Cannot agree with Geoff more - if it matters, get out there and talk  
to politicians, especially Labor ones. If you local minister isn't  
ALP, find a senator for your state who is.
http://freelancing-gods.com/posts/revisiting_internet_filter_action

-- 
Pat

On 07/01/2009, at 1:22 PM, Geoff McQueen wrote:

>
> Hi everyone,
>
> Things have been a bit quiet on the #nocleanfeed issue for a little
> while, but following on from a prod by @pat to get off my butt and
> register my opposition with my local MP, I made an appointment, and
> today had a really good meeting with Sharon Bird (ALP), my local
> member.
>
> We had a really good chat, and I've taken the time to write up the
> approach/argument I used, as well as make a few notes from the
> conversation at 
> http://www.geoffmcqueen.com/2009/01/07/my-chat-about-nocleanfeed-with-sharon-bird-mp/
>  
> .
>
> If you're against the filter, I suggest you do similar and make an
> appointment to chat with your local MP. They'll be easier to pin down
> in January, and making an articulate argument in person is invaluable
> given the amount of hyperbole flying around in general (on both sides
> of the issue).
>
> Elias is write about the positive effect SiliconBeach has had on this
> debate - now its time to make it personal ;-)
>
> Geoff
>
>
> On Nov 12 2008, 12:33 pm, "Elias Bizannes" <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
>> From: Xenophon, Nick (Senator) <[email protected]>
>> Date: Wed, Nov 12, 2008 at 12:31 PM
>> Subject: RE: The Rudd Filter
>> To: Elias Bizannes <[email protected]>
>>
>>  Dear Elias
>>
>> Thank you for your email to Nick Xenophon regarding the proposed  
>> internet
>> clean feed. Nick shares your concerns that the technology being  
>> advocated by
>> the government may not work. There is a real danger based on trials  
>> of the
>> technology that have been undertaken that banned sites will get  
>> through the
>> filter and sites that were not intended to be banned will be  
>> blocked. He
>> will continue to investigate this matter and decide on what he  
>> believes is
>> the appropriate course of action in due course.
>>
>> I will forward your email to Nick and his advisors for their  
>> information.
>> Thank you for taking the time to write to Nick on this important  
>> issue.
>>
>> Kind Regards
>> *HANNAH WOOLLER*
>> Correspondence Officer for Nick Xenophon
>> Independent Senator for South Australia
>>
>> 212 Grenfell Street
>> ADELAIDE  SA  5000
>> p:  08 8232 1144
>> f:   08 8232 3744
>>
>> The information contained within this email may be confidential and/ 
>> or
>> legally privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, access  
>> to it is
>> unauthorised and any disclosure, copying, distribution or action  
>> taken or
>> omitted to be taken in reliance on it is prohibited and may be  
>> unlawful.
>>
>> *From:* Elias Bizannes [mailto:[email protected]]
>> *Sent:* Monday, 3 November 2008 1:08 AM
>> *To:* Abetz, Eric (Senator); Adams, Judith (Senator); Arbib, Mark  
>> (Senator);
>> Barnett, Guy (Senator); Bernardi, Cory (Senator); Bilyk, Catryna  
>> (Senator);
>> Birmingham, Simon (Senator); Bishop, Mark (Senator); Boswell, Ron  
>> (Senator);
>> Boyce, Sue (Senator); Brandis, George (Senator); Brown, Carol  
>> (Senator);
>> Bushby, David (Senator); Cameron, Doug (Senator); Carr, Kim  
>> (Senator); Cash,
>> Michaelia (Senator); Colbeck, Richard (Senator); Collins, Jacinta  
>> (Senator);
>> Conroy, Stephen (Senator); Coonan, Helen (Senator); Cormann, Mathias
>> (Senator); Crossin, Patricia (Senator); Eggleston, Alan (Senator);  
>> Ellison,
>> Christopher (Senator); Evans, Chris (Senator); Farrell, Don  
>> (Senator);
>> Feeney, David (Senator); Ferguson, Alan (Senator); Fielding, Steve
>> (Senator); Fierravanti-Wells, Concetta (Senator); Fifield, Mitchell
>> (Senator); Fisher, Mary Jo (Senator); Forshaw, Michael (Senator);  
