Australian government pushes to introduce mandatory ISP filtering

Australia: 2009-12-16

Australia joins China, North Korea and Iran by introducing Internet censorship.

The Australian Government has announced it would push ahead with plans for compulsory filtering of the internet using a "secret list" rejecting criticism the measures lack transparency, are easily circumvented and will do little other than strangle free speech.

Blacklisted sites would be determined by an independent classification body via a "public complaint" process, said Communications Minister Stephen Conroy, admitting there was "no silver bullet solution to cyber-safety".

Internet user groups have strongly opposed the plan, saying any such measure would not fully prevent access to illegal content, block access to some legitimate websites and slow down Internet speeds.

Conroy said a seven-month trial had concluded that blocking could be done with negligible impact to connection speeds.

Internet service providers (ISPs) would be offered grants to offer optional additional filters of, for example, X-rated content and gambling sites.

EFA vice president Colin Jacobs criticised the Government's internet filtering report:
"Our sense is that people will be much more worried about the fact that the government will have a secret blacklist that is not very compatible with our status as a democracy and a free society,"
...
"When you're actually looking down at what this filter will accomplish, it actually accomplishes very little for children,"
...
"It damages Australia's reputation as a free and open democracy and as a technologically advanced and savvy 21st century country that understands how the internet works and why a free and open internet is so valuable technologically and democratically."
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"It damages Australia's reputation as a free and open democracy and as a technologically advanced and savvy 21st century country that understands how the internet works and why a free and open internet is so valuable technologically and democratically."

Google has come out in opposition to the Australian Federal Government's push to introduce mandatory ISP filtering. In a post on Google Australia's official blog, the company said the plan raised concerns about censorship.
"At Google we are concerned by the Government's plans to introduce a mandatory filtering regime for Internet Service Providers (ISP) in Australia, the first of its kind amongst Western democracies," the post said.

"Our primary concern is that the scope of content to be filtered is too wide." ... "We have a bias in favour of people's right to free expression," the post said. ... .. "moving to a mandatory ISP filtering regime with a scope that goes well beyond such material is heavy-handed and can raise genuine questions about restrictions on access to information."

Google also said the use of refused classification (RC) as a screening tool could go far beyond restricting illegal content.

"The recent report by Professors Catharine Lumby, Lelia Green and John Hartley - 'Untangling The Net: The Scope of Content Caught By Mandatory Internet Filtering' - has found that a wide scope of content could be prohibited under the proposed filtering regime," the Google post said.

The Shadow Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Tony Smith said yesterday in a press release: "Our concern with Labor’s proposed mandatory filtering plan has always been that it would be both unworkable and ineffective. Those concerns have been consistently advanced by internet service providers and relevant stakeholders over the last two years. "

Oppsition leader, Tony Abbott, seemed to have a somewhat non-specific position in a post on the Liberal party website yesterday: "We are open to proposals provided they achieve their objective without unfortunate side effects."

The Australian Greens dubbed the introduction of the Filter a "thin end of the wedge" for censorship.

The Australian Democrats stated in a press release yesterday: "The Australian Democrats remain opposed to the mandatory clean feed as a waste of tax payers money and a violation of their freedom, as well as establishing a bad precedent for Government control of information."
David Collyer of The Australian Democrats had said in an earlier November press release: "The secret national blacklist of websites exposes us to government abuse in perpetuity: legitimate, legal businesses have already found themselves on it with no recourse or ability to challenge or appeal the decision. The blacklist works only on complaints made to the Government. It is subjective, incomplete and draconian."
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"If the Australian Government awards itself this capability, it exposes itself to irresistible political pressures. For example, the Chinese Government could insist all Falun Gong sites be blocked to Australians. The Rudd Government would cooperate, and we would never know."

on other sites:

Australia's net filter makes world headlines (CRN)

Computer says no: Google slams filter (ABC)

Australia plans Chinese-style internet filtering (Telegraph UK)

Google's - Views on Mandatory ISP Filtering (Google Blog)

Joining China and Iran, Australia to Filter Internet (Fox News)

Joining China and Iran, Australia to Filter Internet (AFP)

We Can’t Allow Senator Conroy’s Internet Filter To Be Decanted. Huxley Was Right, Not Orwell (Dinkum Democrats)

Australia Plans Internet Filter Blocking ‘Obscene’ Content, Criminal Sites (NWOTruth)

Australian government backs internet censorship (Computer Active UK)

Conroy's Clean Feed Won't Block Child P*rn (newmatilda.com)

Great Firewall of Australia (Crikey)

EFA: Filtering 'damages Australia's reputation' (ZDNet)

Senator Conroy's Media Release (Australian Government)

Australian Democrats continue to oppose Labor’s clean feed (Australian Democrats)

Net filter report signals trouble ahead (Australian Greens)

"Our concern with Labor’s proposed mandatory filtering plan has always been that it would be both unworkable and ineffective." (Tony Smith MP - Liberal Party)

Mandatory Internet Filter to Block 95% of Adult Websites (Australian Sex Party)

more reading:

Untangling The Net: The Scope of Content Caught By Mandatory Internet Filtering (UNSW Media Research Centre report)

Net censorship trial report brings more questions than answers (EFA)

Labor’s Mandatory ISP Internet Blocking Plan (EFA 2007)

Save The Net (Get Up)

Twitter: #nocleanfeed

"No Clean Feed" Website