Aussie Gov't Decides ISPs Aren't Responsible For Infected Computers 129
c0lo writes "In a sudden outburst of common sense, the Australian senate decided that it is not the government's responsibility to force ISPs to disconnect infected computers from the Internet. Peter Coroneos, chief of the Internet Industry Association, used a car analogy that actually makes sense: 'It would be like forcing car manufacturers to take responsibility for bad drivers.'"
Not that great of a car analogy... (Score:5, Informative)
It would be more like the government requiring car manufacturers to do something about car theft, since an 'infected computer' is essentially out of the user's control. And yes, the Australian government DOES require all cars to have an immobiliser.
Re:Backing off inappropriately (Score:3, Informative)
I would compare it to forcing garages to take unroadworthy cars off the road - regardless of who is at fault, the car is a hazard to other road users.
Many parts of the world already have something like this - the UK has the MOT test, for instance. Annual test for vehicles over 3 years old, if your car fails you can't drive it. (Fairly meaningless test because it just proves your car was OK when it was in the garage. If something then falls off 100 yards down the road, that's the driver's problem.)
Re:Not that great of a car analogy... (Score:4, Informative)
And yes, the Australian government DOES require all cars to have an immobiliser.
My 1982 VH Holden commodore would beg to differ. Maybe you meant all new cars?
Re:Backing off inappropriately (Score:3, Informative)
That's just it - the MOT test is enforced by the Ministry of Transport. If the analogy applied, it would be like requiring you to take your 3 year old computer into a Ministry of Communications approved Geek Squad office for approval to connect to the internet. Fortunately we don't have to pay for an internet licence/registration yet, but now that the idea has come into my head it's only a matter of time...