>> Furner,
>> Mark (Senator); Hanson-Young, Sarah (Senator); Heffernan, Bill  
>> (Senator);
>> Hogg, John (Senator); Humphries, Gary (Senator); Hurley, Annette  
>> (Senator);
>> Hutchins, Steve (Senator); Johnston, David (Senator); Joyce, Barnaby
>> (Senator); Kroger, Helen (Senator); Ludlam, Scott (Senator);  
>> Ludwig, Joe
>> (Senator); Lundy, Kate (Senator); Macdonald, Ian (Senator); McEwen,  
>> Anne
>> (Senator); McGauran, Julian (Senator); McLucas, Jan (Senator);  
>> Marshall,
>> Gavin (Senator); Mason, Brett (Senator); Milne, Christine (Senator);
>> Minchin, Nick (Senator); Moore, Claire (Senator); Nash, Fiona  
>> (Senator);
>> O'Brien, Kerry (Senator); Parry, Stephen (Senator); Payne, Marise  
>> (Senator);
>> Polley, Helen (Senator); Ronaldson, Michael (Senator); Ryan, Scott
>> (Senator); Scullion, Nigel (Senator); Sherry, Nick (Senator);  
>> Siewert,
>> Rachel (Senator); Stephens, Ursula (Senator); Sterle, Glenn  
>> (Senator);
>> Troeth, Judith (Senator); Trood, Russell (Senator); Wong, Penelope
>> (Senator); Wortley, Dana (Senator); Xenophon, Nick (Senator);  
>> Faulkner, John
>> (Senator); Brown, Bob (Senator)
>> *Cc:* [email protected]; [email protected];
>> [email protected]; [email protected];  
>> [email protected];
>> [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected];
>> [email protected]; [email protected];  
>> [email protected];
>> [email protected]; [email protected];
>> [email protected]
>> *Subject:* The Rudd Filter
>>
>> Attention: Senators of the Australian parliament
>>
>> With all due respect, I believe my elected representatives as well  
>> as my
>> fellow Australians misunderstand the issue of Internet censorship.  
>> Below I
>> offer my perspective, which I hope can re-position the debate with  
>> a more
>> complete understanding of the issues.
>>
>> The following letter can also be accessed via
>>
>> http://siliconbeachaustralia.org/ruddfilter/http://siliconbeachaustralia.org/ruddfilter/The_Rudd_Filter.pdf
>>  Background
>>
>> The policy of the Australian Labor Party on its Internet filter was  
>> in
>> reaction to the Howard Government's family-based approach which  
>> Labor said
>> was a failure. Then leader of the Opposition, Kim Beazley,  
>> announced in
>> March 2006 <http://www.alp.org.au/media/0306/msloo210.php> (Internet
>> archive<http://web.archive.org/web/20060422120043/http:/www.alp.org.au/media/...
>>  
>> >)
>> that under Labor "all Internet Service Providers will be required  
>> to offer a
>> filtered 'clean feed' Internet service to all households, and to  
>> schools and
>> other public internet points accessible by kids." The same press  
>> release
>> states "Through an opt-out system, adults who still want to view  
>> currently
>> legal content would advise their Internet Service Provider (ISP)  
>> that they
>> want to opt out of the "clean feed", and would then face the same
>> regulations which currently apply."
>>
>> The 2007 Federal election, which was led by Kevin Rudd, announced the
>> election 
>> pledge<http://www.alp.org.au/download/now/labors_plan_for_cyber_safety.pdf 
>> >
>> that
>> "a Rudd Labor Government will require ISPs to offer a 'clean feed'  
>> Internet
>> service to all homes, schools and public Internet points accessible  
>> by
>> children, such as public libraries. Labor's ISP policy will prevent
>> Australian children from accessing any content that has been  
>> identified as
>> prohibited by ACMA, including sites such as those containing child
>> pornography and X-rated material."
>>
>> Following the election, the Minister for Broadband, Communications  
>> and
>> Digital Economy Senator Stephen Conroy in December 2007 clarified  
>> that
>> anyone wanting uncensored access to the Internet will have to opt- 
>> out of the
>> service <http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/12/31/2129471.htm>.
