Events

NATION-WIDE PROTESTS: Sat Dec 13

Melbourne 12 Noon @ State Library 

Together we can stop this legislation and preserve freedom of speech online. 

The Australian Federal Government is pushing forward with a plan to
force Internet Service Providers [ISPs] to censor the Internet for all
Australians. This plan will waste tens of millions of taxpayer dollars
and slow down Internet access.

Despite being almost universally condemned by the public, ISPs, State
Governments, Media and censorship experts, Communications Minister
Stephen Conroy is determined to force this filter into your home.

For more information visit Australians Against Internet Censorship
(AAIC) http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=35119201737&ref=mf

The Australian government is planning to implement internet filtering at the ISP level. This internet filter will work in much the same way as the freely available filters for adult content which can already be downloaded by the public for personal use. The proposed filter will be intended to block content with a MA15+ rating or higher. Websites deemed to host illegal content will also be blocked. A blacklist of websites deemed unsuitable for public viewing has already been produced, this list is at present not available to the public. The dangerous concern is that any website the government disapproves of can easily be added to this list. Regardless of whether or not you trust the current government, there are no safeguards in place to prevent future governments from exploiting this list and adding websites that oppose their own personal ideals.

In order to pass this legislation it is likely that gambling websites will also be blocked. The cost of this technology is believed to be $45 million for the initial setup and then an additional $33 million per annum.

On the 28th of July the Australian government released a report detailing the results of a trial of six potential filters. The report included the following statistics.

Internet speeds dropped between 21% and 86%. The most accurate filter was also the one with the greatest drop in speed.

Content that the filters failed to block ranged from 2% to 13%.

Content blocked by mistake ranged from 1.3% to 7.8%

The type of websites blocked by accident may include websites on issues such as sexual health or breast cancer. Legitimate websites unfortunate enough to be hosted on a web-server with adult content are also likely to be blocked. Websites which are hacked or spammed with porn will again be blocked. Hate websites and websites deemed to be inciting criminal activity will be blocked, this may include websites promoting euthanasia or file sharing.

If your website is blocked the you will have to appeal the decision with an Administrative appeals tribunal. The exact process has yet to be disclosed.

This legislation will not protect children. If anything this legislation is more likely to harm children than protect them. Parents are likely to be lured into a false sense of security. Bypassing internet filters has been proven to be notoriously easy for children.

Of greater concern is the possibility that such a filter would encourage paedophiles to start using programs that make it more difficult for them to be tracked. This would hamper the efforts of the police in tracking paedophiles online.

An internet filter will do nothing to combat the production and uploading of Child Pornography.

The internet filter will not block P2P networks which are where the majority of file sharing occurs.

If the Australian government wants to stop child sexual abuse then the money for this legislation should be spent on Federal police programs designed to target the producers of such material

Let your federal MP know how you feel about this issue. Speaking directly to them will have the greatest effect. Letters will help too especially handwritten ones. Be careful not to insult or offend them, even if they are a sitting member of the labor party, they may not necessarily agree with this policy.

An official petition is available at http://www.wakinggiant.org/au_censorship.htm. The petition is open to all Australian citizens. Make sure that the people who sign it add their address, failing to do so may render a signature void.

Join Australians Against Internet Censorship.(AAIC). We are a non-political non-profit group dedicated to stopping this legislation from being passed. We are working at raising awareness of this issue and organising protests to show the public opposition to this legislation. You can find us at http://www.nocleanfeedforum.com

For further information visit http://stopthecleanfeed.com/

Together we can stop this legislation and preserve freedom of speech online. 

Solidarity with Greece: Rally for Alexandros Grigoropoulos

Outside the Greek Consulate

37-29 Albert Road, South Melbourne (take St Kilda Rd trams)

On Saturday 6th of December at around 10pm, two Greek policemen were in patrol in a central street by Exarchia square, in the center of Athens. They had a verbal argument with some young people who were there. During the argument, one of the cops pulled his gun and shot a 16-year-old minor twice. The victim was moved to Evangelismos Hospital to be pronounced dead. According to eye-witnesses, the cop had been swearing against the young boy, and showing his genitals, before shooting him. In a spontaneous response, thousands of people gathered in the centers of most Greek cities over the past three days in riots. In Athens, people gathered outside Evangelismos Hospital, in order to prevent the cops from entering the building. A little later the riot police attacked in a street in Exarchia resulting in one person being arrested. The evening in Athens evolved with a spontaneous assembly in the Polytechnic University, many rioted in the center of Athens, including attacks against police departments and banks, until the early hours of the next morning. Meanwhile, a spontaneous demonstration took place, but it was confronted by the riot police with tear gas. Rallies, demonstrations, direct actions and riots took place all around the country. Solidarity actions have already been held around Greece, in London, Edinburgh, Berlin, and Vienna. There is a planned rally/vigil for Alexandros Grigoropoulos in Melbourne – the city with the biggest Greek population outside of Greece.

For more information: contact David Vakalis on 0404 722 687