tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27431831453019852082024-02-20T05:21:32.246-08:00LogoCopLogoCophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17966703988310550401noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2743183145301985208.post-56637573501163451672011-03-16T20:48:00.000-07:002011-03-16T21:12:38.307-07:00Back in the saddle (or one foot in the stirrups at least)So, this blog is kind of reactivated, but not really. I started it back in March 2010 as a requirement for <a href="http://sydney.edu.au/courses/?uos=1&uos_sef_id=ARIN6902_Internet_Standards_and_Politics_741">a course I was doing</a> as part of my <a href="http://sydney.edu.au/courses/?detail=1&course_sef_id=Master_of_Media_Practice_132">Masters of Media Practice</a>. Now I'm doing <a href="http://sydney.edu.au/courses/?uos=1&uos_sef_id=MECO6925_Online_Journalism_5834">another course</a> for my Masters, where contributing to a <a href="http://meco6925.blogspot.com/">student blog on online journalism</a> is a requirement for assessment. I'm using this old blogger account to contribute to that, so I don't have to set up another one.<div><br /></div><div>Blogging is being taught in this course as an entry point to online journalism, which I think is an excellent idea. In a nutshell, maintaining a blog teaches you a lot about the front-end and back-end of online content production.</div><div><br /></div><div>But the idea of maintaining a blog of my own has no personal appeal. For starters, I write all day at work about stuff that I'm interested in and passionate about (thank god), so doing the same in my free time feels a bit redundant, especially when there is so much else to do in our short but rich little lives.</div><div><br /></div><div>Secondly, the effort level is just way too high, especially when micro-blogging on <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/Davidsam5">Twitter</a> is so much more succinct and immediate. And I run Twitter through <a href="http://www.rockmelt.com/">RockMelt</a>, so it is built into the edge of the browser and I don't even need to open a new tab to participate. Facebook functionality is also built in to RockMelt, so I have all the Facebook feeds I want to keep up with in the browser edge too, as well as some news sites etc. - between Facebook posts and tweets, I'm doing more than enough 'web logging'...</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm part of the team that manages my work's <a href="http://www.facebook.com/sydneyuni">Facebook</a> and <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/Sydney_Uni">Twitter</a> pages too, and I probably spend more time managing those pages than I do my own. Either way, FB and Twitter are where to find me, not here.</div>LogoCophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17966703988310550401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2743183145301985208.post-74978387291657003582010-05-09T23:23:00.000-07:002010-05-10T00:03:34.747-07:00The Internet filter double bill!<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 14px; font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:11px;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFF00;"><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Consolas"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#999999;">From the 'Open Internet for Australia' Facebook page today:</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Consolas; min-height: 15.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#999999;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Consolas"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#999999;">On ABC1 this evening both <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/">Four Corners</a> and <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/tv/qanda/">Q&A</a> will focus on the Australian Government’s policy to introduce mandatory ISP-level Internet filtering.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Consolas; min-height: 15.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#999999;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Consolas"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#999999;">On Four Corners, reporter Quentin McDermott will examine the filter in a story called "<a href="http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/content/2010/s2893505.htm">Access Denied</a>":</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Consolas; min-height: 15.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#999999;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Consolas"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#999999;">A story that reveals how an apparently well meaning attempt by government to protect children from video nasties on the net turned into a policy that critics say promotes censorship and reduces personal freedom.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Consolas; min-height: 15.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#999999;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Consolas"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#999999;">This follows a story today on the SMH about the true political motivations for the MISP filter:</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Consolas; min-height: 15.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#999999;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Consolas"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#999999;"><a href="http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/government-tries-to-net-votes-in-howards-domain-20100504-u4im.html">Government tries to net votes in Howard’s domain</a>:</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Consolas; min-height: 15.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#999999;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Consolas"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FF9900;">The Rudd government’s internet filter has always been a kind of policy duck - flapping on the surface, quacking all the right things but with lots more happening underneath in the murky waters. It seems like a repeat of just the kind of expensive and more than likely ineffective policy that will create controversy in the future for the Rudd government. However obvious to the rest of us, it looks like Labor may have not got the memo. Reports are that Communications Minister Stephen Conroy is only delaying the fight over the filter until after the election where it might be in a better position to spin it their way and have no electoral repercussions. But with the obvious problems with the policy ahead, wouldn’t it just be better to ‘‘do an ETS’’ and cut their losses?