

  • Australia's plans to filter Internet under fire - The Age - 02 Jan 2008
  • Rudd porn filter fails: experts - AustralianIT - 03 Jan 2008
  • Stephen Conroy wades into child porn net flood - AustralianIT - 08 Jan 2008
  • Web porn software filter a dud - The Age - 17 Feb 2008
  • Costs threaten NetAlert - AustralianIT - 26 Feb 2008
  • Education 'as effective as internet filtering' - News.com.au - 26 Feb 2008
  • !Opinion Piece, ISP Filtering – Stuart Marburg, Managing Director, Netspace - Netspace - Feb 2008
  • Govt sticks to guns on internet porn filters - ABC - 06 Mar 2008
  • The end of the free internet? (Opinion) - ABC - 23 Apr 2008
  • ISPs crucial to child pornography blocks - Australian IT - 29 Jul 2008
  • The slippery slope towards internet censorship continues - Crikey - 21 Sep 2008

13-20 October 2008

  • No opt-out of filtered Internet - Computerworld The Industry Standard - 13 Oct 2008
  • No opt-out of filtered Internet - webwereld (Netherlands) - 14 Oct 2008
  • Australia To Build Great Firewall Down Under - Gizmodo (us) - 16 Oct 2008
  • Interview With Media Contact For Senator the Hon Stephen Conroy Regarding Australian Internet Filter - Tech Wired Australia - 17 Oct 2008
  • Oz watchdogs howl over 'Cyber-Safety' net filter - The Register - 17 Oct 2008
  • Australian Internet Filtering Plan Gets More Ridiculous - Broadband DSLReports.com - 17 Oct 2008
  • Australia embraces web censorship - Global Voices Advocacy - 17 Oct 2008
  • EFA expresses alarm at Government "Internet censorship" - iTWire - 17 Oct 2008
  • Nation-Wide Internet Censorship Proposed For Australia - Slashdot - 17 Oct 2008
  • Australian Tech Could Turn U.S. ISPs into Kiddie Porn Cops - Daily Tech (us)
  • Australia to Censor the Internet - ShortNews - 17 Oct 2008
  • Compulsory Internet filters might be coming to Australia - Fierce CIO - 17 Oct 2008
  • And the Wankley Award goes to ... Conroy's net filtering scheme - Crikey - Oct 17 2008
  • Australia to get mandatory internet filter - Guru3d - 18 Oct 2008
  • Hansard 20/10/08 Committee Transcript - Fingerpuppetmafia aph.gov.au - 20 Oct 2008

23-24 October 2008

  • Australian Government Censorship 'Worse Than Iran' - Slashdot - 23 Oct 2008
  • Australian censorship minister tries to censor critic: time to go Conroy - The Inquisitr - 23 Oct 2008
  • The high price of internet filtering - ABC - 24 Oct 2008
  • Filtering out the fury: how government tried to gag web censor critics - SMH - 24 Oct 2008
  • Read this while you can | Andrew Bolt blog - Herald Sun - 24 Oct 2008
  • Australian Govt's Plan to Censor the Internet is stricter than 'Iran' - Zero Paid
  • Aussie government now censors Web critics - Fudzilla - 24 Oct 2008
  • Govt's internet censor 'stricter than Iran' - LiveNews - 24 Oct 2008
  • 'Appalled' opposition hits back at Conroy's Internet censorship - PC World - 24 Oct 2008
  • Cheap tricks not the right response on internet filtering - Crikey - 24 Oct 2008
  • Aussie govt: Don't criticize our (terrible) 'Net filters - ars technica - 24 Oct 2008

