Rubenerd

I was forwarded an email from the GetUp team by our infinitely fabulous close family friend [Little] Sue Heins earlier this week. I think it speaks so well to the issues surrounding Senator Conroy’s plan to have a mandatory internet filter on every Australian internet connection I just had to pass it on.

For those who want to learn more, you can read my previous posts on this ongoing subject and visit nocleanfeed.com, GetUp.org.au’s Save The Net campaign and of course Electronic Frontiers Australia. I’ll be posting a separate entry with further links because each time I create a post like this, I invariably find even more sites to refer people to!

Now onto the email:

Imagine a government proposing an internet censorship system that went further than any other democracy – one that made the internet up to 87% slower, more expensive, accidentally blocked up to one in 12 legitimate sites, and missed the vast majority of inappropriate content.

This is not China, Saudi Arabia or Iran – this is the vision of Senator Stephen Conroy for Australia. Testing has already begun. The community must now move to stop this plan. Click [the link below] to save the net:

www.getup.org.au/campaign/SaveTheNet

The system that Senator Conroy wants is a mandatory filter of all internet traffic, with the government of the day able to add any unwanted site to a secret blacklist. Already, the wrangling has begun for the inclusion of material relating to anorexia, euthanasia and gambling. It isn’t difficult to see the scheme is open to abuse.

Even when it comes to preventing child pornography, the filter will not prevent peer-to-peer sharing and is very simple to sidestep. The protection of our children is vitally important — that’s why we can’t afford to waste funds on this deeply flawed system. We should be concentrating on solutions that are more effective and won’t undermine our digital economy or our democratic freedoms.

This must rank as one of the most ill-thought decisions of the Rudd Government’s first year in power. We need to act now to tell big brother the mandatory internet filter is incompatible with the principles of a modern democracy and modern economy:

www.getup.org.au/campaign/SaveTheNet

Our government should be doing all in its power to take Australia into the 21st century economy, and to protect our children. This proposed internet censorship does neither. Take action to save the net today.

Thanks for being a part of the solution,
The GetUp team

PS – The proposed scheme will pass all internet traffic through a government filter – it’s like asking Australia Post to filter every letter sent in Australia. Click here to save the net.