</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Consolas; min-height: 15.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#999999;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Consolas"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#999999;">I asked this question in class a few weeks ago - if the research shows that the filter will clearly not do what the Government intends to set it up for, then what is the real reason they're pushing to set it up? Far from accepting any conspiracy theories about censorship and control, I've always suspected that it is simple politics. The MISP filter was seen as a relatively easy win with the electorate, especially when you frame the question as, "do you want to restrict access to child pornography?". But its not about winning points with the electorate, its about shoring up support with within the Labor factions and Family First.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Consolas; min-height: 15.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#999999;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Consolas"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#999999;">Now its off the agenda till <a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/rudd-retreats-on-passing-web-filter-legislation/story-e6frgakx-1225859630452">after the election</a>, so the Government clearly misjudged the public reaction. Thanks to widespread media coverage on the inherent flaws of the MISP, coupled with the activism of protest movements such as <a href="http://www.efa.org.au/">Electronic Frontiers Australia</a> and the <a href="http://www.pirateparty.org.au/">Pirate Party</a>, its fair to say that the general public have moved beyond the Government's black and white positioning of the proposal.</span></p></span></div></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 14px;font-size:11px;"><p></p></span></span></div>LogoCophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17966703988310550401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2743183145301985208.post-51374598222016004822010-04-29T16:51:00.000-07:002010-04-29T16:53:18.254-07:00Rudd retreats on web filter legislationLooks like the MISP is on the back burner (how many back burners does Rudd have? Clearly he owns a Big Stove) till after the election:<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/rudd-retreats-on-passing-web-filter-legislation/story-e6frgakx-1225859630452">http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/rudd-retreats-on-passing-web-filter-legislation/story-e6frgakx-1225859630452</a></div>LogoCophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17966703988310550401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2743183145301985208.post-20365658691030794522010-04-26T19:52:00.001-07:002010-04-26T19:57:42.645-07:00Some interesting articles from the ARIN6902 Diigo siteCouple of things my fellow students have posted on Diigo recently that relate to the protest movements and ISP filter themes of this blog.<div><br /></div><div>Firstly, some US stats on filtering software:</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1015864.1015865">http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1015864.1015865</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Next, an article from the OZ about our Government's 10th place ranking with Google for requesting content removal:<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/google-ranks-requests-for-content-removal/story-e6frg6nf-1225857167875">http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/google-ranks-requests-for-content-removal/story-e6frg6nf-1225857167875</a></div><div><br /></div><div>And finally, an article on Lifehacker listing 10 ways to access blocked content:</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://lifehacker.com/5516305/top-10-ways-to-access-blocked-stuff-on-the-web">http://lifehacker.com/5516305/top-10-ways-to-access-blocked-stuff-on-the-web</a></div><div><br /></div><div>happy surfing...</div></div>LogoCophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17966703988310550401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2743183145301985208.post-20333851028774889622010-04-18T23:55:00.000-07:002010-04-18T23:59:15.462-07:00Larvatus Prodeo writes for EFAGreat <a href="http://larvatusprodeo.net/">Larvatus Prodeo</a> post over the weekend, written for <a href="http://www.efa.org.au/">Electronic Frontiers Australia</a> about the internet filter. Quite long, but here is a key quote:<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; color: rgb(68, 68, 68); line-height: 21px; ">“The Internet ... is part of that secular movement towards the democratisation of social relations; and of knowledge. It’s precisely because the Internet affords so much promise for those who wish to decide their destinies in common, to learn, to form an informed judgement and habit of thought that its freedom from state interference is so important at the level of principle.”</span></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://larvatusprodeo.net/2010/04/16/left-reasons-to-oppose-the-net-filter-nocleanfeed/">http://larvatusprodeo.net/2010/04/16/left-reasons-to-oppose-the-net-filter-nocleanfeed/</a></div>LogoCophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17966703988310550401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2743183145301985208.post-78659181609838838872010-04-14T21:45:00.000-07:002010-04-14T22:05:19.531-07:00Hackers: not just geeks, but activistsThanks to Elizabeth Gan for posting this article from the <a href="http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/791274--hackers-not-just-geeks-but-activists">Toronto Star</a> on the<a href="http://groups.diigo.com/group/internet-cultures-and-governance-2009"> ARIN6902 Diigo list</a>. It's about 'white hat' hackers who are helping to make the online world a better place. Of relevance in this article to my little blog about protest movements against internet censorship, is the work of <span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(52, 52, 52); line-height: 21px; font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:15px;"><a href="http://www.nartv.org/">Nart Villeneuve</a></span> from the University of Toronto's <a href="http://citizenlab.org/">Citizen Lab</a>:<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px; font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCCCCC;">Nart Villeneuve, the chief research officer of Citizen Lab, is a self-taught coding expert. As an undergrad, he used his white hat skills to research Internet censorship by the Saudi Arabian and Chinese governments.