Most Australians will have their web access censored as of next month(news.com.au)
news.com.au
Most Australians will have their web access censored as of next month
http://www.news.com.au/technology/internet-filter/telstra-optus-to-begin-censoring-web-next-month/story-fn5j66db-1226079954138
12 comments
Serious question - anybody want to buy unfilter.com.au? I own it
I wish everyone was as analytic as you when it came to politics.
I'd like to remind HNers that Australia is filled with bright, intelligent, thoughtful and well-educated people.
We also have Senators.
We also have Senators.
This is being put in place to kowtow to the religious right isn't it?
To a particular Senator, yes. Fielding. Senator Conroy is the Minister and a bull-headed man in his own right, so it might not get dropped right away.
However the composition of the Senate will change on July 1st, with the Greens assuming the balance of power.
I personally suspect that internet filtering will be used as a bargaining chip in negotiations with the Greens over the details of a carbon tax / trading scheme.
However the composition of the Senate will change on July 1st, with the Greens assuming the balance of power.
I personally suspect that internet filtering will be used as a bargaining chip in negotiations with the Greens over the details of a carbon tax / trading scheme.
I believe that censorship is mostly being pushed by Senator Conroy himself, who comes from the Catholic, Social Conservative right faction of the party (For non-Australians: the left-wing Labor party is in power in Australia, with the support of a number of independents. Conroy is a member of the Labor party, but isn't from the trade-unions and is regarded as right-wing. He's also very socially conservative for Australia. For example, he opposed the RU486 "morning after pill" on a conscience vote http://www.australiavotes.org/conscience/index.php#vote)
There's no doubt that Fielding likes the plan too, but don't expect to disappear while it is in Conroy's portfolio.
I've never heard of the internet filtering being a carbon-tax bargaining chip before. Given that it was planned before Labor supported the carbon tax I'd be surprised if it planned that way.
(Also, note that this is technically voluntary filtering by these ISPs, so it probably wont' go away even if Conroy left)
There's no doubt that Fielding likes the plan too, but don't expect to disappear while it is in Conroy's portfolio.
I've never heard of the internet filtering being a carbon-tax bargaining chip before. Given that it was planned before Labor supported the carbon tax I'd be surprised if it planned that way.
(Also, note that this is technically voluntary filtering by these ISPs, so it probably wont' go away even if Conroy left)
"For example, he opposed the RU486 "morning after pill" on a conscience vote"
In fact, the RU486 is a abortion-inducing pill effective in the first 2 months of pregnancy [1], while "morning after pill" is a common name for emergency contraception pills effective for the first few days after intercourse [2].
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mifepristone [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_contraception
In fact, the RU486 is a abortion-inducing pill effective in the first 2 months of pregnancy [1], while "morning after pill" is a common name for emergency contraception pills effective for the first few days after intercourse [2].
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mifepristone [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_contraception
Sorry, my mistake. Thanks.
Planned that way? No. Being repurposed? Quite possibly.
Frankly, I hope you are right!
What are the best news sites to follow Australia's politics?
Big list of independent Australian media:
http://www.reddit.com/r/australia/comments/dw95o/big_list_of...
I don't follow political opinion pieces though, so I can't say which are good.
I don't follow political opinion pieces though, so I can't say which are good.
My aggregator/filter for Australian news stories is http://www.reddit.com/r/australia/
Beware the comments threads though, there be dragons, and rather cynical people.
Beware the comments threads though, there be dragons, and rather cynical people.
I'm fairly partial to http://www.abc.net.au/news
Also worth checking out are:
http://grogsgamut.blogspot.com/
http://blogs.crikey.com.au/pollytics/
http://newmatilda.com/
http://www.thepunch.com.au/
(Full disclosure: I work for the ABC)
Also worth checking out are:
http://grogsgamut.blogspot.com/
http://blogs.crikey.com.au/pollytics/
http://newmatilda.com/
http://www.thepunch.com.au/
(Full disclosure: I work for the ABC)
I really wouldn't recommend The Australian. This is a newspaper who have stated in editorial that it is their goal to "destroy" the Australian Greens party. Agenda runs thick in their editorial decisions.