>>
>> In October 2008, the policy had another subtle yet dramatic shift.  
>> When
>> examined by a Senate Estimates committee, Senator Conroy
>> stated<http://scott-ludlam.greensmps.org.au/content/transcript/cybersafety-n...
>>  
>> >
>> that
>> "we are looking at two tiers - mandatory of illegal material and an  
>> option
>> for families to get a clean feed service if they wish." Further,  
>> Conroy
>> mentioned "We would be enforcing the existing laws. If investigated  
>> material
>> is found to be prohibited content then ACMA may order it to be  
>> taken down if
>> it is hosted in Australia. They are the existing laws at the moment."
>>
>> The interpretation of this, which has motivated this paper as well as
>> sparked outrage by Australians nation-wide, is that all Internet  
>> connection
>> points in Australia will be subjected to the filter, with only the  
>> option to
>> opt-out of the Family tier but not the tier that classifies 'illegal
>> material'. While the term "mandatory" has been used as part of the  
>> policy in
>> the past, it has always been used in the context of making it  
>> mandatory for
>> ISP's to offer such as service. It was never used in the context of  
>> it being
>> mandatory for Australians on the Internet, to use it.
>>
>> Not only is this a departure from the Rudd government's election  
>> pledge, but
>> there is little evidence to suggest that it is not truly being
>> representative of the requests from the Australian community.  
>> Senator Conroy
>> has shown evidence of the previous NetAlert policy by the previous
>> government falling far below expectations. According to Conroy, 1.4  
>> million
>> families were expected to download the filter, but many less actually
>> did<http://www.somebodythinkofthechildren.com/ssc-conroy-confirms-commitm... 
>> >.
>> The estimated end usage according to Conroy is just 30,000 -  
>> despite a $22
>> million advertising campaign. The attempt by this government to  
>> pursue this
>> policy therefore, is for its own ideological or political
>> benefit<http://stilgherrian.com/politics/petitions_drove_filtering_policy 
>> >.
>> The Australian people never gave the mandate nor is there evidence to
>> indicate majority support to pursue this agenda. Further, the  
>> government
>> trials to date have shown the technology to be ineffective.
>>
>> On the 27th of October, some 9,000 people had signed a
>> petition<http://petitions.takingitglobal.org/oznetcensorship?signedpetition=14...
>>  
>> >
>> to
>> deny support of a government filter. At the time of writing this  
>> letter on
>> the 2 November, this has now climbed to 13,655 people. The  
>> government's
>> moves are being closely watched by the community and activities are  
>> being
>> planned to respond to the government should this policy continue in  
>> its
>> current direction.
>>
>> I write this to describe the impact such a policy will have if it  
>> goes
>> ahead, to educate the government and the public.
>>
>> Impacts on Australia Context
>>
>> The approach of the government to filtering is one dimensional and  
>> does not
>> take into account the converged world of the Internet. The Internet  
>> has -
>> and will continue to - transform our world. It has become a  
>> utility, to form
>> the backbone of our economy and communications. Fast and wide- 
>> spread access
>> to the Internet has been recognised globally as a priority policy for
>> political and business leaders of the world.
>>
>> The Internet typically allows three broad types of activities. The  
>> first is
>> that of facilitating the exchange of goods and services. The  
>> Internet has
>> become a means of creating a more efficient marketplace, and is  
>> well known
>> to have driven demand in offline selling as
>> well<http://files.shareholder.com/downloads/SCOR/0x0x101467/c60d8600-c8c8-...
>>  
>> >,
>> as it creates better informed consumers to reach richer decision  
>> making. On
>> the other hand, online market places can exist with considerable less
>> overhead - creating a more efficient marketplace than in the  
>> physical world,
>> enabling stronger niche markets through greater connections between  
>> buyers
>> and sellers.
