The Australian “clean feed”
As the world was celebrating New Year’s, the Australian government planned to mandate ISP filtering. The idea is that the Australian Communications and Media Authority would draft up a list of “unsuitable sites,” and ISPs would have to block them. Australians who want an unfiltered internet will have to call up and demand it.
No word on what the standard for “unsuitable” would be, or what effect on co-hosted sites this blocking system might have.
I’ve been trying to figure out what system the Australians plan to use - they keep calling it “clean feed.” And here’s the connection: it’s a BT invention that works (according to The Guardian) by routing blacklisted addresses through a secondary system.
The blacklist itself is secret, and all of the data about attempts to reach blacklisted sites is secret. Big problems for oversight.
Electronic Frontiers Australia makes clear that this is a terrible idea:
EFA has previously raised concerns about Australia joining North Korea, China and Burma in the club of nations who censor their citizens’ access to the internet. While the Minister makes no apologies for this alarming development, he has given us little reason to put our faith in his bureaucrats to administer such a system competently, transparently and fairly.
Lots of criticism, but it looks as if the new mandates are going to go into effect in a few weeks.
Communications minister Stephen Conroy has this to say in response to those pointing out that Australia is heading towards Chinese-style internet censorship:
Labor makes no apologies to those who argue that any regulation of the Internet is like going down the Chinese road…If people equate freedom of speech with watching child pornography, then the Rudd Labor Government is going to disagree.
That’s the kind of argument that should get attention around the world. Child pornography is horrific, and so our ISPs are on the watch for it all the time. Mandatory filtering of “unsuitable” material, however, could go far beyond child porn and reach anything that a current sovereign felt was unsavory.
The “clean feed” move is unlike what happens in China in that users can opt out. The next step will be mandatory censorship. At the same time, our friends in Australia will have no way of knowing what’s being blocked.
Let’s hope we have our wits about us, and our litigators ready, when the same idea is raised in the U.S.
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4 Responses to “The Australian “clean feed””
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Hi Susan. Thanks for covering the issue.
“Let’s hope we have our wits about us, and our litigators ready, when the same idea is raised in the U.S.”
I know there are just as many groups and individuals in the U.S who would like to censor the Internet,but one story I covered today on my blog does show your country is doing something right:
U.S. Launches assault on Internet censorship
http://www.somebodythinkofthechildren.com/us-launches-assault-on-internet-censorship/
Things can change I know, but it’s a positive move.
Cheers,
Mike
Wow… this seems to be going around, the Japanese gov’t is talking about something similar for 2010:
http://gyaku.jp/en/index.php?cmd=contentview&pid=000320
Chris
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