Internet filtering: stop Australia importing stupidity from China
// October 27th, 2008 // Issues, Privacy
Richard Giles from Recommendation Ventures and I often think alike (such as his recent post on ‘Marketing 101 for Web Startups‘ which nicely parallels my ‘tips on media relations for web startups‘.)
Richard’s further ahead on the curve – but probably right where I should be – when it comes to worrying about proposals to introduce internet content filters in Australia.
Tweaking Richard’s analogy a little, attempts to introduce compulsory internet content filters is like forcing everyone to be breath-tested before they drive their car. It risks significant impact to innocent Australian websites wrongly filtered, slows the internet down for everyone, infringes our freedom of speech and potentially increases the cost of bandwidth for consumers and businesses.
There’s no evidence that internet filtering is effective even in extremely regulated societies such as China. I can’t believe the enlightened Rudd government would try and import such ridiculous ‘command-and-control’ thinking. There’s no way an Australian government can achieve anything effective here other than impose an additional cost on bandwidth users and make the internet harder and slower to access for us all.
Senator The Hon Stephen Conroy is wrong, Richard is right, and the most effective way you can register your objections to this absurd proposal is to blog and Tweet about it. Let’s get to work.