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 21px;font-size:15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCCCCC;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px; font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px; font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCCCCC;">“I didn’t think you could make a living detecting Internet censorship,” Villeneuve says. He’s since unearthed two major cyber espionage rings and continues to study how governments monitor their citizens.</span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 21px;font-size:15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCCCCC;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 21px;font-size:15px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCCCCC;">(from http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/791274--hackers-not-just-geeks-but-activists)</span></span></span></div><div><br /></div><div>On <a href="http://www.nartv.org/">Nart's site</a>, he posts some very interesting articles about internet censorship, well worth a further read, especially his posts tagged '<a href="http://www.nartv.org/tag/censorship-circumvention/">censorship circumvention</a>'</div><div><br /></div><div>Meanwhile the Citizen Lab site covers the lab's broader work on "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 23px; font-family:sans-serif, verdana, helvetica;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCCCCC;">advanced research and development at the intersection of digital media, global security, and human rights</span></span>".</div>LogoCophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17966703988310550401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2743183145301985208.post-90948359291292494842010-04-12T23:44:00.000-07:002010-04-12T23:46:23.048-07:00US ambassador critical of Conroy's internet filters<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; white-space: pre-wrap; "><a href="http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/us-ambassador-critical-of-conroys-internet-filters-20100413-s5fs.html">Follow up article</a> to Ambassador Bleich's appearance on <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/tv/qanda/txt/s2864512.htm?show=transcript">Q&A last night</a>, where he said the "internet has to be free" and that there were other means of combating nasty content such as child pornography. "We have been able to accomplish the goals that Australia has described, which is to capture and prosecute child pornographers ... without having to use internet filters" Surely a strong American stance against the MISP means no MISP...?</span>LogoCophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17966703988310550401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2743183145301985208.post-2195487496850782442010-04-12T18:19:00.000-07:002010-04-12T23:27:11.435-07:00Net filters a 'modest measure': Conroy<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Is Conroy backing down or just trying a new approach? the Minister has described the MISP as a 'modest measure' in a speech to the Sydney Institute last night, in an effort to make it sound like a perfectly normal - or uncontroversial - thing to do...</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre-wrap;font-size:13px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre-wrap;font-size:13px;"><a href="http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/net-filters-a-modest-measure-conroy-20100413-s542.html">http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/net-filters-a-modest-measure-conroy-20100413-s542.html</a></span></span></div>LogoCophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17966703988310550401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2743183145301985208.post-2707576055429329292010-04-08T17:41:00.000-07:002010-04-08T17:48:48.570-07:00Piers Ackerman vs. ISP filtering<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Even Piers Ackerman thinks the Government's proposed ISP filtering is a <a href="http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/piersakerman/index.php/dailytelegraph/comments/censorship_hides_behind_the_great_conroy_firewall">bad idea</a>! Possibly the first time I've ever been on the same side of a debate as Ackerman, makes me feel a little nauseous. Granted, this is really just another avenue of Rudd/Labor bashing for him, but it shows that there are people on both sides of the political divide who oppose internet censorship.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ackerman's main points of concern are that the filtering would likely hobble the broadband scheme (in terms of speed) and is against the interests of business and our US allies - recurring issues in much of the discourse surrounding this debate. He also mentions some costs, which I haven't seen come up much so far - $43 billion for the broadband network, and $125.8 for the filtering scheme.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; white-space: pre-wrap;">He also mentions an app called the <a href="http://www.torproject.org/">Onion Router</a> that allows anonymous access to web content, which I will look into and explore in an upcoming post. Happy Friday...</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>LogoCophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17966703988310550401noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2743183145301985208.post-37823665055683323742010-04-07T00:20:00.000-07:002010-04-07T00:47:48.755-07:00The Empire Strikes Back<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 19px; font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">on </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Punch</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"> today (April 7 2010) Senator the Hon </span><a href="http://www.thepunch.com.au/author-bios/stephen-conroy/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Stephen Conroy</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, </span><a href="http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/dont-believe-the-myths-on-the-isp-filter/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">responded</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"> to </span><a href="http://www.thepunch.com.au/author-bios/eliza-cussen/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Eliza Cussen</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">'s article '</span><a href="http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/top-ten-internet-filter-lies/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Top 10 Internet Filter Lies</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">' from 25 March.