Back to the 50’s – RETROGRESSIVE [Internet] Censorship in Oz - National Mass Media

Back to the 50’s – RETROGRESSIVE [Internet] Censorship in Oz
by Kismo Tuesday, Dec 15 2009, 8:12pm
national / mass media / commentary

It was CLEAR after that now infamous lunch in New York that SPINELESS Kevin Rudd was obligated to his benefactor, Rupert Murdoch, to implement information and data controls to serve the interests of the fading media mogul -- a fossil of a man who is clearly UNABLE to ADJUST to NEW MEDIA paradigms and ADAPT to the times!

Murdoch’s (sure to fail) strategy is of course Orwellian to the extreme -- implement draconian CONTROL policies to prevent peer file sharing, which impact the PROFITS of his entertainment division, and STIFLE, if not eliminate, the DISSENTING FREE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE by censoring “refused classification” (RC) Independent News Media and News/Information Blogs, which have taken a huge percentage of his readership – Independent media has achieved popularity for the simple reason it offers real alternative news and interesting commentary, not the mindless propaganda and diarrhoea that issues from the FOX network!

An early indication of Rudd’s attitudes to OUR DEMOCRATIC FREEDOMS was his OUTRAGEOUS now failed attempt to allow CORPORATE BOSSES to access the PRIVATE emails and PERSONAL data of their employees – the outcry from the public was immediate and loud, the plan was shelved as a result. The point is Rudd clearly identified himself as compliant to minority interests NOT to the people that voted him into – AND WILL NO DOUBT VOTE HIM OUT OF -- Office!

Politicians world-wide are now being targeted by the masses for not representing majority interests – is it unreasonable for people in DEMOCRATIC nations to expect elected governments to serve the interests of the MAJORITY that voted them into Office? People have tired of the transparent machinations of minority interests and the PUPPET leaders that serve them – so it's GOODBYE and good riddance, to spineless KEVIN and his kind!

Previous posts (use search) have covered Conroy’s tortured ‘trials,’ which did not reflect REAL WORLD scenarios; they all proved to be feeble attempts at DECEPTION by the RUDD government.

The original issue/excuse for censorship was child porn, which quickly morphed into (still undefined) “unwanted content” and “peer file sharing” bans – Doh! The jig is up, you scurrilous bastards! The RUSE is exposed as just another pathetic attempt by a fading media mogul to salvage a DYING empire – Murdoch is too old to realise a PARADIGM shift is required not ANTIQUATED measures of control that are guaranteed to fail!

REAL WORLD SOLUTIONS

Voluntary data filtering is and has been an Internet reality for many years; mail servers filter spam; users install spyware filters that block uninvited snooping, virus programs filter malicious software etc. These user discretionary packages rely on signature files that are updated regularly to protect users -- get the picture? Your virus programs have been protecting you for years, NO COMPULSORY DRACONIAN IMPLEMENTATIONS REQUIRED!

People, ADULTS, make their own decisions regarding the choices they make and the protections they CHOOSE to implement in relation to unwanted or malicious software! User discretion works far more effectively than the one-size-fits-all policies of incompetent governments!

THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO NEED FOR RETROGRESSIVE MANDATORY CENSORSHIP/FILTERING of any type whatsoever when tailored software solutions are freely available to cover user needs – THAT SIMPLE!

Fortunately the Oz spirit has not been broken like that of our brow-beaten, paralysed, American cousins. Australians, as any social commentator would inform you, TREASURE their ability to access all available information – AND WOE TO ANYONE STUPID ENOUGH TO IMPLEMENT MANDATORY CENSORSHIP on a nation that has an international reputation for higher education and learning, this ain’t banjo-playing America, Kevin!

Final comment:
Minister Conroy, in very shrill tones, constantly refers to “other countries” that have implemented Internet censorship in defence of his TOTALITARIAN POLICY. The most infamous nation of those is of course COMMUNIST CHINA, where firewalls are constantly breached and people continue to be OPPRESSED by Internet police, give us a break! Well, Mr Conroy, THIS IS AUSTRALIA, MATE; YOU, RUDD AND MURDOCH CAN ALL GO TO HELL!

Rudd’s massive failures to date are numerous and with the addition of the almost universally reviled and UNNECESSARY CENSORSHIP legislation, my DEAD grandmother could easily defeat him at the polls! Goodbye Mr Rudd and as for your Minsters, have a ‘nice’ day, you visionless, Stalinist pricks!

THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT has decided that the land Down Under will become the only Western Democracy to attempt to censor the Internet.

Despite warnings that the government is committing political suicide and the technology will not work, the Rudd government is screaming for the same controls over its citizens as Communist China.

It is insisting that filtering a blacklist of banned sites will be accurate and won't slow down the Internet.

The Communications Minister, Stephen Conroy, said today that he will introduce legislation just before next year's elections to force ISPs to block a government blacklist of "refused classification" (RC) websites for all Australian Internet users.

The website blacklist is a 21st century version of book burning, featuring everything that good decent citizens should not like.

The Australian Government claims its list only includes things like child sex abuse, sexual violence and instructions on crime. However the list will be compiled using a public complaints mechanism, Government censors and URLs provided by 'international agencies'. Of course no one can imagine how anything could go wrong with that!

Conroy said that most good decent cobbers know there is some Internet material that is not acceptable in any civilised society and it is important that all Australians, particularly young children, are protected from this material.

Of course good decent cobbers will be asking the government to tell them what is bad for them and this is where it will all go pear-shaped.

The Government's top-secret list of banned sites was leaked onto the web in March, revealing the scope of the filtering could extend significantly beyond child porn and other bad things.

About half of the sites on the list were not related to child porn and included poker sites, Youtube links, regular gay and straight porn sites, Wikipedia entries, euthanasia sites, fringe religions, fetish sites, Christian sites and bizarrely a tour operator and even a Queensland dentist.

It is starting to look, however, like the Rudd Government's Internet censorship initiatives are being watched closely by other democracies.

While most governments know that they will be accused of being Big Brother if they bring it in they are watching to see if the Aussie control freaks get away with it.

Governments, whatever they may say, love the idea of control. Blighty has happily encouraged the installation of CCTV cameras everywhere despite enormous costs to the taxpayers and the fact that there is no evidence they reduce crime.

Conroy claimed that more than 15 western countries had encouraged or enforced Internet filtering, and there was no reason why Australians should not have similar "protection".

Countries that do filter the Internet include Communist China and North Korea, the Islamic theocracies of Saudi Arabia and Iran, a number of other less than democratic countries in the Middle East and a few tin-pot dictatorships here and there.

'Conway' is also taking a big risk of trying to get the legislation through before the election. No opposition party supports the plan and the Rudd government is not the most popular. Many expected the daft plan to be dropped as too risky.

The fact that it has not been dropped is worrying for everyone in the Western World who has a problem with being told what to do by a government.

What is amusing is that it will only inconvenience those who allow themselves to be blocked. The Chinese government has found that if people are determined enough any filtering of the world wide web can be bypassed.

Paedophiles and terrorists will be the first to get around any Internet filtering. So this means it will only be useful for controlling and monitoring the Australian public.

[Emphasis added.]

Copyright applies.

Topics

Other Press

Cleaves on Disc/Stick