They also outed a prominent anonymous political blogger because the head of the ABC said bloggers could provide better analysis than newspapers sometimes: http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/39038.html
And they attempted to sue a journalism professor for repeating comments by a former journalist at a conference that the Australian had an overt policy of suppressing stories that suggested that climate change was real. http://www.crikey.com.au/2010/11/26/the-torture-of-writing-a...
And they attempted to sue a journalism professor for repeating comments by a former journalist at a conference that the Australian had an overt policy of suppressing stories that suggested that climate change was real. http://www.crikey.com.au/2010/11/26/the-torture-of-writing-a...
What they actually said was:
"Greens leader Bob Brown has accused The Australian of trying to wreck the alliance between the Greens and Labor. We wear Senator Brown's criticism with pride. We believe he and his Green colleagues are hypocrites; that they are bad for the nation; and that they should be destroyed at the ballot box."
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/needed-a-policy...
"Greens leader Bob Brown has accused The Australian of trying to wreck the alliance between the Greens and Labor. We wear Senator Brown's criticism with pride. We believe he and his Green colleagues are hypocrites; that they are bad for the nation; and that they should be destroyed at the ballot box."
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/needed-a-policy...
http://blogs.abc.net.au/antonygreen/
Although the blog is focused on election analysis, which you may not want.
Although the blog is focused on election analysis, which you may not want.
The best:
http://www.crikey.com.au/
This, combined with ridiculous housing prices, overcrowded public transport, generally high prices for imported items, poor availability and high price of digital content, huge tax on wine .. I'm also seriously considering the move to another country, perhaps the US. As much as I love the culture, more and more I do not see Melbourne as a viable long term solution.
http://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2011/02/liveability_...
If you can't live in the second ranked city in the world, it may be time to look in the mirror and have a long talk with yourself.
Take it from a guy who moved to Sydney after 22 years in the states. There is nothing I've seen in the states[1] or even heard of which compares to the quality of life here. Not by a long shot.
[1]based on living in NYC, Miami, St. Louis, Chicago, San Fran and visiting countless points in between.
If you can't live in the second ranked city in the world, it may be time to look in the mirror and have a long talk with yourself.
Take it from a guy who moved to Sydney after 22 years in the states. There is nothing I've seen in the states[1] or even heard of which compares to the quality of life here. Not by a long shot.
[1]based on living in NYC, Miami, St. Louis, Chicago, San Fran and visiting countless points in between.
People told me the exact same thing when I moved from Montreal to Tokyo. I am glad I didn't listen to them. (Yes, even post-earthquake)
You don't understand his specific rationale or the social strata that he may be involved. Furthermore, how do rankings by old conservative institutions reflect on the preferred life balance of a hacker?
You don't understand his specific rationale or the social strata that he may be involved. Furthermore, how do rankings by old conservative institutions reflect on the preferred life balance of a hacker?
Of course, he could have some arbitrary thing against cities which start with the letter 'M'.
But why would that be worth posting?
I'm trying to argue the more general view of how amazing this country is and how _that_ is the consensus view and the OP is in the minority.
He could be a miserable sod for all I know. But again, that's not my problem or that interesting to anyone on HN.
The awesomeness of Oz on the other hand? There's a lot of supporting material for that position.
I was simply trying to balance the picture for other HNers who have never been to Oz.
But why would that be worth posting?
I'm trying to argue the more general view of how amazing this country is and how _that_ is the consensus view and the OP is in the minority.
He could be a miserable sod for all I know. But again, that's not my problem or that interesting to anyone on HN.
The awesomeness of Oz on the other hand? There's a lot of supporting material for that position.
I was simply trying to balance the picture for other HNers who have never been to Oz.
I love Melbourne (well, the inner north and city), I just think it's broken for the reasons I've outlined. Sure, the coffee is good and as I travel that is more and more obvious. But so is the fact that just about everything in life is more expensive there, especially housing. Even if I could buy a house in an area where the culture is about more than sport and violence, most of my friends wont be able to. I only see it getting worse as the population increases. My life is awesome and I live it to the fullest, this is just my conclusion about Melbourne & Australia.