</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 19px;font-size:14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 19px;font-size:14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Cussen's 10 'lies' were:</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 19px;font-size:14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 19px;font-size:14px;"><strong style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline- font-weight: bold; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; border-collapse: collapse; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;color:initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Lie # 1: </span></strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">The filter will help in the fight against child pornography</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 19px;font-size:14px;"><strong style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline- font-weight: bold; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; border-collapse: collapse; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;color:initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Lie # 2:</span></strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"> The filter won’t slow connection speeds</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 19px;font-size:14px;"><strong style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline- font-weight: bold; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; border-collapse: collapse; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;color:initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Lie #3:</span></strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"> Conroy’s filter will stop your kids viewing harmful stuff online</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 19px;font-size:14px;"><strong style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline- font-weight: bold; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; border-collapse: collapse; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;color:initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Lie #4:</span></strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"> The filter has been proven in Government trials</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 19px;font-size:14px;"><strong style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline- font-weight: bold; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; border-collapse: collapse; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;color:initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Lie #5:</span></strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"> This plan is no different to what is already done with books and films</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 19px;font-size:14px;"><strong style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline- font-weight: bold; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; border-collapse: collapse; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;color:initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Lie #6:</span></strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"> The ISP filter is similar to ones in other Western democracies</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 19px;font-size:14px;"><strong style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline- font-weight: bold; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; border-collapse: collapse; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;color:initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Lie #7:</span></strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"> The filter will not make the internet more expensive</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 19px;font-size:14px;"><strong style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline- font-weight: bold; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; border-collapse: collapse; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;color:initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Lie #8:</span></strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"> If you’re anti mandatory filtering you’re pro child porn</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 19px;font-size:14px;"><strong style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline- font-weight: bold; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; border-collapse: collapse; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;color:initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Lie #9:</span></strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"> The filter would be impenetrable</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 19px;font-size:14px;"><strong style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline- font-weight: bold; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; border-collapse: collapse; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;color:initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Lie #10:</span></strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"> An ISP filter is the best option out there</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 19px;font-size:14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 19px;font-size:14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Conroy's response, '</span><a href="http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/dont-believe-the-myths-on-the-isp-filter/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Don't believe the myths on the ISP filter</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">' doesn't directly address each 'lie' point by point, but does cover most of them - how convincingly is up to the individual reader. As usual however, the most telling analysis is in the comments section of each article. Commenter 'Adam Diver' singles out this line from Conroy's article, "we have never said ISP-level filtering alone would help fight child pornography or keep children safe online" then asks, "So whats the point then Conroy?". What indeed? Commenter 'David' responds to 'Adam Diver' with the following interesting questions:</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 19px;font-size:14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 19px;font-size:14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">"Exactly Adam. If the filter isn’t going to work in preventing child porn and keep children safe then what is it for? Placation of conservative religious lobbies like the Australian Christian Lobby? They have demonstrated a level of knowledge about the filter unknown to the general public in the past…</span></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 10px; font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:10px;"><p style="margin-top: 0.