>>
>> The second activity is that of communications. This has enabled a  
>> New Media
>> or Hypermedia of many-to-many communications, with people now  
>> having a new
>> way to communicate and propagate information. The core value of the  
>> World
>> Wide Web can be realised from its founding purpose: created by
>> CERN<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CERN>,
>> it was meant to be a hypertext
>> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypertext> implementation
>> that would allow better knowledge sharing of its global network of
>> scientists. It was such a transformative thing, that the role of  
>> the media
>> has forever changed. For example, newspapers that thrived as  
>> businesses in
>> the Industrial Age, now face challenges to their business models,  
>> as younger
>> generations are preferring to access their information over Internet
>> services which objectively is a more effective way to do
>> so<http://futureexploration.net/fom/2008/07/consumers_want_information_n... 
>> >
>> .
>>
>> A third activity is that of utility. This is a growing area of the  
>> Internet,
>> where it is creating new industries and better ways of doings, now  
>> that we
>> have a global community of people connected to share information. The
>> traditional software industry is being changed into a service
>> model<http://www.scripting.com/disruption/ozzie/TheInternetServicesDisrupti...
>>  
>> >
>> where
>> instead of paying a license, companies offer an annual subscription  
>> to use
>> the software via the browser as platform (as opposed to a PC's  
>> Window's
>> installation as the platform). Cloud computing is a trend pioneered  
>> by
>> Google, and now an area of innovation by other major Internet  
>> companies like
>> Amazon and Microsoft, that will allow people to have their data  
>> portable and
>> accessible anywhere in the world. These are disruptive trends, that  
>> will
>> further embed the Internet into our world.
>>
>> The Internet will be unnecessarily restricted
>>
>> All three of the broad activities described above, will be affected  
>> by a
>> filter.
>>
>> The impact on Markets with analysis-based filters, is that it will  
>> likely
>> block access to sites due to a description used in selling items.
>> Suggestions by Senators have been that hardcore and fetish  
>> pornography be
>> blocked - content that may be illegal for minors to view, but  
>> certainly not
>> illegal for consenting adults. For example, legitimate businesses  
>> that used
>> the web as their shopfront (such as adultshop.com.au), will be  
>> restricted
>> from the general population in their pursuit of recreational  
>> activities. The
>> filter's restriction on information for Australians is thus a  
>> restriction on
>> trade and will impact individuals and their freedoms in their  
>> personal
>> lives.
>>
>> The impact on communications is large. The Internet has created a  
>> new form
>> of media called "social media". Weblogs, wiki's, micro-blogging  
>> services
>> like Twitter, forums like Australian start-up business Tangler and  
>> other
>> forms of social media are likely to have their content - and thus  
>> service -
>> restricted. The free commentary of individuals on these services,  
>> will lead
>> to a censoring and a restriction in the ability to use the  
>> services. "User
>> generated content" is considered a central tenet in the  
>> proliferation of
>> web2.0, yet the application of industrial area controls on the  
>> content
>> businesses now runs into a clash with people's public speech as the  
>> two
>> concepts that were previously distinct in that era, have now merged.
>>
>> Further more, legitimate information services will be blocked with
>> analysis-based filtering due to language that would trigger  
>> filtering. As
>> noted in the ACMA
>> report<http://www.acma.gov.au/webwr/_assets/main/lib310554/isp-level_interne...
>>  
>> >,
>> "the filters performed significantly better when blocking  
>> pornography and
>> other adult content but performed less well when blocking other  
>> types of
>> content". As a case in point, a site containing the word "breast",  
>> would be
>> filtered despite it having legitimate value in providing breast  
>> cancer
>> awareness.
>>
>> Utility services could be adversely affected. The increasing trend of
>> computing 'in the cloud' means that our computing infrastructure will
>> require an efficient and open Internet. A filter will do nothing  
>> but disrupt
>> this, with little ability to achieve the policy goal of preventing  
>> illegal
>> material. As consumers and businesses move to the cloud, critical  
>> functions
>> will be relied on, and any threat in the distribution and under- 
>> realisation
>> of potential speeds, will be a burden on the economy.
>>
>> Common to all three classes above, is the degradation of speeds and  
>> access.