Mate, I've spent time in every mainland capital. I would put Darwin, Perth, Melbourne and Brisbane ahead of Sydney. Sydney is, IMNSHO, overrated.
Adelaide is boring and Canberra is a freezing public service ghetto; Sydney has them well beaten.
Adelaide is boring and Canberra is a freezing public service ghetto; Sydney has them well beaten.
I'm not saying it's the best place in oz, just that it beats the hell out of any place I've lived in the States, Latin America or Europe.
The quality of life you guys have is ridiculous. I don't know if a lot of Aussies get that.
The quality of life you guys have is ridiculous. I don't know if a lot of Aussies get that.
I'm a very curious US citizen, what makes the quality of life so superb?
I've been in Sydney for just under a year, I'd say the big things in no particular order are:
the climate: Just amazing. look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney#Climate and marvel. Tons of sunlight, moderate temperatures but you still get seasons (so no San Diego syndrome of 70-degrees year round).
the people: unbelievably friendly and easy going. take small-town midwest hospitality and invert the xenophobia. common decency, they wait in lines for the buses, but if someone cuts in line (doesn't know or is just being a dick) everyone kind of just mutters and shakes their heads. In Chicago, someone would have gotten stabbed. But who am I kidding, no one would line up in the first place and they would just mob the entrance. I almost took a guy's eye out surfing, his response? "no worries mate, my fault" (it wasn't).
scenery / the outdoors: Sydney is the most naturally beautiful I've ever seen. I take a ferry ride for 30 minutes every morning through the harbor. This week there were whales breaching in the background and a couple of little penguins [1] swimming around screaming their heads off looking for their mother. It's like living in a Disney movie. I wouldn't be surprised one morning to look out and see a Koala riding a dolphin and giving me the thumbs up. It's just unreal. On the way home? sun setting behind the harbor bridge and opera house.
miscellaneous things:
-a lot less religious extremism, it's very european in regard to the general secularism.
-the mainstream brands of beer are really really good. you don't have to rely on microbrews like you do in the states.
-the proto Sydney girl is tall, fit, blonde, blue-eyed and can probably drink you under the table.
-coffee - this was the big surprise, my god they're crazy about good coffee here. in the states you had to hunt for a decent espresso and then fail-over to starbucks. here you can walk into any cafe and get an amazing espresso. I've never seen anything like it outside of Milan.
In summation I'd say, imagine an english speaking country with a mediteranean climate, lots of european influences in food and drink and midwest levels of decency but in a +4 million person city with a major economy. And then put it in the most amazing natural setting you can imagine.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Penguin
the climate: Just amazing. look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney#Climate and marvel. Tons of sunlight, moderate temperatures but you still get seasons (so no San Diego syndrome of 70-degrees year round).
the people: unbelievably friendly and easy going. take small-town midwest hospitality and invert the xenophobia. common decency, they wait in lines for the buses, but if someone cuts in line (doesn't know or is just being a dick) everyone kind of just mutters and shakes their heads. In Chicago, someone would have gotten stabbed. But who am I kidding, no one would line up in the first place and they would just mob the entrance. I almost took a guy's eye out surfing, his response? "no worries mate, my fault" (it wasn't).
scenery / the outdoors: Sydney is the most naturally beautiful I've ever seen. I take a ferry ride for 30 minutes every morning through the harbor. This week there were whales breaching in the background and a couple of little penguins [1] swimming around screaming their heads off looking for their mother. It's like living in a Disney movie. I wouldn't be surprised one morning to look out and see a Koala riding a dolphin and giving me the thumbs up. It's just unreal. On the way home? sun setting behind the harbor bridge and opera house.
miscellaneous things:
-a lot less religious extremism, it's very european in regard to the general secularism.
-the mainstream brands of beer are really really good. you don't have to rely on microbrews like you do in the states.