25-27 October 2008

  • Australia trials national net filters - BBC - 25 Oct 2008
  • Australia trials Internet filtering - what happened to person choice? - TECH.BLORGE.com 26 Oct 2008
  • Australian Government Ignoring Problems With Proposed Filters - Slashdot - 26 Oct 2008
  • Let's just file that idea away under naivety - SMH - 27 Oct 2008
  • Net filters may block porn and gambling sites - The Age - 27 Oct 2008
  • SAGE-AU defends right to criticise content filtering - IT News - 27 Oct 2008
  • Who censures the censor? | Simon Hackett - Business Spectator - 27 Oct 2008
  • Conroy filter gag sparks sysadmin rage - ZDNet Australia - 27 Oct 2008
  • Minister under fire: IT Professionals say net filtering won't work - ITWire - 27 Oct 2008
  • Stranglehold on the internet - AdelaideNow - 27 Oct 2008
  • Interview with ‘Bullied’ Network Engineer on Australian Gov’t Net Filters - Network Performance Blog - 27 Oct 2008
  • Australia readies mandatory Internet filter - The Argosy - 27 Oct 2008
  • Filtering out our freedom - Adelaide Now - 27 Oct 2008
  • Australia now wants to ban Internet porn - The Inquirer - 27 Oct 2008
  • Proposed Aussie Bans Generating Heat - Online-Casinos.com - 27 Oct 2008
  • Push to censor online gambling, porn - LiveNews - 27 Oct 2008
  • Australia tries to Silence Web Filter Critics - guru3d (us) - 27 Oct 2008

28 October 2008

  • SAGE-AU defends right to criticise content filtering - CRN Australia
  • Editorial | Freedom of speech depends on the right choices - The Age
  • Australia's Internet filter: could legal content be banned, too? - Ars Technica
  • Greens, independents cautious on Conroy's proposed Internet filters - CommsDay.com
  • New internet filter imposed on all web surfers - Courier mail
  • Freedom of speech depends on the right choices | Editorial - The Age
  • In Conroy’s muddy waters you'll never know what’s being filtered - Linux World (aus)

29 October 2008

30 October 2008

31 October 2008

01 Movember 2008

  • Australia's ISPs Speak Out Against Filtering - Slashdot
  • INTERNET CENSORSHIP: Australia to implement mandatory internet censorship - Global Research (canada)
  • Wilkinson Discusses the Free Speech of Pedophiles - Fora.tv

02 November 2008

03 November 2008

  • How to easily bypass Australia's internet filters for free - SMH (Sydney Morning Herald)
  • Bypass Australia's internet filters for free - iTWire
  • This post contains inappropriate content – you’ve been warned. - PC World
  • Comments, corrections, clarifications, and c*ckups - Crikey
  • Hands off the Internet - Computer World
  • You Have Every Right To Be Angry: The Government Wants To Kill The Internet - Gizmodo
  • Support fades for Australian net censorship - CRN Australia
  • Internet filtering vendors in dash for Australian ISP cash - TelecomTV
  • Australian Web Crawl - Reason.com Hit & Run
  • Support fades for Australian net censorship - PC Authority
  • Hands off the Internet - ARN
  • This post contains inappropriate content – you’ve been warned. - PC World
  • Australian Internet filters have backdoor - PC Authority

04 November 2008

  • Online filtering recognises families' concerns - ABC Anh Nguyen
  • Top 5 reasons to fight government ISP filtering - APC Mag
  • We don't want Stephen Conroy in our bedrooms - Courier Mail
  • Comments, corrections, clarifications, and c*ckup - Crikey
  • Why Clean Feed Internet Plans Are Wrong - Lifehacker
  • America turns left - Examiner.com National Australia's Internet filtering is cited.
  • Colin Jacobs: Filtering at Odds with Broadband Revolution - GetUp
  • Rethink needed on web censorship - Border Watch
  • Online filtering recognises families' concerns - ABC
  • NannyNet Down Under - Wall Street Journal

05 November 2008

06 November 2008

08 November 2008

  • Government uploads hypocrisy with internet censorship - The Age

10 November 2008

11 November 2008

  • Opposition rises to internet filter - The Age Brisbane Times
  • Canberra calls net filter trial - The Australian
  • Too many unanswered questions on net censorship: Greens - Greens|Scott Ludlam
  • Net censorship plan backlash - Sydney Morning Herald
  • Internet censorship pilot to go ahead - Whirlpool
  • Govt urged to provide internet filtering details - ABC
  • Conroy seeks ISPs for filter trial - The Age
  • Conroy calls for filter pilot volunteers - ZDNet
  • Senator Ludlam questions Senator Conroy in the Senate over ISP Level Internet Filtering - Youtube
  • Follow Up Interview With Mark Newton of Internode Re: Australian Internet Filter - Tech Wired Australia
  • Largest Aussie ISP Agrees to "Ridiculous" Net-Filter Trial Slashdot
  • Australian ISPs pan government-mandated 'Net filtering plan - ars technica