>> The ACMA report claims that all six filters tested scored an 88%
>> effectiveness rate in terms of blocking the content that the  
>> government was
>> hoping would be blocked. It also claims that over-blocking of  
>> acceptable
>> content was 8% for all filters tested, with network degradation not  
>> nearly
>> as big of a problem during these tests as it was during previous  
>> previous
>> trials, when performance degradation ranged from 75-98%. In this  
>> latest
>> test, the ACMA said degradation was down, but
>>
>> The Government has recognised with the
>> legislation<http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/sinodisp/au/legis/cth/bill_em/bsasb...
>>  
>> >
>> it
>> bases its regulatory authority from, that "whilst it takes  
>> seriously its
>> responsibility to provide an effective regime to address the  
>> publication of
>> illegal and offensive material online, it wishes to ensure that  
>> regulation
>> does not place onerous or unjustifiable burdens on industry and  
>> inhibit the
>> development of the online economy."
>>
>> The compliance costs alone will hinder the online economy. ISP's  
>> will need
>> to constantly maintain the latest filtering technologies,  
>> businesses will
>> need to monitor user generated content to ensure their web services  
>> are not
>> automatically filtered and administrative delays to unblock legal  
>> sites will
>> hurt profitability and for some start-up businesses may even kill  
>> them.
>>
>> And that's just for compliance, lets not forget the actual impact  
>> on users.
>> As *Crikey* has reported (Internet filters a success, if success =
>> failure<http://www.crikey.com.au/Politics/20080729-Internet-filters-a-success...
>>  
>> >),
>> even the best filter has a false-positive rate of 3% under ideal lab
>> conditions. Mark Newton (the network engineer who Senator Conroy's  
>> office
>> attacked 
>> recently<http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/10/23/1224351430987.html?page=ful...
>>  
>> >)
>> reckons that for a medium-sized ISP that's 3000 incorrect blocks  
>> *every
>> second*<http://stilgherrian.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/ellis-2008-10-20.pdf
>>  
>> >.
>> Another maths-heavy
>> analysis<http://girtby.net/archives/2008/7/31/bayes-theorem-1-mandatory-filter...
>>  
>> >
>> says
>> that every time that filter blocks something there's an 80% chance  
>> it was
>> wrong.
>>
>> The Policy goal will not be met & will be costly through this  
>> approach
>>
>> The Labor party's election policy
>> document<http://www.alp.org.au/download/now/labors_plan_for_cyber_safety.pdf 
>> >
>> states
>> that Labor's ISP policy will prevent Australian children from  
>> accessing any
>> content that has been identified as prohibited by ACMA, including  
>> sites such
>> as those containing child pornography and X-rated material. Other  
>> than being
>> a useful propaganda device, to my knowledge children and people  
>> generally
>> don't actively seek child pornography, and a filter does nothing to  
>> prevent
>> these offline real-world social networks of paedophiles to restrict  
>> their
>> activities.
>>
>> What the government seems to misunderstand, is that a filter regime  
>> will
>> prove inadequate in achieving any of this, due to the reality of how
>> information gets distributed on the Internet.
>>
>> *[image: Composition of Internet traffic by you.]*
>>
>> *Source:http://www.ipoque.com/userfiles/file/internet_study_2007.pdf*
>>
>> Peer-to-peer networks (P2P), a legal technology that also proves  
>> itself
>> impossible to control or filter, accounts for the majority of  
>> Internet
>> traffic, with figures of between 48% in the Middle East and 80% in  
>> Eastern
>> Europe <http://www.ipoque.com/userfiles/file/ 
>> internet_study_2007.pdf>. As
>> noted earlier, the ACMA trials have confirmed that although they  
>> can block
>> P2P, they cannot actually analyse the content as being illegal.  
>> This is
>> because P2P technologies like torrents are completely decentralised.
>> Individual torrents cannot be identified, and along with encryption
>> technologies, make this type of content impossible to filter or  
>> identify
>> what it is.
>>
>> However, whether blocked or filtered, this is ignoring the fact  
>> that access
>> can be bypassed by individuals who wish to do so.