-the proto Sydney girl is tall, fit, blonde, blue-eyed and can probably drink you under the table.
-coffee - this was the big surprise, my god they're crazy about good coffee here. in the states you had to hunt for a decent espresso and then fail-over to starbucks. here you can walk into any cafe and get an amazing espresso. I've never seen anything like it outside of Milan.
In summation I'd say, imagine an english speaking country with a mediteranean climate, lots of european influences in food and drink and midwest levels of decency but in a +4 million person city with a major economy. And then put it in the most amazing natural setting you can imagine.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Penguin
I just moved to Sydney (from Vienna, Austria, which incidentally is also ranked high wrt. living conditions [1]) and my first impression after two weeks matches your list very well! Even though it's winter ;).
Rather off-topic, but do you or any other fellow HNers have suggestions for places to meet other hackers or like-minded people?
In Vienna there's Metalab [2], a very nice hackerspace populated by lots of creative people. I just found out about a place called Robodino [3] in Sydney. Are there any other meetups?
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World%27s_most_livable_cities
[2] http://metalab.at/
[3] http://robodino.org/
Rather off-topic, but do you or any other fellow HNers have suggestions for places to meet other hackers or like-minded people?
In Vienna there's Metalab [2], a very nice hackerspace populated by lots of creative people. I just found out about a place called Robodino [3] in Sydney. Are there any other meetups?
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World%27s_most_livable_cities
[2] http://metalab.at/
[3] http://robodino.org/
Welcome to Sydney! I haven't been to any meetups but there are quite a few Aussie hn'ers in Sydney and Melbourne. Shoot me an email (in my profile) if you need any help with settling in. It's a helluva town :)
I love your coffee line. Totally agree (except for a little relativism; Sydney coffee is generally pretty bad compared with the average quality at corner cafés in Melbourne).
I'm in northern europe now and while the espresso bug has hit them, it's all only just a bit better than Starbucks at this point.
I'm in northern europe now and while the espresso bug has hit them, it's all only just a bit better than Starbucks at this point.
I'd like to live overseas at some point, so I can't speak to global comparisons. I just think that if international folk put Sydney at #2, the other capitals I named ought to be coming in at places -3 through 1.
(Grass is greener etc).
(Grass is greener etc).
I've lived in both Sydney and Melbourne, originally from country Victoria. I'm definitely more of a Melbourne guy than a Sydney guy :)
To be honest housing prices have always been pretty crazy, especially in Sydney. Public transport is pretty bad, but only because of the prices. I will give credit where its due and admit that it has been MUCH better for the last year or so. Imported items are only expensive if you buy them from local retailers. Digital content is more expensive, but then again most isn't here anyway, so hello bittorrent. The wine taxes are indeed crazy but with the current AUD prices and the glut of Aussie wine you can get highly drinkable wines for $2-4 a bottle, as the producers are hurting.
I live in Sydney, have a reasonable, but not high salary and live a pretty comfortable life. I don't own my home, but will do in 7 years or so. I drink reasonable wines and have whatever toys (phones etc...) I want. I have a dependent partner but no children as yet.
When all you have to complain about is that the houses and wine are expensive, you cant get a seat on the train/bus, imported goods cost more then local and digital content isn't as cheap as other markets your life really isn't that bad.
I live in Sydney, have a reasonable, but not high salary and live a pretty comfortable life. I don't own my home, but will do in 7 years or so. I drink reasonable wines and have whatever toys (phones etc...) I want. I have a dependent partner but no children as yet.
When all you have to complain about is that the houses and wine are expensive, you cant get a seat on the train/bus, imported goods cost more then local and digital content isn't as cheap as other markets your life really isn't that bad.
When did you buy, and could you still at today's prices on your reasonable salary?
> overcrowded public transport
I've always thought Australia to have pretty darned good public transport, relatively speaking. That is to say that the US has (generally) fucking terrible public transport, outside of NYC and some small commuter services.
I've always thought Australia to have pretty darned good public transport, relatively speaking. That is to say that the US has (generally) fucking terrible public transport, outside of NYC and some small commuter services.
