Australian Government Initiates Covert Internet Censorship 104
An anonymous reader writes "Remember how the Australian Government tried to enact a big bad Internet filter on the population? Well, that effort failed, but now there's a new initiative in place. At least one government agency, the country's financial regulator, has quietly started issuing legal notices to ISPs requesting them to block certain types of websites deemed illegal. There's no oversight or appeals process, and already a false positive event has resulted in some 1,200 innocent websites being blocked from Australians viewing them. Sounds ideal, right?"
Re:Here we go -- (Score:5, Funny)
'Tis quite alright. In the future, the public internet (what's left of it) will only run encrypted data-streams. That's ultimately where this is headed. And since encryption is easier to make than decryption....well, the censors will always be on the losing side. Eternally.
The real fun part will be, of course, if / when humanity runs into other sentient lifeforms out in the universe. I'm sure that they will, of course, naturally have chosen similar schemes for controlling information within their own populations, as well as limiting reproductive choices, and implementing artificial castes. And that when they gaze upon what our great planet has invented, the very jewel of our solar system, the fruits of brightest minds and the labor bought off the backs of millions of straining peoples, they will acknowledge that we truly are just like them, and worthy to open trade negotiations / some sort of alliance. When our drones are flying over enemy territory, our borders, even our homeland itself, we are telling those with peering, but hidden eyes far up in the heavens exactly the kind of freedom America stands for. And they will know, like in all our broadcasts and films, that when they wish to pay homage to our wonderful civilization, exactly which building to visit and which leader they should strike up a conversation with.
Re:Denied (Score:4, Funny)
Links doesn't work... keep getting error 403 access denied. So im just going to assume that the facts are wrong in this case.
Not down. Just filtered in your country. Try a VPN...
Re:Here we go -- (Score:5, Funny)
we are telling those with peering, but hidden eyes far up in the heavens exactly the kind of freedom America stands for. And they will know, like in all our broadcasts and films
I, for one, welcome the chance to sue our new overlords for illegally obtaining our broadcasts and films. Goddamn space pirates.
Re:You have consented to large government (Score:3, Funny)
Confusing individual freedoms and criminal negligence on your part I can understand, but confusing Australia and Bangladesh is something new.
Re:You have consented to large government (Score:4, Funny)
The Australian government is about to boot its people down more.
I'd say, let's get the entire Australian government and leave them on a deserted island somewhere in the middle of the ocean...
Re:You have consented to large government (Score:5, Funny)