Australia Moves to Censor the Internet

Iria · Dec 31, 2007, 07:21 PM

Source: Tech-Ex
________
Australian Telecommunications Minister Stephen Conroy today announced a requirement for ISPs to provide a "clean feed" for all homes, schools and any public PCs accessible by children. This follows up on a pre-election Nov. 19th Labor Party press release which first announced a proposed Cyber-safety plan.

BlueMak · Dec 31, 2007, 07:33 PM

Smells like adolf.

Matth · Jan 1, 2008, 06:25 PM

Censors are bad, as they invariably go wrong. While censoring child porn, illegal in ANY civilized juristiction, is something few would disagree with, the methods are so flawed as to be close to unworkable.

The most common problems with Internet censorship are:
1. False positives, most common being innocuous sites that happen to share a server with something objectionable.
2. Poor targeting, without considering context.
3. Open bias - mock the filtering and many web filter companies will see you blacklisted for ever.
4. False negatives - filtering is inherently reactive, though maybe the only GOOD filtering is of material of unmitigated offensiveness that cannot be taken down.
5. Performance
6. Evasion

BlueMak · Jan 2, 2008, 05:28 AM

Those are some good points. I am against any censoring even if it worked 100%, 100% of the time. Let people choose what they are going to do, and if they break the law, deal with it if you can. Or else it is like placing bars 2 meters high all over the city so that you cannot cross the street at any point other than approved points.
Or don't sell chewing gum because you might throw it away on the pavement, etc.

Dec 31, 2007, 07:21 PM	#1
Iria DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 7,275 Rep Power: 87	Australia Moves to Censor the Internet Source: Tech-Ex ________ Australian Telecommunications Minister Stephen Conroy today announced a requirement for ISPs to provide a "clean feed" for all homes, schools and any public PCs accessible by children. This follows up on a pre-election Nov. 19th Labor Party press release which first announced a proposed Cyber-safety plan.

Dec 31, 2007, 07:33 PM	#2
BlueMak HH's Asteroids' Dominator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Hellas->Macedonia->Thessaloniki Posts: 13,242 Rep Power: 326 System Specs	Smells like adolf. __________________ The people who are regarded as moral luminaries are those who forego ordinary pleasures themselves and find compensation in interfering with the pleasures of others(Bertrand Russell)"You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil,You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." - Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis This is slavery, not to speak one's thought. [Euripides-The Phoenician Women (c.411-409 B.C.)] http://www.macedonia.info/FALLACIESANDFACTS.htm *Sic semper tyrannis.*

Jan 1, 2008, 06:25 PM	#3
Matth Flash Banner Hater Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: UK Posts: 3,409 Rep Power: 91 System Specs	Censors are bad, as they invariably go wrong. While censoring child porn, illegal in ANY civilized juristiction, is something few would disagree with, the methods are so flawed as to be close to unworkable. The most common problems with Internet censorship are: 1. False positives, most common being innocuous sites that happen to share a server with something objectionable. 2. Poor targeting, without considering context. 3. Open bias - mock the filtering and many web filter companies will see you blacklisted for ever. 4. False negatives - filtering is inherently reactive, though maybe the only GOOD filtering is of material of unmitigated offensiveness that cannot be taken down. 5. Performance 6. Evasion __________________ Mary had a little lamb, Her father shot it dead Now Mary takes her lamb to school, Between two crusts of bread

Jan 2, 2008, 05:28 AM	#4
BlueMak HH's Asteroids' Dominator Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Hellas->Macedonia->Thessaloniki Posts: 13,242 Rep Power: 326 System Specs	Those are some good points. I am against any censoring even if it worked 100%, 100% of the time. Let people choose what they are going to do, and if they break the law, deal with it if you can. Or else it is like placing bars 2 meters high all over the city so that you cannot cross the street at any point other than approved points. Or don't sell chewing gum because you might throw it away on the pavement, etc. __________________ The people who are regarded as moral luminaries are those who forego ordinary pleasures themselves and find compensation in interfering with the pleasures of others(Bertrand Russell)"You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil,You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them." - Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis This is slavery, not to speak one's thought. [Euripides-The Phoenician Women (c.411-409 B.C.)] http://www.macedonia.info/FALLACIESANDFACTS.htm *Sic semper tyrannis.*