Public transport is fine in Melbourne except for certain routes in the middle of peak hour. Living one of the slightly less busy rail lines and generally shifting my hours an hour or 2 later in the day from peak times I find it great.
Recently had my first trip to the US. Used lots of public transport in SF and Sacramento. It was really easy and efficient (with the exception of a aggressive and dodgy Sacramento taxi experience). We were impressed. Trains, taxi, ferry, tram, bus. Planes though... Wow we're not all crimals or terrorists.
SF is unusual in its love for public transport (cablecars! trains! trams! buses! trambuses! bustrams!), I don't know about Sacramento. But SF certainly isn't normal for PT in the US.
Sydney apparently has good public transport (I found it fine on holidays), and Melbourne's trams aren't bad, but Adelaide is terrible and none of the cities compare to European cities in terms of reliability, coverage or frequency in my experience.
Sydney's public transport isn't great. Usually dirty, and frequently late. However it is a lot better then it was 1 year ago. I take the train every day and rarely get a seat or clean carriage.
If it was cheaper I wouldn't mind, but $50 a week to stand in a non air-conditioned/non-heated dirty train isn't what I consider a good deal.
If it was cheaper I wouldn't mind, but $50 a week to stand in a non air-conditioned/non-heated dirty train isn't what I consider a good deal.
Adelaide is bad, but it is the cheapest as well. Each ticket lasts for 2 hours, on trains, trams or buses. The problem with Adelaide is that it is too spread out, as soon as you leave the 1 mile city center, you hit the suburbs with houses with front and back gardens, all low density housing. It will never be good.
Sydney public transport sucks, it is very expensive, each ticket counts for only one trip. The trains are ok, the buses are very bad. The roads are awful in Sydney, and too much congestion. The state governments response to this is to build more roads, because they are too scared to make proper decisions.
Melbourne has the best public transport, but as with all Australian cities, it is too spread out (not as bad as Adelaide).
Sydney public transport sucks, it is very expensive, each ticket counts for only one trip. The trains are ok, the buses are very bad. The roads are awful in Sydney, and too much congestion. The state governments response to this is to build more roads, because they are too scared to make proper decisions.
Melbourne has the best public transport, but as with all Australian cities, it is too spread out (not as bad as Adelaide).
I never run into problems up in Brisbane . .
I spent 3 months in Melbourne earlier this year. Compared to Australia, the US has cheaper goods, cheaper booze, and all the digital content you want. Unfortunately, there aren't any places in the USA with good public transport (by international standards) and non-ridiculous housing prices. You have to pick one or the other. I've lived in NYC, SF, Boston, Minneapolis and rural Minnesota. Melbourne was a more viable long term solution than any of those places, especially if one wants to live in an urban environment. Most Australians I know love the states, but all are happy they have the option of returning home.
That said, the internet in Australia was so slow and expensive I'm not sure censorship should be the primary worry.
That said, the internet in Australia was so slow and expensive I'm not sure censorship should be the primary worry.
It's funny because most Brits still cannot wait to emigrate down under.
Another city in Aus, perhaps?
The 'huge tax on wine' is because you can get four litres of cask wine for $4 - or sometimes less. Oh, how onerous! I actually find it amusing that wine-lovers are screaming bloody murder because their preferential treatment over other alcohol types is coming to an end. Wine isn't being 'super-taxed', it's being equalised.
High prices for imported items? Traditionally it was because we had a weak dollar, and prices haven't caught up to the strong dollar - but that's okay, because we can order online with ease now. Our dollar hasn't been strong for very long at all, only a couple of years. General pricing moves slowly.
Ridiculous house prices I'll give you (and no politician will sign their own resignation by doing anyhting about it), but moving to another country merely to avoid those things you list? You're cutting off your nose to spite your face. If you like US culture (or wherever), then sure, move there. I know a guy that moved to Canada and won't stop raving about it.
But be familiar with the culture before you jump ship - you may be suffering from 'grass is greener' syndrome. The US has plenty of problems as well; they may suit you better, they may suit you worse.
