Loading ...Wikileaks servers are overloaded and cannot operate. They recently posted a secret list of a proposed banned sites.
According to Forbes, the scope of Australia’s internet censorship has developed far beyond its initial aim to block child pornography and web pages associated with terrorism. Free speech advocates fear it could be used to block legitimate activity.
Wikileaks recently published a complete list of the proposed blacklist sites currently under review in Australia, under the guise of protecting the people of Australia from child pornography. The Australian government has issued a statement calling the list a fake and threatening action against Wikileaks. Wikileaks is standing behind the list’s authenticity and has issued a statement informing the Australian government of their full rights to publish the list as well as a promise to pursue legal action against anyone attempting to censor Wikileaks.
There are some excellent articles on these events at the following links:
FORBES:
Aussie Internet Blacklist Has Gray Areas
WIRED:
Australia Censors Wikileaks Page
Excerpt:
The federal government in Australia has been wanting to force all ISPs to use the list to censor the internet for everyone, but that plan has sputtered under severe criticism from online liberty groups and technical experts.
But just last week, ACMA forced Whirlpool to remove a user forum link that pointed to graphic pictures on an anti-abortion website. ACMA threatened the site’s hosting provider with fines of $11,000 a day if the link was not removed.
That, free speech advocates say, shows the censorship regime isn’t limited to fighting child pornography and will be used to block legitimate political speech.
GUARDIAN (UK):
Wikileaks taken offline after publishing Australia’s banned websites
IT NEWS:
ACMA blacklist proves too popular for Wikileaks
LEZGETREAL:
Australian Government Purposed to Ban Gay Websites
UBER REVIEW:
What the Leaked Australian Internet Blacklist Says About Censorship
Excerpt:
Then there are the technical aspects of censorship. It constricts rapidly increasing traffic and slows the flow of information. It is not simply a matter of blocking access to the sites on the list; all Internet use must be monitored in order to prevent access to the blacklisted sites. Thus, as the number of sites on the list grows, the speed of user traffic will decrease. Australia’s Internet is already embarrassingly slow for a developed country a nation-wide filtration system would constitute a further step back.
COURIER NEWS:
Scared men wear secrecy veil: Terry Sweetman
Excerpt:
SECRECY, said British judge Sir John Chadwick, is the badge of fraud. He was speaking in the context of financial fraud but it seems equally to apply in Australia where governments wear the badge while robbing us of our freedoms, all the while pretending to do precisely the opposite.
Wikileaks needs money to upgrade their servers and get more bandwidth. This is where you can and need to help! Please, go to Wikileaks and donate right now to donate $10 or more. The enemies of free information are the enemies of us all.
Wikileaks is on the front line of the fight for accountability, transparency and accountability. Please help.
-gadfly
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on Mar 22nd, 2009 at 22:18
This whole thing with Australia banning all of these websites makes me reconsider how crazy I think America is… maybe we’re not as crazy as those crazy bastards in Australia at least.
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gadfly Reply:
March 22nd, 2009 at 22:37
lol. maybe we’re simply a different flavor of crazy. we’re “not brand X” crazy.
-gadfly
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on Mar 22nd, 2009 at 23:01
The whole censorship situation here in Australia has been very underhanded, secretive and has (now) left egg on the faces of the government – particularly the Communications Minister Stephen Conroy – who we suspect doesn’t even know what the internet is. The current trials are being done on small time ISP’s in a way to overt the great slowdown in internet traffic that will occur once fully implemented. Most large national ISP’s are very damning of the Government strategy including my ISP who have been very vocal against the plans, even today they have announced their refusal to take part in the second round of trials after the farce of the leaking of the blacklist. While I understand and support that there needs to be a way to stop/prevent child pornography, the current filter will just make it go underground and they will never have a chance in catching the criminals. A complete technical, social and authoritarian disaster in the making!
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gadfly Reply:
March 22nd, 2009 at 23:09
it sounds like a complete bollocks’d job from jump street. here in the US, the telco’s are in bed with the RIAA and anyone else that wants to conspire with them to limit public choices, the free flow of information and maximize how much money they can extract from us – by hook or by crook. it sound’s like you’re up against the same crap over there. good luck! keep up the good fight, and I’m sorry to see you folks going through this.
-gadfly
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