12 November 2008

  • Conroy coy on filtered web content - The Australian IT
  • Video: Conroy defends Internet filter - ZDNet
  • Greens accuse Conroy of fudging facts over content filter trials - ComputerWorld
  • Australian government calls for live Internet filter trial - iTWire
  • Australian ISPs pan government-mandated 'Net filtering plan - ars technica
  • Australian ISP Agrees to 'Ridiculous' net-filter trial to prove 'How Stupid It is' - ZeroPaid (us)
  • Aussie ISPs step up campaign against net censorship - Fudzilla
  • Say goodbye to gaydar - MCV
  • Internet filter to block 10,000-plus "unwanted" sites - Courier Mail
  • ISP boss pledges to undermine Great Aussie Firewall: Stupid plan is stupid - The Register (uk)
  • The Internet Is Fighting Back - Same Same
  • AUSTRALIAN MINISTER ASKS ISPS TO GET INVOLVED IN NET NANNY PJT - TCM Net (us)

13 November 2008

14 November 2008

15 November 2008

16 November 2008

  • Sex flirts with politics - Herald Sun
  • The Stasi down under – Oz democracy at risk with information restrictions - Cleaves newswire

17 November 2008

  • Winning the war against Internet censorship - ONLINE opinion
  • Toowoomba shopping centre bans Dr Philip Nitschke - The Chronicle related by the current climate of censorship in the Australian community
  • Why have kids if you don't look after them? - The Age
  • Book burning in the digital age - The Australian

18 November 2008

19 November 2008

  • OpenNet Initiative: Australia’s content filtering “frightening” - ARN
  • ISPs think Conroy is incompetent on Internet filtering: iiNet boss - iTWire
  • Fireside chats in the 21st century - ABC Towards bottom
  • Australian S-x Party going down under - Independent Political Report
  • Reverse censorship psychology Aussie style - The Inquisitr
  • Iran cracks down on internet - Sky Newsarticle shows real world example of the slippery slope of censorship

20 November 2008

21 November 2008

22 November 2008

23 November 2008

24 November 2008

25 November 2008

26 November 2008

27 November 2008

28 November 2008

  • Net filters debated by experts at cyberlaw forum - iTnews
  • If You Hate The Idea Of A Filtered Internet, You Should Probably Sign This... - Gizmodo
  • Kruddiversary: The internet thanks you for 12 months of achieving nothing - Crikey
  • Greens leader slams attempt to censor the Internet - online-casinos.com (denmark)
  • Aussies revolt over government's censorship plans - The Inquirer (uk)
  • Chinese firewall could be erected in Australia - Amnesty International
  • Children's welfare groups slam net filters - Brisbane Times
  • A rational banter on filtering - PC World

29 November 2008

30 November 2008

  • Neutering the net is about repression, not protection - The Age
  • The internet. Does it belong to the Australia Government? - Australia.TO
  • Opposition Grows To Australia Internet Filters - Broadband Reports (us)

01 December 2008

02 December 2008

03 December 2008

  • Young Labor calls for an opt-in system - Ban This Url
  • Senator snoozes through own Bill debate - News.com.au
  • Street protests planned over internet filtering - APCmag
  • The tech year in review - Stuff (new zealand) Fourth section in the article
  • Senator Conroy questioned on ISP Level Filtering in Question Time - (youtube) - techwiredau
  • Australian firewall trials start - BBC (uk)
  • Simon Hackett: Broadband Censorship, Copyright and Complaints | BTalk Australia BNET
  • Aussies Hit the Streets Over Gov't Internet Filters - Slashdot

04 December 2008

  • Anti-content-filtering rebels take to Australia's streets - ComputerWorld (us)
  • Protest over Australian plans to filter websites - Herald Sun
  • Would InternetWatch Actually WORK? - New Matilda
  • Colin Jacobs: Filtering at Odds with Broadband Revolution. - GetUp!