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline- font-weight: normal; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.4; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; border-collapse: collapse; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:1.4em;color:initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Or maybe the filter is designed to empower content providers and marketing bodies in suring up the internet as a regulated medium with greater financial reward and capital…</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline- font-weight: normal; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.4; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; border-collapse: collapse; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:1.4em;color:initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">I think the biggest kicker, and Conroy didn’t address this, is the lack of transparency and safety measures to prevent scope creep in the filter rules. Even if this does occur what is the capacity for the public to know? The list is secret and those employed to build and monitor the list will certainly be bound by contracts of confidentiality.</span></p></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 19px;font-size:14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">The whole filter is a massive trojan horse (of the ancient Greek variety not the computer virus)." </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 19px;font-size:14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 19px;font-size:14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">So if the filter won't perform the main task it is intended for, then what is it actually for?</span></span></span></div>LogoCophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17966703988310550401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2743183145301985208.post-11412230211392916572010-04-05T23:59:00.000-07:002010-04-06T00:19:12.087-07:00Facebook v. ISP filtering... via AbbottThe Open Internet for Australia <a href="http://www.facebook.com/notes/open-internet-for-australia/help-persuade-tony-abbott-to-oppose-the-filter-by-lobbying-a-lib/387091738023">Facebook page</a> has a special plea to all members to contact Tony Abbott and convince him of the folly of ISP filtering today after his comments on the ABC's <i>Q&A</i><a href="http://www.abc.net.au/tv/qanda/txt/s2859473.htm?show=transcript"> last night</a>. Also an interesting follow up article on the <a href="http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/no-proof-isp-filtering-works-abbott/story-e6frgakx-1225850260443">OZ</a>. From the transcript of last night's show:<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(77, 77, 77); font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; ">YIKEN YANG: Criticism of the internet filter policy being pushed by Chairman Rudd and Stephen Conroy is growing, with even Google weighing in on the debate. The opposition has been notoriously quiet on this issue and I was wondering what the stance of the Liberal party was. Thanks.<br /><br />TONY ABBOTT: Well, look, I want to see protections in place. I don’t want to see our kids exposed to really terrible stuff on the internet. On the other hand, I don’t want to see the internet destroyed by a filtering system that won’t work, so I guess for me it’s a factual issue. Can you have a filtering system that is effective, that doesn’t lull parents into a false sense of security, and which doesn’t, in the process, make the internet ineffective as the kind of marvellous research tool and educational device as it is.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#4D4D4D;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#4D4D4D;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">TONY JONES: And what’s the answer: you don’t know at the moment?<br /><br />TONY ABBOTT: I don’t know at the moment. I just don’t know.<br /><br />TONY JONES: Joe Hockey has got a pretty clear view on this. He says he regards the - in his speech, in defence of civil liberties, he said he regards the internet filter as a real problem because it is one of those things that puts the government on top of the freedom - in this case the freedom of the internet.<br /><br />TONY ABBOTT: Yeah. As I understand it, the proponents of the filter are only trying to stop access to material that it would be a crime to possess anyway. That’s my understanding. Now, we haven’t seen legislation from the government. We certainly haven’t seen the kind of technical assurances that we’d need, so let’s wait and see how this thing develops, Tony.</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div>No surprise to see that Abbott is waiting to see how this pans out - why come out with a position on it either way and draw attention away from all the flak Conroy is copping? Anyway, the Facebook page goes on to provide links to the '<a href="http://openinternet.com.au/lobbyalib/">lobby a Lib</a>' section of the EFA site, then provides the contact details for Abbott's office too, which I'll repost here for good measure:</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 14px; "><p style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; ">You can call Tony Abbott’s office on (02) 9977 6411.</p><p style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; ">Or you can send him an email at <a style="cursor: pointer; color: rgb(59, 89, 152); text-decoration: none; ">Tony.Abbott.MP@aph.gov.au</a>.