After being told by an MP that the Parliament House computers wouldn’t let them view his blog, Syd Walker started asking questions about which sites are blocked for parliamentarians.
Internet filter
Sweeping the net: the economies of scale of filtering
The web filtering industry ranges from the innocuous to the ruthless in its quest to censor the internet.
Crikey Says: Sarkozy’s government war on the internet
So as Europe teeters on the brink of another financial crisis, and the US economy struggles to recover amid staggering levels of government debt, what is Nicolas Sarkozy’s priority for the G8 meeting in Deauville?
The internet filter coming to the US — with barely any dissent
A deadlocked US Congress will do what the Australian Labor Party cannot — pass a mandatory ISP-based Internet filter by the end of the year. And the most remarkable thing is almost nobody dissents, writes Harley Dennett.
Will Labor’s internet filter make it harder to protect children?
A new lobbying group has joined the campaign against the government’s proposed mandatory internet filter, arguing it will not only failure to protect kids but might actually make it more difficult to do so.
Conroy: We’ll block 50,000 sites
Stephen Conroy last night warned the Government would consider blocking up to 50,000 websites, before launching an attack on euthanasia websites and Facebook, reports Bernard Keane.
The ALP: wolves in geeks’ clothing
Everyone’s laying into the Coalition for its tech policies (or lack thereof), but the ALP really isn’t much savvier, says Renai LeMay. Its NBN, internet filter, e-health and telco policies have all been very messy.
No sex, no YouTube, no Facebook — Conroy’s still watching you
Stephen Conroy’s controversial internet filter has been placed on the backburner in the hope that it won’t become a major election issue. But stay alert, writes Ross Fitzgerald, the internet filter will come back even more draconian than ever.
How to fix Refused Classification online: start again
Stephen Conroy’s department published the 174 public submissions it received on the oddly Kafkaesque issue of improving the transparency of creating a secret censorship blacklist. It’s clear a whole new system is needed.
The filter smackdown continues — now with added Google controversy
Stephen Conroy’s response on the internet filter didn’t end the debate — in fact, he appears to have opened up some new issues, including one with Google.
Filtering the facts: Conroy slips up when hitting back
Bernard Keane hits back at Broadband Minister Senator Stephen Conroy in their ongoing war over the government’s internet filter and “blacklisted” content.
Taking on China, Google also warms to Australian filter fight
Google will challenge communications minister Stephen Conroy on the effectiveness of the planned filter and his claims that it won’t impact web browsing speed.
Labor Senator Kate Lundy speaks out against mandatory internet censorship
At least one member of the federal government stands opposed to mandatory internet censorship — and she’s prepared to fight for it.
Cunning Conroy makes a weasel move
The feared Great Firewall of Australia, Stephen Conroy’s planned internet filter, will not be implemented until after the next federal election. A cynical move by a government fearing public uproar, writes Duncan Riley.
Send Conroy a lump of coal for Christmas
A new website called The Gift Of Censorship is promising to deliver a bag of coal in a large red sack to Stephen Conroy and for every 1000 complaint letters sent to him through the site.
The swift takedown of stephenconroy.com.au
Just hours after a bit of media publicity, an anti-Stephen Conroy website was pulled down by authorities. Was this a routine domain deregistration or something more sinister?
Reporters Without Borders: Don’t do it, Rudd!
Reporters without Borders is so furious with Stephen Conroy’s planned internet filter that it has penned an open letter to the PM, reports Colin Jacobs — a development which should be alarming to anyone concerned with our image as an open democracy in the world.
Conroy’s filter is bound to fail
The new internet filter will censor those that don’t understand the net. The irony being that young people — whose delicate minds the filter is to protect — get the internet better than most, writes Nina Funnell.
Conroy: Why I’m censoring your internet
As the internet types their uproar over the proposed internet filter, the man behind the plan, Stephen Conroy, writes about why it’s being introduced. To keep the kiddies safe and maintain a civilised society, apparently.
Google: Why we don’t support Conroy’s internet filter
Google is, unsurprisingly, unimpressed by Conroy’s internet filter plans. Access to politically controversial topics for public debate is vital for democracy, says the company’s Head of Policy, Iarla Flynn.
Australia to join ‘enemies of the internet’ such as Syria, North Korea and Iran
Instituting a mandatory filter to achieve what almost all other Western democracies have managed voluntarily would place Australia in a category of its own for a Western democracy, writes Lelia Green.
Net filtering won’t work, so what is Conroy up to?
The government’s net filtering trials conclusively show filtering doesn’t work — so why is the government pursuing it and asking us to trust not just Stephen Conroy but every politician in the future? Ask the parents.
The Internet Filter and the Creatures of the Sea
Featuring the Coconut Carrying Veined Octopus (Amphioctopus marginatus)
Crikey Says: Why the internet filter is just a political stunt
The Conroy-Rudd internet censorship regime has nothing to do with pedophiles or terrorists, and everything to do with building credentials with mainstream voters who have no idea how the internet works.
Australia’s censorship now on line with China, Egypt and Iran?
What is happening to Australian democracy with Stephen Conroy’s Great Firewall of China? Where does that put us in comparison to the rest of the world?