05 December 2008

06 December 2008

  • Rudd's staff quit as 24/7 pace takes its toll - The Age

07 December 2008

  • Britain's "Great Firewall" set to restrict access to Wikipedia - boingboing

08 December 2008

09 December 2008

10 December 2008

11 December 2008

12 December 2008

13 December 2008

  • Digital Liberty Coalition protests against web filter held across Australia - news.com.au
  • Protestors rally against internet censorship - The West
  • IN PICTURES: hundreds protest govt net censorship - APC
  • Brisbane protesters rally against web filter plans - ABC
  • Australia to Test Web Filter to Block Banned Content - New York Times
  • Proposed Web Filter Criticized in Australia - Ocala.com
  • Australian government plans to filter cyber use have been rebuffed by internet service providers - Radio New Zealand
  • Protests make clean-feed Internet a mess for govt - CIO
  • Australia Says No to Internet Censorship - Slashdot
  • FCC cancels meeting for free Internet vote - CNET (us)

14 December 2008

15 December 2008

  • Net filter tipped to spark sex shop boom - Stuff (nz)
  • Australia falls behind on internet safety: ACBC - CathNews Please note the incorrect facts that can be found at Libertus.net, in particular other countries "already" having filtering.
  • Australia to test Internet filtering (read: censorship) this month - CrunchGear (us)
  • Protests make clean-feed Internet a mess for govt - CIO
  • Australia: Reflections from ‘No Clean Feed' rallies - GlobalVoices
  • Oz will test web filter to block banned content - Times of India (india)
  • Andrew Keen: Community self-policing is the way to tackle internet child porn - The Independent (uk)
  • In pictures: Hundreds protest proposed internet filters - iTnews
  • Australia, in piazza contro i filtri - Punto Informatico (italy)
  • Australia to Test Internet Filter to Block Banned Content - Star News
  • Internet filtering scheme 'a waste of money' - news.com.au
  • Oz government told to block malware - Security Watch

16 December 2008

  • Internet filter protesters aim for Canberra - The Australian
  • Australia sees rallies against Internet filtering plan - IT World (us)
  • Protest rally against Australian government plan to censor broadband - BetaNews
  • Australian Bishop: Internet Speed Isn't Everything - Catholics.net
  • Protestors hit the streets over Australian Internet Censorship Proposals - ZeroPaid
  • Internet content filtering – time for the great debate - iTWire

17 December 2008

  • Exclusive: White hat hacker tears apart flaws in Aussie net filtering scheme - BanThisUrl not entirely mainstream media
  • NetAlert filters not given a chance: Webroot - iTnews
  • The lies of the internet censors: Your. Filter. Won't. Work. - Crikey
  • Australian censorship plan opposed - Legalbrief
  • The Australian government e-democracy trial unleashes a blogging flood - Ovum
  • Impact of Net filtering overstated, claims agent - Computer World (nz)
  • Dr Philip Nitschke launches 'flawless' euthanasia device - Adelaide Now Last few paragraphs
  • Aussie net filtering scheme has serious security risks - The Inquirer (uk)

18-19 December 2008

  • Federal Government's Mandatory Internet Filtering Proposal - Netspace - SURVEY HERE
  • Telstra Encouraged to Demonstrate Corporate Responsibility on Internet Filtering - Christian Today
  • Australia's web censorship plan could threaten freedom of speech - The Royal Gazette (Bermuda)
  • Proposed Australian ISP Filters are Security Holes - TweakTown (us)
  • Arts council pulls the wool, hat and trench coat over our eyes - Sydney Morning Herald Brisbane Times
  • Comments, corrections, clarifications, and c*ckups - Crikey
  • The great porn war - Sydney Morning Herald
  • Telstra leads the charge against Oz government's plans to censor the Internet - TelecomTV (uk)
  • Simpsons and sensibility - ABC
  • Why censorship won't work - AdelaideNow
  • Censorship of Internet Resumes in China - Top Tech News (us) Towards the end
  • Beijing blocking some websites again, say experts - Strait Times Australia mentioned around middle
  • Government yet to confirm participants of web filtering trial - news.com.au
  • Aussie System Admin Guild says NO to net filtering - iTWire
  • OK, OK... now online child abuse laws are getting scary - LiveNews
  • Telstra to Aussie Gov’t: We Won’t Filter Internet - VoN (us)