</p><p style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; ">Or you can write to him at:</p><p style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; "><em style="font-family: 'lucida sans', 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; ">The Hon Tony Abbott</em></p><p style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; "><em style="font-family: 'lucida sans', 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; ">PO Box 450</em></p><p style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; "><em style="font-family: 'lucida sans', 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; ">Manly NSW 2095</em></p></span></div><div><br /></div><div>Can this issue gain enough traction with the so-called 'general' public to become an election winner/loser? The release of the responses to the Government's call for submissions on '<a href="http://www.dbcde.gov.au/online_safety_and_security/cybersafety_plan/transparency_measures/submissions">measures to increase accountability and transparency for Refused Classification material</a>' shows that the business community, techies and other 'netizens' are firmly against the plan, but I wonder what the tabloid and talkback media consumers are thinking? Note to self, check the Daily Telegraph's website and Google to see if Alan Jones and his ilk have said anything of substance (a relative term I know...)</div>LogoCophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17966703988310550401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2743183145301985208.post-45304323182947338272010-03-30T21:33:00.000-07:002010-03-30T21:37:47.265-07:00Your Rights Online: US-Australia Tensions Rise Over Net Filter<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; white-space: pre-wrap; ">A really interesting conversation thread on <a href="http://slashdot.org/">Slashdot</a> about the US Government's concern over Australian ISP filter proposals, and Conroy's denial that his office has been contacted. Posters discuss net neutrality, US and Chinese interests, <a href="http://www.itnews.com.au/News/169254,australia-comes-clean-on-acta-role.aspx">ACTA</a>, practical realities of filter implementation etc.:</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://yro.slashdot.org/story/10/03/30/0249252/US-Australia-Tensions-Rise-Over-Net-Filter">http://yro.slashdot.org/story/10/03/30/0249252/US-Australia-Tensions-Rise-Over-Net-Filter</a></span></span></div>LogoCophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17966703988310550401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2743183145301985208.post-30117568741357132512010-03-29T17:44:00.000-07:002010-03-29T18:06:41.849-07:00US reveals concerns over Conroy’s net filter planA great article on <a href="http://www.thepunch.com.au/">the Punch</a> yesterday about Australia's planned ISP filtering censorship:<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/us-concerns-on-stephen-conroy-isp-filter/">http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/us-concerns-on-stephen-conroy-isp-filter/</a></div><div><br /></div><div>From the article:</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 10px; font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:10px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-size:14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCCCCC;">The US State Department has told The Punch its officials have raised concerns about the filter with Australian counterparts, as America mounts a new diplomatic assault on internet censorship by governments worldwide.</span></span><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline- font-weight: normal; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.4; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; list-style-type: none; list-style-position: initial; list-style-image: initial; border-collapse: collapse; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:1.4em;color:initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCCCCC;">Asked about the US view on the filter plan US State Department spokesman Noel Clay said: “The US and Australia are close partners on issues related to cyber matters generally, including national security and economic issues.</span></p></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 19px; font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCCCCC;">“We do not discuss the details of specific diplomatic exchanges, but can say that in the context of that ongoing relationship, we have raised our concerns on this matter with Australian officials.”</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div>Punch writer <a href="http://www.thepunch.com.au/author-bios/paul-colgan/">Paul Coglan</a> also points out - and many of those involved in the protest movement against the ISP filtering do too - that the filtering will be quite easy to circumvent. Coglan goes on to say that even now, before the filters even exist, you can google work-arounds by searching "how to bypass the Australia ISP filter", which i did, and here are some results:</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://blogs.smh.com.au/gadgetsonthego/archives/2008/11/how_to_easily_bypass_australia.html">How to easily bypass Australia's' internet filters for free</a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.pcauthority.com.au/BlogEntry/127342,australian-internet-filters-have-backdoor.aspx">Australian internet filters have backdoor</a></div><div><br /></div><div>What's interesting about these links is that they're not from obscure sources - the first is from the <i>Sydney Morning Herald</i>, and the second is from <i>PC Authority</i> magazine. This indicative of the widespread disdain for the ISP filter project in the media and private sector. The <i>PC Authority</i> article even has a sponsored link to the <a href="http://nocleanfeed.com/action.html">No Clean Feed</a> protest site.</div><div><br /></div><div>Next post, I plan to write up a pretty comprehensive review of and guide to the <a href="http://nocleanfeed.com/action.html">No Clean Feed</a> site, as it is one of the most organized and comprehensive resource sites for anti-ISP filter campaigners.</div>LogoCophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17966703988310550401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2743183145301985208.post-15434263879595344972010-03-28T21:21:00.000-07:002010-03-28T21:23:46.053-07:00R18+ protest in Sydney, Saturday 27/3/10Not strictly my topic on the protest movement against the Government's proposed ISP filter censorship plan, but nonetheless indicative of the slow and unsophisticated Government reactions to new media regulation:<div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/games/lurching-in-protest-at-gaming-classifications-20100327-r42v.html">http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/games/lurching-in-protest-at-gaming-classifications-20100327-r42v.html</a></div>LogoCophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17966703988310550401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2743183145301985208.post-62106326452110589572010-03-23T21:50:00.000-07:002010-03-23T21:55:47.731-07:00Crib Sheet: Google Vs. China (Vs. Australia?)