>> Tor<http://www.torproject.org/> is
>> a network of virtual tunnels, used by people under authoritarian  
>> governments
>> in the world - you can install the free software on a USB stick to  
>> have it
>> working immediately. It is a sophisticated technology that allows  
>> people to
>> bypass restrictions. More significantly, I wish to highlight that  
>> some Tor
>> servers have been used for illegal purposes, including child  
>> pornography and
>> p2p sharing of copyrighted files using the bit torrent protocol. In
>> September 2006, German authorities seized data center equipment  
>> running Tor
>> software <http://yro.slashdot.org/yro/06/09/11/1050215.shtml>  
>> during a child
>> pornography crackdown, although the TOR network managed  
>> toreassemble itself
>> with no impact to its
>> network<http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060911-7709.html>.
>> This technology is but one of many available options for people to  
>> overcome
>> a ISP-level filter.
>>
>> For a filtering approach to be appropriate, it will require not just
>> automated analysis based technology, but human effort to maintain the
>> censorship of the content. An expatriate Australian in China claims
>> that a staff
>> of 30,000 are employed by the Golden Shield
>> Project<http://dedlog.blogspot.com/2008/10/internet-censorship-recurring-nigh...
>>  
>> >
>> (the
>> official name for the Great Firewall) to select what to block along  
>> with
>> whatever algorithm they use to automatically block sites. With  
>> legitimate
>> online activities being blocked through automated software, it will  
>> require
>> a beefed up ACMA to handle support from the public to investigate and
>> unblock websites that are legitimate. Given the amount of false  
>> positives
>> proven in the ACMA trials, this is not to be taken likely, and  
>> could cost
>> hundreds of millions of dollars in direct taxpayers money and  
>> billions in
>> opportunity cost for the online economy.
>>
>> Inappropriate government regulation
>>
>> The governments approach to regulating the Internet has been one
>> dimensional, by regarding content online with the same type that was
>> produced by the mass media in the Industrial Era. The Information Age
>> recognises content not as a one-to-many broadcast, but individuals
>> communicating. Applying these previous-era provisions is actually a
>> restraint beyond traditional publishing.
>>
>> Regulation of the Internet is provided under the *Broadcasting  
>> Services
>> Amendment (Online Services) Act 1999 (Commonwealth)*. Schedule Five  
>> and
>> seven of the amendment claim the goal is to:
>>
>>    - Provide a means of addressing complaints about certain  
>> Internet content
>>    - Restrict access to certain Internet content that is likely to  
>> cause
>>    offense to a reasonable adult
>>    - Protect children from exposure to Internet content that is  
>> unsuitable
>>    for them
>>
>> Mandatory restricting access can disrupt freedom of expression  
>> under Article
>> 19 of the*International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights* and  
>> disrupt
>> fair trade of services under the Trade Practices Act.
>>
>> It is wrong for the government to take the view of mandating  
>> restricted
>> access, but instead should allow consumers that option to  
>> participate in a
>> system that protects them. To allow a government to interpret what a
>> "reasonable adult" would think is too subjective for it to be  
>> appropriate
>> that a faceless authority regulates, over the ability for an  
>> individual
>> adult to determine for themselves.
>>
>> The Internet is not just content in the communications sense, but  
>> also in
>> the market and utility sense. Restricting access to services, which  
>> may be
>> done inappropriately due to proven weaknesses in filtering  
>> technology, would
>> result in
>>
>>    - reduced consumer information about goods and services.  
>> Consumers will
>>    have less information due to sites incorrectly blocked
>>    - violation of the WTO's cardinal principles - the "national  
>> treatment"
>>    principle<http://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/whatis_e/tif_e/fact2_e.htm 
>> >,
>>    which requires that imported goods and services be treated the  
>> same as those
>>    produced locally.
>>    - preventing or hindering competition under the interpretation  
>> of section
>>    4G of th*e Trade Practices Act*. This means online businesses  
>> will be
>>    disadvantaged from physical world shops, even if they create more
>>    accountability by allowing consumer discussion on forums that  
>> may trigger
>>    the filter due to consumers freedom of expression.
>>
>> Solution: an opt-in ISP filter that is optional for Australians
>>
>> Senator Conroy's crusade in the name of child pornography is not  
>> the issue.
>> The issue, in addition to the points raised above, is that mandatory
>> restricting access to information, is by nature a political process.