20 December 2008

22 December 2008

  • Internet filtering plan may extend to peer-to-peer traffic, says Stephen Conroy - News.com.au
  • Web filter plan goes further than first thought - Courier Mail
  • Rudd Government's internet filter extended to peer-to-peer - Adelaide Now
  • Internet filter plan may extend further, says Broadband Minister - Herald Sun
  • Conroy expands ISP filter tests to examine P2P and BitTorrent traffic - iTnews
  • Web filter plan extends further - The Australian
  • Minister Conroy on: Promoting a civil and confident society online - DBCDE blog
  • Oz net censorship apparatus to target BitTorrent - The Register (uk)
  • Thailand’s blacklist leaked on the internet - BanThisUrl
  • Security Flaws In Aussie Net Filter Exposed - Slashdot (us)
  • Great Firewall of Australia: What’s not mentioned makes it even more scary - The Inquisitr

23 December 2008

  • Internet censor scheme 'flawed' - The Age
  • Australia, a Country with a Moronic Government, to Block BitTorrent - Gizmodo (us)
  • Australia's Slippery Slope Of Censorship Gets Even Slicker With Plans To Filter Bittorrent - techdirt
  • Internet filters won't work: ISP - ABC
  • Fatal flaws in website censorship plan, says report - Sydney Morning Herald
  • Government rejects negative internet filter report - Courier Mail
  • Aussie web censorship plan flawed - Fudzilla
  • Conroy delays ISP trial of Internet content filters - iTnews
  • Australia's 'Net Filter Plan Gets Worse - Broadband DSLReports (us)
  • Conroy making valiant effort, then mentions BitTorrent - PC Authority
  • Govt report highlights issues with internet censorship plan - TelecomPaper (us)
  • Australia to block all P2P? - AfterDawn
  • Opposition scores win over ISP filter report release? - iTWire
  • Internet Filtering Plan May Extend to P2P - International Business Times
  • Australia's ISP Filtering Pilot Could Affect P2Ps - ExtremeTech (us)
  • Australian Internet "filter" will censor peer-to-peer traffic too - TelecomTV (us)
  • Australian ISPs set to block P2P and Bit Torrent - BroadbandGenie (uk)

24 December 2008

25 December 2008

27 December 2008

28 December 2008

29 December 2008

30/31 December 2008

02 January 2009

04 January 2009

  • Filtering in Oz: Australia's Foray into Internet Censorship by Derek E. Bambauer [Brooklyn Law School, Legal Studies Paper] - Tech News Review

05 January 2009

  • US dumps unpopular internet filter plan - APC
  • Weather too hot for web filter - Herald Sun
  • China vows new crackdown on Google - News.com.au
  • Australian Internet Censorship Plan Meeting Heavy Criticism - Infopackets (us)
  • Internet censorship and the revolt of the masses - Ovum (us)
  • British Police set to step up hacking of home PCs - The Australian IT

06 January 2009

  • Opinion - why Kevin Rudd's internet censorship plan will not work - Adelaide Now

07 January 2009

09 January 2009

  • The world smirks at Conroy's censorship plan - Crikey

10 January 2009

  • Analyst: China Internet move part of global trend - CNN (us) Halfway down the page

12 January 2009

13 January 2009

  • Conroy cans Coonan's free net filtering scheme - iTWire

14 January 2009

  • US prof undermines foundations of Aussie firewall - The Register (uk)
  • Aussie Firewall Meets US Extinguisher - The Escapist
  • Filtering won’t deliver for Aussie kids - EFA
  • Vodafone's Child Porn Filter Blocks Innocent Czech Tech Blogs - Mediashift (us)
  • Global Net Censorship in 2009: For The Children, for the Rightsholders - EFF (us)

15 January 2009

  • Sex and IT unite to stop Australian net censorship - PC World (nz)

16 January 2009

  • Qld police help bust global child porn ring - ABC
  • Aussie cops bust global porn ring - News
  • German Minister Announces Plans for Mandatory Web Filtering - ZeroPaid (us)

