Essential linkage: Google sides with Reporters Without Borders over Senator Conroy's net filtering plans.
It might be odd to look to an American news site for essentially Australian news, but Ars Technica does such a good job with this piece that we had to share.
Google, it appears, is more than a little leary of the upcoming net filtering plan, as was recently made plain following the release of documents after a public consultation on the scheme. Google's response is here, and it fascinating reading. Ars agrees:
"Australia is rightly regarded as a liberal democracy that balances individual liberty with social responsibility," continues the Google filing. "The Governments of many other countries may justify, by reference to Australia, their use of filtering, their lack of disclosure about what is being filtered, and their political direction of agencies administering filtering." Google is unlikely to come right out and compare Australia to China, but the implication is obvious-and has been made explicit by other groups. Reporters Without Borders said recently that Australia would "be joining an Internet censors' club that includes such countries as China, Iran, and Saudi Arabia."
"Australia is rightly regarded as a liberal democracy that balances individual liberty with social responsibility," continues the Google filing. "The Governments of many other countries may justify, by reference to Australia, their use of filtering, their lack of disclosure about what is being filtered, and their political direction of agencies administering filtering."
Google is unlikely to come right out and compare Australia to China, but the implication is obvious-and has been made explicit by other groups. Reporters Without Borders said recently that Australia would "be joining an Internet censors' club that includes such countries as China, Iran, and Saudi Arabia."
The article goes on to neatly summarise the scheme's history and the pros and cons. It's a great piece of writing, and well worth reading.
Issue: 137 | June, 2012