>> If the Australian
>> Family Association <http://www.family.org.au/> writes an article  
>> criticising
>> homosexuals <http://www.family.org.au/Journals/2003/challenge.htm>,  
>> is this
>> grounds to have the content illegal to access and
>> communicate<http://defendingscoundrels.com/2008/10/conroy-misleads-the-senate-on-...
>>  
>> >
>> as
>> it 
>> incitesdiscrimination<http://www.humanrights.gov.au/about/legislation/index.html
>>  
>> >?
>> Perhaps the Catholic Church should have its website banned because of
>> theirstance
>> on homosexuality? <http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p3s2c2a6.htm#2357>
>>
>> If the Liberals win the next election because the Rudd government  
>> was voted
>> out due to pushing ahead with this filtering policy, and the  
>> Coalition
>> repeat recent history by controlling both houses of government -  
>> what will
>> stop them from banning access to the Labor party's website?
>>
>> Of course, these examples sound far fetched but they also sounded far
>> fetched in another vibrant democracy called the Weimar
>> Republic<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weimar_Republic>.
>> What I wish to highlight is that pushing ahead with this approach to
>> regulating the Internet is a dangerous precedent that cannot be  
>> downplayed.
>> Australians should have the ability to access the Internet with  
>> government
>> warnings and guidance on content that may cause offence to the  
>> reasonable
>> person. The government should also persecute people creating and
>> distributing information like child pornography that universally is  
>> agreed
>> by society as a bad thing. But to mandate restricted access to  
>> information
>> on the Internet, based on expensive imperfect technology that can  
>> be routed
>> around, is a Brave New World that will not be tolerated by the  
>> broader
>> electorate once they realise their individual freedoms are being  
>> restricted.
>>
>> This system of ISP filtering should not be mandatory for all  
>> Australians to
>> use. Neither should it be an opt-out system by default. Individuals  
>> should
>> have the right to opt-into a system like this, if there are  
>> children using
>> the Internet connection or a household wishes to censor their  
>> Internet
>> experience. To mandatory force all Australians to experience the  
>> Internet
>> only if under Government sanction, is a mistake of the highest  
>> levels. It
>> technologically cannot be assured, and it poses a genuine threat to  
>> our
>> democracy.
>>
>> If the Ministry <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Truth>  
>> under
>> Senator Conroy does not understand my concerns by responding with a  
>> template
>> answer six months
>> later<http://Liako.Biz/2008/07/internet-censorship-in-australia/>,
>> and clearly showing inadequate industry consultation despite my  
>> request,
>> perhaps Chairman Rudd can step in. I recognise with the looming  
>> financial
>> recession, we need to look for ways to prop up our export markets.  
>> However
>> developing in-house expertise at restricting the population that  
>> would set
>> precedent to the rest of the Western world, is something that's  
>> funny in a
>> nervous type of laughter kind of way.
>>
>> Like many others in the industry, I wish to help the government to  
>> develop a
>> solution that protects children. But ultimately, I hope our elected
>> representatives can understand the importance of this potential  
>> policy. I
>> also hope they are aware anger exists in the governments actions to  
>> date,
>> and whilst democracy can be slow to act, when it hits, it hits hard.
>>
>> Kind regards,
>>
>> Elias Bizannes
>>
>> ----
>>
>> Postal address: 201 Sussex St, Sydney 2011
>>
>> Telephone: (02) 8266 1473
>>
>> Mobile: +61412 338 508
>>
>> E-mail: elias.bizannes at gmail dot com
>>
>> Elias Bizannes works for a professional services firm and is a  
>> Chartered
>> Accountant. He is a champion of the Australian Internet industry  
>> through the
>> Silicon Beach Australia community and also currently serves as Vice- 
>> Chair of
>> the DataPortability Project. The opinions of this letter reflect  
>> his own as
>> an individual (and not his employer) with perspective developed in
>> consultation with the Australian industry.
>>
>> This letter may be republished freely. HTML
>> version<http://siliconbeachaustralia.org/ruddfilter/index.html>
>>  and PDF 
>> version<http://siliconbeachaustralia.org/ruddfilter/The_Rudd_Filter.pdf 
>> >
>>  version.
>>
>> --
>> Elias Bizanneshttp://liako.biz
> >


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