Off Topic With Ashley

I headed out to Brisbane’s anti-‘net censorship protest today with Rach. It was steenkin’ hot, and I didn’t have any shorts so we left after about an hour for the blessed cool of the air conditioned mall. The turnout was a bit of a disappointment considering nearly a thousand people pledged their willingness to join in, but there was a reasonable crowd nonetheless as evidenced by the Flickr coverage.

I was really quite annoyed with a few aspects of the day:

• The Brisbane rally was more like a Something Awful goon meet, which was fine, but it’s not exactly lending the cause any credibility. SBS, the only broadcaster with any real coverage of the issue didn’t even display footage from the Brisbane protest, and I’m really not surprised. A lot of the signs were geeky in-jokes, and some of them really stupid.
• There were a number of interest groups vying for a position in the action, and selling things. Rach was harassed by a mousey soviet trying to turn her to the socialist cause, when all she really wanted to do was listen to the speeches.
• One particular sign that ticked me off real gosh darn good was the one bagging out the commercial news networks. How stupid is bagging out the very news networks that hold the hearts and minds of the twenty million you’re trying to open a dialog with?

In any case, there was minimal news coverage. The ABC had sporadic coverage, including two micro-articles “Brisbane protesters rally against web filter plans” and “Protesters say govt internet filter won’t work”. The local ABC also had an interesting piece that seemed somewhat positive until the kicker in the very last sentence.

About two hundred people turned out in Brisbane to support a national day of action against the Federal Government’s proposal to censor the Internet. Protesters converged on Brisbane Square, demanding the government abandon the plans for what it describes as a “clean Internet feed” for Australians.

Internet users won’t be able to access blacklisted sites, but the list will be kept secret. A second filter will block material deemed inappropriate for children.

Opponents say the proposal is undemocratic.

“It’s just very underhanded. I’d expect something like this from a dictatorship, not something in the western world, like Australia.”

“It will block legitimate sites and at the same time slow down the Internet for us…”

At least one Australian study has found “significant” community support for an Internet filtering system.

The SBS had the most in-depth coverage, with interviews from heavyweights such as Bernadette McMenamin, Clive Hamilton, Colin Jacobs of the EFA as well as coverage from both Adelaide and Melbourne protests.

There have been protests in cities across Australia this afternoon over the proposed censorship of the Internet. The Rudd government is about to trial a nation-wide web filtering system. It would force Internet providers to block access to thousands of sites containing questionable or illegal content.

Drenched cold, and angry; several hundred people braved Melbourne’s wild weather to voice their opposition to the government’s trial.

“We don’t need no censorship”

They say the plan forcing Internet providers to filter illegal sites will make the web slower and less efficient. They’re also concerned a secret blacklist could block legitimate web pages.

“I feel very uncomfortable with the notion that the government can go and decide what we’re allowed to read.”

“Basically there’s a large amount of web sites that will be blocked bny accident.”

Feelings were much the same in protests across the rest of the country, but those in favour of the move say their fears are unfounded.

[Bernadette McMenamin says] “The ISP filtering is about blocking sites. It’s not about blocking words, so it’s not like your old fashioned filters - which aren’t effective.”

Child advocacy groups assure ISP filtering is already working in several other nations, but say it’s only one part of a broader approach to stamping out illegal behaviour.

[McMenamin continutes] “So the ISP filtering plan has really been taken out of all proportion by some people that I believe have dubious motives in order that they want freedom of the Internet at any cost.”

[Colin Jacobs says] “As most people in the industry know, illegal material is traded through other technologies; traded between small secret groups in a way that will not be affected by this filter at all.”

[Clive Hamilton says] “So let’s see what the trials show before we can make a proper judgement, rather than just bagging the policy by only looking at one side.”

But the government’s plan has been dealt a blow before it’s even begun, with several of Australia’s largest broadband providers only agreeing to a limited trial, or refusing to take part at all.

The pilot is expected to take six weeks to complete. Marion Ives; World news, Australia.

Overall, I think the day was a bit of a fizzler, but it was still something. I guess now we can only hope that the government backs down after the so called “live” trials, or at the very least works with the community to help create some sort of less-destructive compromise.