Australia to make huge leap in big brother race.

[manifold]

The list in question is provided to the creators of Internet filtering software that people can opt to install on their computers. But Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has proposed mandating that Australian Internet service providers implement the list, which would make Australia one of the strictest Internet regulators among democratic countries. Several Internet providers are conducting trials of the filter through June.

Yahoo! News - Australian Internet `blacklist' prompts concern by AP: Yahoo! Tech



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[Diuretic]

The fury is palpable here. If this gets up - and it's a big "if" due to technical issues - it will cost the government (the Australian Labor Party) a lot of votes and could see it in big trouble next general election.

The really stinking bit about this is, aside from Conroy's bullshit about cutting out child porn (well fucking duh people get locked up for accessing it, fucking idiot he is) the truth of it is that this is a promise the ALP made to try and get one of the independent Senators to go along with their policy agenda. The Senate isn't controlled by the government party (always a good thing I think) and two independent Senators and the Greens are needed to get legislation through. One of the independent Senators is a happy clapper from the Family First party. To get his vote the government had to promise to "clean up" the internet feed from ISPs to end users. An impossible feat but one that the Senator required.

So, out goes good technology policy for a cheap deal with a happy clapper Senator.

And Conroy, the Minister, is a dense prick, he won't listen to the outcries from the industry which says it won't work and it will fuck up an already below-par system.

Fuck them, I'm voting Greens in the lower house and Senate next federal election.