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">Some great analysis and </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#FFFFFF;">summary from Fast Company on Google pulling the plug on their Chinese search engine, and how this relates to their submission to the Australian Government regarding their proposed ISP filtering.<br /><br />If you're not familiar with Fast Company, this is how they modestly describe themselves:<br /><br />"Fast Company sets the agenda, charting the evolution of business through a unique focus on the most creative individuals sparking change in the marketplace. By uncovering best and "next" practices, the magazine and website help a new breed of leader work smarter and more effectively.<br />Fast Company empowers innovators to challenge convention and create the future of business."</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px;font-size:13px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px;font-size:13px;"><a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/1594884/google-china-censorship-green-dam-firewall-filtering-search-engine-politics">http://www.fastcompany.com/1594884/google-china-censorship-green-dam-firewall-filtering-search-engine-politics</a></span></span></div>LogoCophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17966703988310550401noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2743183145301985208.post-78727419558682613712010-03-22T22:45:00.000-07:002010-03-22T22:51:51.427-07:00Submissions on ISP filtering released today<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><div>"Australia's biggest technology companies, communications academics and many lobby groups have delivered a withering critique of the government's plans to censor the internet." (quoting <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/">smh</a>, 23/3/10, 4.40pm)</div></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre-wrap;font-size:13px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre-wrap;font-size:13px;"><a href="http://www.dbcde.gov.au/online_safety_and_security/cybersafety_plan/transparency_measures/submissions">http://www.dbcde.gov.au/online_safety_and_security/cybersafety_plan/transparency_measures/submissions</a></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre-wrap;font-size:13px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre-wrap;font-size:13px;">Including Google's submission:</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre-wrap;font-size:13px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" white-space: pre-wrap;font-size:13px;"><a href="http://www.dbcde.gov.au/online_safety_and_security/cybersafety_plan/transparency_measures/submissions/rc_content_list_review_unstructured_submission?submissionid=256">http://www.dbcde.gov.au/online_safety_and_security/cybersafety_plan/transparency_measures/submissions/rc_content_list_review_unstructured_submission?submissionid=256</a></span></span></div>LogoCophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17966703988310550401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2743183145301985208.post-16508041855022681542010-03-16T21:58:00.000-07:002010-04-08T22:02:57.377-07:00The protest movement against internet censorship in Australia<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial;"><span style="font-size:11pt;">There is a very active and passionate protest movement against the Australian Federal Government’s proposed ISP-based filter, which aims to block material deemed inappropriate for children. In other words, censorship of the internet for Australia.<br /><br /><b>Background:<br /></b><br />A comprehensive history of Internet censorship in Australia has been compiled on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_censorship_in_Australia">Wikipedia</a>. Here is a brief summary of the key milestones:<br /><br /></span></span></span><ul><li><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial;"><span style="font-size:11pt;">1999: Federal Government fails to get internet censorship regime together as part of the sale of Telstra </span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial;"><span style="font-size:11pt;">2001: CSIRO examines internet content filtering. Report evaluates the effectiveness of client-side filtering schemes (deemed ineffective) difficulties of ISP-based filtering </span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial;"><span style="font-size:11pt;">2006: Labor party (in opposition) commits to requiring all ISPs to implement a mandatory Internet blocking system applicable to “all households, and to schools and other public internet points” to “prevent users from accessing any content that has been identified as prohibited by the Australian Communications and Media Authority” </span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial;"><span style="font-size:11pt;">2007: Labor now in government, announces intention to introduce ISP-based filter with an ‘opt-out’ provision for adults </span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial;"><span style="font-size:11pt;">2008: government commences $82m “cybersafety plan” including additional mandatory filter with no ‘opt-out’ provision. </span></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial;"><span style="font-size:11pt;">Jan 2010: a Labor senator lobbies her party to include the "opt-out" filter when the legislation is debated in caucus, describing it as the "least worst" option<br /></span></span></span></li></ul><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial;"><span style="font-size:11pt;"><br /><b>Protest Action:<br /></b><br />To date, the protest actions which have received the most national and international media coverage are the cyber attacks on Government websites by the activist group Anonymous. The first attack occurred on 26 March 2009, when visitors to the <a href="http://www.classification.gov.au/">Australian Government Classification website</a> were redirected to a hacked version of the site’s content. Then on 9 September 2009 Anonymous initiated a Distributed Denial of Service attack against the website of the Australian Prime Minister, in a campaign called ‘Operation Didgeridie’. Then on 10 September 2010, the <a href="http://www.aph.gov.au/">Australian Parliament’s website</a> was endured a distributed denial of service attack for over two days, as part of a wider campaign that included ‘blackfaxes’ (solid black pages faxed to various government offices), prank calls and spam emails. This campaign was dubbed ‘Operation titstorm’, referring to the Government's banning of pornography featuring small-breasted women.