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Australia plans tough web rules
By Phil Mercer
BBC News, Sydney
Australia is planning tough new rules to protect children from online pornography and violence. The new Labor government wants internet service providers to filter content to ensure households and schools do not receive "inappropriate" material.
Civil libertarians have condemned the plan as unnecessary, and say it will erode the freedom of the internet. But telecommunications minister Stephen Conroy said more needed to be done to protect children.
By Phil Mercer
BBC News, Sydney
Australia is planning tough new rules to protect children from online pornography and violence. The new Labor government wants internet service providers to filter content to ensure households and schools do not receive "inappropriate" material.
Civil libertarians have condemned the plan as unnecessary, and say it will erode the freedom of the internet. But telecommunications minister Stephen Conroy said more needed to be done to protect children.
Sounds reasonable enough, of course. But is that really what it is? How easy it would be to abuse such a facility. I believe the Chinese are particularly aware of such things, but they are more conditioned to slavery than us in recent times. Must be some sort of cross-cultural fertilization going on.
What do you think: Europe within 3 years? I think less. Still, let's look on the bright side. At least we won't have to suffer the trauma of looking at any more pics of dead Afghanis or Iraqis - and those nasty pics from the American torture camps will trouble us no more. In fact, unless we have the misfortune to actually have a conflict going on around our ears we'll be able to pretend everything is just great all the time, forever and ever.
Disgusting isn't it?
Full BBC article here