photo credit: Larsz

Stephen Conroy has had a brain meltdown on this issue of internet filtering. And hundreds of Australian expressed their concern today around the country (and many thousands more have expressed their outrage at the laws online).

Digital Liberty Coalition protests against web filter held across Australia

Protests

Digital divide … hundreds attended rallies across Australia today to oppose the Government’s web filtering plan.

* Protests against web filtering scheme

* Held in capital cities across Australia

* Monthly rallies until March

HUNDREDS of people attended rallies in Australian capital cities yesterday to voice their opposition to the Rudd Government’s planned internet filtering scheme.

via Digital Liberty Coalition protests against web filter held across Australia | News | News.com.au.

The internet censorship proposal is ricidulous. It is another ‘moral panic’ issue. The Rudd Government is only trying to pander to the likes of Family First and Nick Xenophon on this one. But in the process of pandering to these two annoying senators who account for a fraction of the population, the Government is ignoring everyone else.

It’s a curious issue because techies keep advising that it won’t be hard to bypass the filter – so you can get around the stupid legislation – and so can the weirdoes and gambling people and any other nutter. It’s like gun laws – if you really want to get your hands on a gun you can. If you really want to get around an internet filter you can. So it’s not going to stop criminals or those folks intent on using the internet for ill.

But it will by all accounts really slow everything down for everyone. And here is the greatest irony of the genius Conroy’s plan. At the same time as he’s about to build a fast broadband network, he’s introducing legislation and technology that will slow it down!

Explain the logic in that if you can.

The other problem is that there is very little clarity around what exactly will be blocked. Image of child pornography yes, and euthanasia information (that’s a whole other debate). But there is also talk of other things such as all porn, peer to peer sites, the list goes on and on.

The Rudd Government is officially out of control. Rudd talks about innovation and needing to be technically advanced. Australia is about to become the only western democracy in the world to censor its internet – yeah, clever country indeed.

If you want to join the fight for our internet freedom you can here:

[iframe http://www.getup.org.au/campaign/SaveTheNet/442 600 800]