<br /><br /><b>Protest movement:<br /></b><br />These are the sites I’ve found so far that are either directly concerned with the issues of protesting Australian internet censorship or feature ‘3rd party’ reports/content about the issue:<br /><br />Civil liberties, anti-censorship and protest sites:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.efa.org.au/about/">http://www.efa.org.au/about/</a><br /><br /><a href="http://openinternet.com.au/">http://openinternet.com.au/</a></span></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: -webkit-xxx-large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Calibri, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial;"><span style="font-size:11pt;"><a href="http://opennet.net/">http://opennet.net/</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/nocleanfeed">http://www.myspace.com/nocleanfeed</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.internetblackout.com.au/">http://www.internetblackout.com.au/</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.thegiftofcensorship.com/">http://www.thegiftofcensorship.com/</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2009/12/how-to-protest-against-internet-censorship-laws/">http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2009/12/how-to-protest-against-internet-censorship-laws/</a><br /><br /><br /><b>Pages about Australian internet censorship issue and/or protests:<br /></b><br /><a href="http://amyclaire01.tumblr.com/post/403295185/regulation-of-the-internet-and-how-this-will-effect">http://amyclaire01.tumblr.com/post/403295185/regulation-of-the-internet-and-how-this-will-effect</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.infowars.com/internet-censorship-protest-shuts-down-australian-government-websites/">http://www.infowars.com/internet-censorship-protest-shuts-down-australian-government-websites/</a><br /><br /><br /><b>Government and pro-filtering sites:<br /></b><br /><a href="http://www.dbcde.gov.au/internet/online_content_regulation">http://www.dbcde.gov.au/internet/online_content_regulation</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD..PC/pc=PC_311304">http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD..PC/pc=PC_311304</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.iia.net.au/">http://www.iia.net.au/</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.familyfirst.org.au/policy/policypornography.pdf">http://www.familyfirst.org.au/policy/policypornography.pdf</a><br /><br /><br /><b>International comparisons:<br /></b><br />I think it will be worthwhile to look at the US and China’s internet censorship policies and issues as part of a comparative analysis of the Australian situation, so I’ve started with the links below and will explore further:<br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_censorship_in_the_United_States">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_censorship_in_the_United_States</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.aclu.org/free-speech/internet-censorship">http://www.aclu.org/free-speech/internet-censorship</a><br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_censorship_in_the_People's_Republic_of_China">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_censorship_in_the_People's_Republic_of_China</a><br /><br /><a href="http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/filtering/china/">http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/filtering/china/</a><br /><br /><br />So that’s some initial research and broad areas of interest defined. In future posts I’ll take a more in depth look at some of the sites listed above and the issues they cover.<br /></span></span></span> <!--EndFragment--></div>LogoCophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17966703988310550401noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2743183145301985208.post-69342398577946921362010-03-16T16:15:00.000-07:002010-03-16T16:21:39.694-07:00Topic assigned - protest movementsok, finally this blog has a purpose! I've been assigned the topic of 'protest movements' to write about, and I need to post at least 1 link per week on the <a href="http://groups.diigo.com/group/internet-cultures-and-governance-2009">Diigo</a> group for the course too.<div><br /></div><div>As this is a course on Internet Cultures and Governance, I'm going to focus on the recent and ongoing protests against proposed internet filtering legislation - the so-called 'clean feed'.</div><div><br /></div><div>Watch this space...</div>LogoCophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17966703988310550401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2743183145301985208.post-73916904213103476772010-03-04T22:26:00.000-08:002010-03-04T22:42:44.685-08:00ARIN 6902 Internet Cultures & Governance...is the course I've set this blog up for. Its an elective unit of my Masters of Media Practice at the University of Sydney: <a href="http://www.sydney.edu.au/arts/digital_cultures">www.sydney.edu.au/arts/digital_cultures</a><div><br /></div><div>Have also had to sign up to <a href="http://www.diigo.com">diigo.com</a>, <a href="http://soup.io">soup.io</a> and even <a href="http://www.Twitter.com">Twitter</a>(!) - i know, I know...</div><div><br /></div><div>Not sure what we'll be using the blog for yet as there's only been one intro seminar, but it looks like it'll be a very interesting course and I'm looking forward (no, really) to using all these online tools I've thus far managed to avoid and/or have had nor use for...</div>LogoCophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17966703988310550401noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2743183145301985208.post-87892446298269412692010-03-04T22:15:00.000-08:002010-03-04T22:18:18.489-08:00First past the postwell here we go; a reluctant blogger, wary of content for content's sake, needs to set up a blog as part of course at University...LogoCophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17966703988310550401noreply@blogger.com0