The 'huge tax on wine' is because you can get four litres of cask wine for $4 - or sometimes less. Oh, how onerous! I actually find it amusing that wine-lovers are screaming bloody murder because their preferential treatment over other alcohol types is coming to an end. Wine isn't being 'super-taxed', it's being equalised.
High prices for imported items? Traditionally it was because we had a weak dollar, and prices haven't caught up to the strong dollar - but that's okay, because we can order online with ease now. Our dollar hasn't been strong for very long at all, only a couple of years. General pricing moves slowly.
Ridiculous house prices I'll give you (and no politician will sign their own resignation by doing anyhting about it), but moving to another country merely to avoid those things you list? You're cutting off your nose to spite your face. If you like US culture (or wherever), then sure, move there. I know a guy that moved to Canada and won't stop raving about it.
But be familiar with the culture before you jump ship - you may be suffering from 'grass is greener' syndrome. The US has plenty of problems as well; they may suit you better, they may suit you worse.
This isn't the most important factor by far, but alcohol is about 3x what people pay in the US across all products. I only said wine because that is what I drink.
To bypass this filter, Google SSH Tunneling. Overseas servers are cheap.
This is the beginning of the end. I'm seriously considering moving overseas.
This is the beginning of the end. I'm seriously considering moving overseas.
The main article is talking about blacklist filtering, not content inspection of any kind. There already was blacklist filtering and has been for years - when I signed up to the very awesome Internode (2007?), in their t's and c's there was a statement saying that there was a very small number of websites that they were forbidden by law to provide (route? resolve? can't recall), all from a government blacklist, and "you really wouldn't want to know what's on these websites"(ie: child porn). Internode is one of the good guys and Simon Hackett (owner) is huge on net neutrality - he will only restrict where the law demands it.
But honestly, moving overseas because of introduction of internet censorship? Why not campaign against it instead? Are there other things that disturb you here, or were you perhaps not being serious when you said you were 'seriously considering'?
If freedom of speech is what interests you, the RSF places Australia as having more freedom of speech than the UK, the US, and Canada. NZ and Ireland rate higher, so you may want to emigrate to one of those, but beware that the economies of both those places might make it tough to find a job.
If you're a polyglot, you've got a bit more choice: http://en.rsf.org/press-freedom-index-2010,1034.html
But honestly, moving overseas because of introduction of internet censorship? Why not campaign against it instead? Are there other things that disturb you here, or were you perhaps not being serious when you said you were 'seriously considering'?
If freedom of speech is what interests you, the RSF places Australia as having more freedom of speech than the UK, the US, and Canada. NZ and Ireland rate higher, so you may want to emigrate to one of those, but beware that the economies of both those places might make it tough to find a job.
If you're a polyglot, you've got a bit more choice: http://en.rsf.org/press-freedom-index-2010,1034.html
Or switch to Internode/iiNet ho oppose internet censorship aswell as being cheaper in some cases and support powerusers well (ipv6, adjusting your line's DSLAM profile for lower ping or higher reliability and letting you run servers on any port
They are required to block some usenet groups, though: http://www.internode.on.net/residential/product_features/pre...
If you route /all/ traffic on your computer through SSH, are there any downsides? Like, latency or some sites restricting you from accessing (Sounds silly, I know, as the idea is to have open access to all websites but I thought it may be a possibility), online multiplayer, etc?
Or would it be more reasonable to route only select data like HTTP, FTP and email? I s'pose any instant-messaging too..
Or would it be more reasonable to route only select data like HTTP, FTP and email? I s'pose any instant-messaging too..
Actually, this came up recently here on HN, referring to a rather old article entitled "Why TCP Over TCP Is A Bad Idea". Discussion and link to original article here: http://apps.ycombinator.com/item?id=2409090
Bottom line; use UDP for your tunnels and a proper VPN.
Bottom line; use UDP for your tunnels and a proper VPN.
Thank you for the link!
Try something like OpenVPN which uses UDP, which in my experience is much faster than a SSH tunnel.
