Conroy’s censorship crusade
SP Newsletter No.300
The Labor Government is planning to force all Australian Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to filter internet traffic and block any ‘inappropriate’ material. Under the guise of ‘protecting children’ the Government plan is set to censor thousands of internet sites.
The announcement by Senator Stephen Conroy comes only nine months after a leak of potentially censored sites was uploaded on Wikileaks, a site where whistleblowers can easily leak official documents to the public. The list brings into question the Government’s stated aim of ‘protecting children’ from Restricted Access sites.
While the list did contain some Restricted Access sites that included images of child abuse, it also included Youtube sites, Wikipedia entries and web pages that were entirely political or religious in content.
For example a site that discussed the geo-political reasons for terrorism was on the list, as were pro-Euthanasia sites, anti-abortion pages and the pages of various fringe religions. The list even included the site of a Queensland doctor and a tour operator, a testament to the software’s inaccuracy. The leak is a strong warning of the potential for political and ideological repression.
One of the fundamental problems with the Government’s plan, aside from its imprecision, is that the transfer of illegal material like child pornography often occurs outside of internet pages – through file sharing and various other avenues. No filter, regardless of its precision, will succeed in eliminating this.
More concerning, however, are the political implications of online censorship. Some of Australia’s leading media academics have slammed the Government’s proposals stating that there are ‘very strong political motives behind this’ and have argued that filters present a major concern for the civil liberties of those that challenge Government or business policy, particularly when coupled with the Government’s draconian anti-terrorism laws.
According to some experts, previous government policy of providing free home filters to households was a far more effective approach to preventing access to sites that include child pornography. This suggests that the Government has ulterior motives.
The reality is that mandatory filtering has little to do with protecting the rights of children. The biggest supporters of the plan are the big business entertainment companies. Companies like Village Roadshow, Universal Pictures and Warner Bros are set to profit greatly from mandatory filtering as it will make it much harder for users to download music, movies and images without paying royalties.
With Labor pushing the plan it is no surprise to learn that, according to the Australian Electoral Commission website, Village Roadshow alone donated more than $1.3 million to various Labor Party branches between 1998 and 2008.
The problem with the mandatory nature of Labor’s plan is who actually decides what is acceptable content and what is not? The state should not have any role in telling people what they can and can not read or look at.
Aside from helping the big entertainment companies to maximise their profits, Conroy’s censorship plan is a major attack on civil liberties. A campaign needs to be waged against mandatory filtering because, just like the anti-terror laws, this type of censorship will be used against any groups who oppose the Government. The need to defeat this legislation is particularly urgent in the light of the looming class battles that will be brought on by the global economic crisis.
Attend the anti-censorship day of action on Saturday March 6th. Say NO to Conroy’s censorship crusade!
Introduction to Marxism day school in Melbourne
This day school will be of interest to anyone who is interested in the ideas of Marxism.
It will be held from 1pm – 5pm on Saturday March 27 @ Trades Hall, corner of Lygon & Victoria Streets Carlton South. The agenda for the school is as follows:
Session 1: 1.00pm – 2.00pm
The method of Marxism – An introduction to dialectics and historical materialism
Session 2: 2.30pm – 3.30pm
What would socialism look like? What is democratic socialism and how would it work?
Session 3: 4.00pm – 5.00pm
How could a revolution happen in Australia? How mass movements can effect change
For more information or to request the prior reading contact 96399111.
Other upcoming SP meetings
The Melbourne Branch of the Socialist Party meets every Wednesday 7pm at Trades Hall on the corner of Lygon & Victoria Streets Carlton South. Upcoming meetings include:
10/3 – Film night: Capitalism a love story
17/3 – Fighting for GLBTI rights
24/3 – Sri Lanka after the Presidential election
31/3 – Indonesia: Lessons from the 98 uprising
For more information or for details of meetings in other parts of Australia contact our National Office on 03 9639 9111.
News links:
Chile: Huge earthquake kills hundreds and many missing
Spain: Mass demonstrations against government´s attacks begin
Join the Socialist Party
If you agree with what you have read in our newsletter or on our website you should consider joining SP. The Socialist Party has branches in Melbourne, Sydney, Newcastle and Perth as well as members and supporters in all other states.
We are involved in trade union work and student work. We also run community, anti-war and environmental campaigns. But most of all we want to build a party that will fight to get rid of the capitalist system, the system that is at the root of all of these problems. We fight for socialism - a system that will bring an end to wars, poverty and environmental destruction. To join SP contact our National Office on 03 9639 9111 and we will send you a membership application form.
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Socialist Party contact details
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Sydney: Phone Gary on 0297287727.
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The Socialist Party is the Australian section of the Committee for a Workers’ International (CWI). The CWI is organised in over 40 countries across the world.
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