19 January 2009

  • Coalition says Labor changing 98% broadband NBN promise - iTWire
  • A chat with Fake Stephen Conroy - ZDNet
  • Conroy presses on with flawed policy - The Australian

22 January 2009

23 January 2009

  • So Conroy's Internet filter won't block political speech, eh? - Crikey

24 January 2009

26 January 2009

  • Government dodges questions on axed NetAlert web filter funding - News.com.au
  • Filtering Filth will not tangle the net - Sydney Morning Herald Writer is Jim Wallace of the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL), as well as report information produced by Clive Hamilton - Both were part of the lobbying groups that originally pushed for the pro-filtering policy.

27 January 2009

28/29 January 2009

  • Who supports compulsory Internet filtering, exactly? - Crikey
  • Filtering won’t deliver for Aussie kids - Online Opinion
  • Comments, corrections, clarifications, and c*ckups - Crikey Last letter.
  • myKP begins unlimited broadband trials - iTnews Eighth last paragraph.
  • ISP Customers Opposed To Net Censorship - lifehacker
  • Netspace customers rail against ISP filtering - Whirlpool
  • Federal Government's Mandatory Internet Filtering Proposal - Netspace
  • Mandatory internet filtering - ABC lifematters (mp3)
  • ISP Level filtering - iiNet
  • ISPs clustered for filtering trials - Australian IT

30 January 2009

03 February 2009

  • Net filter 'will give parents a false sense of security' - ABC
  • Confused filtering policy won't deliver - ABC
  • Christian Lobby: The New Lions Of Clean Feed - New Matilda
  • EFA board member sent death threats from pro-filter lobbyist - Websinthe

05 February 2009

  • Electronic Frontiers Australia member Geordie Guy receives death threat over web filter plan - news.com.au
  • OPINION Bernadette McMenamin: Why Australia needs to trial net filters - The Australian IT

06 February 2009

09 February 2009

10 February 2009

  • How do we make the net a safe place for kids? - The Age
  • Obama could impact Canadian net neutrality laws - Reclaim the Media (us) Last three paragraphs.
  • Conroy touts safer net as critics continue to lambast net filtering - iTWire (us)
  • Education, not filtering, the answer: iiNet - Australian IT
  • "Scrap the internet filter, give the cash to bushfire survivors" - APC

11 February 2009

12 February 2009

  • Web censorship trials to exclude large ISPs - The Age
  • ISP filtering gathers pace - Australian IT
  • ISP filtering not scalable: SAGE - Australian IT
  • Filtering out reality? - ZDNet
  • Big ISPs snub internet filter trial - ABC
  • iPrimus to start filtering in April - ZDNet
  • Internet filtering pilot announced: Six ISPs on board - ARN
  • Six providers enter internet filtering trial - Canberra Times

13 February 2009

Opinion

Polls

Blogs

Groups

Mark Newton | Senator Kate Ellis MN 2

YouTube Videos

Comics

Mention Worthy Quotes

There have been so many relevant quotes that they decided to stop free loading and got their own place.

Australian Internet Filtering(Quotes)

Terminology

Cleanfeed
The term referring to the content that has been fed through an Internet filtering system after it has filtered or blocked content that exists on one of the two blacklists.
ISP
Internet Service Provider
Key word filtering -
Latency
The delay (time) for a packet of data to move across a network connection between one point and another.

People

Anh Nguyen 
2006 Victorian Election candidate for Family First.
Mark Newton 
A network engineer with Australian ISP Internode. He was the victim of the attempts by Senator Conroy's office to silence his criticisms over the Government's ISP Level filtering plan.
Senator Stephen Conroy 
Australian Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy.
Clive Hamilton 
A Charles Sturt Professor of Public Ethics at the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics, ANU. A vocal supporter of mandatory filtering.

Other

Australian Internet Filtering(Newspaper Scorecard)

Chinese Firewall

A piddling offence and much worse - SMH Historical insight into Senator Conroy's political career


[Main Page]
OCAU News
OCAU Forums
PC Database

Main Page
Recent changes
Random page
All pages
Help

View source
Discuss this page
Page history
What links here
Related changes

Special pages