Nah, Senator Fielding will only be in the Senate for a few more weeks. After him the Greens will hold the balance of power. Personally I think they're mostly loons, but they "get" the internet better than the major parties.
> Electronic Frontiers Association board member Colin Jacobs also expressed concern at the scheme, saying the Government and internet providers needed to be more upfront about websites being blocked and offer an appeals process for website owners who felt URLs had been blocked unfairly.
As if they have any intention of even notifying sites they choose to block.
As if they have any intention of even notifying sites they choose to block.
For those who wish to change internet plans; here's a good plan search: http://bc.whirlpool.net.au/bc/?action=search
I'm with TPG... Can't see if they're on board or not?
The main article says two biggest ISPs: Telstra and Optus.
Edit: Conroy have stated TPG [and Internode] wouldn't join: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/government/mor...
Edit: Conroy have stated TPG [and Internode] wouldn't join: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/government/mor...
Also looks like internet and phone companies are required to keep emails and text messages because it's effective against child sex abuse [0].
[0] http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/06/22/3250398.htm
Edit: Looks like it's part of the hacking crackdown according to this article: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/police-win-ph... Warrantless requests for electronic data.
[0] http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/06/22/3250398.htm
Edit: Looks like it's part of the hacking crackdown according to this article: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/police-win-ph... Warrantless requests for electronic data.
I love the argument.
"Without these laws we were able to do our job, therefore, pass these laws".
"Without these laws we were able to do our job, therefore, pass these laws".
I moved to Australia 4 years ago from China, uncensored internet is one of the best thing I have here, in China, government monitor everything on internet, and block plenty websites regarding politics and free speech etc, basically, government block anything they don't like, even the websites they not sure about.
I wish the internet won't be that bad in Australia.
The great thing about Australia is we still have a choice to change to another provider.
I'm a fan of Netspace's Naked plan.
I'm a fan of Netspace's Naked plan.
[deleted]
This worked out well in the UK, censoring dangerous content such as text from wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_censorship_in_the_Unit...
What is the technical mechanism being used to implement this?
I believe it's some form of URL filtering at the ISP's proxy, but don't quote me.
It's in the article:
> "The ACMA will compile and manage a list of URLs of child abuse content that will include the appropriate subsection of the ACMA blacklist as well as child abuse URLs that are provided by reputable international organisations (to be blocked)," the spokesman said.
Obviously, we all know URL filtering is useless and that the serious offenders are using P2P or encrypted connections (SSH tunnels through foreign VPS's, for example). In fact, it's even mentioned in the article[1].
[1] "Child abuse material is more likely to be exchanged on peer-to-peer networks and private networks anyway and is a matter for law enforcement." http://www.news.com.au/technology/internet-filter/telstra-op...
> "The ACMA will compile and manage a list of URLs of child abuse content that will include the appropriate subsection of the ACMA blacklist as well as child abuse URLs that are provided by reputable international organisations (to be blocked)," the spokesman said.
Obviously, we all know URL filtering is useless and that the serious offenders are using P2P or encrypted connections (SSH tunnels through foreign VPS's, for example). In fact, it's even mentioned in the article[1].
[1] "Child abuse material is more likely to be exchanged on peer-to-peer networks and private networks anyway and is a matter for law enforcement." http://www.news.com.au/technology/internet-filter/telstra-op...
Swinging voters are more interested in slogans than effectiveness :)
The "changing one character" suggestion in TFA would imply that... it's hardly deep packet inspection if that's supposed to work. Obviously contingent on quoted person knowing enough about how this stuff works... though I assume she's been appropriately briefed on the issue!
At least (most of us) will still have a choice.
You also know how hackers think. They believe things which evidence suggests are true. Regardless of what you say, if the government has failed to censor the web for 15 years, hackers won't believe it's going to happen. They'll vote for you based on other things.
You need to maximise votes. The winning strategy is obvious: loudly announce your intention to censor the web, but fail to do it. For bonus points, get some experts to tell the Christians it couldn't be done, so you can't be blamed for failing.
I just love Australian politics.