U.S. position on an unfettered Internet

Seen at North Coast Voices.

Let my cyberspace go!

"The internet needs to be free. It needs to be free the way we have said the skies have to be free, outer space has to be free, the polar caps have to be free, the oceans have to be free. They're shared resources of all the people of the world."US ambassador Jeffrey Bleich

onlyJob : Internet Filtering

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Conroy denies knowledge of U.S. approach re Intenet censorship concerns

THE Obama administration has questioned the Rudd government's plan to introduce an internet filter, saying it runs contrary to the US's foreign policy of encouraging an open internet to spread economic growth and global security.
Officials from the State Department have raised the issue with Australian counterparts as the US mounts a diplomatic assault on internet censorship by governments worldwide.
The news is a blow to Communications Minister Stephen Conroy, who is defending the plan for internet companies to mandatorily block illegal and abhorrent websites -- for instance, child pornography -- but faces growing opposition. according to Business with The Wallstreet Journal yesterday.

Conroy's retort:
"Well, I've seen those concerns, [but] I haven't had any direct contact with the US State Department," Conroy said on the ABC's Radio National Australia Talks program tonight. "I saw the reports in the morning papers. My department I don't believe has been directly contacted. They maybe are speaking to the Department of Foreign Affairs - but I was unaware until I saw this morning's news reports of any approaches at all at this stage."
more by Stephen Conroy - 8 hours ago - iTWire (1 occurrences)

Hockey against internet censorship but his leader has other ideas

Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey has joined Nick Minchin in coming out against the Rudd Labor Government's plan to censor the internet through the imposition of a national filter on access to the world wide web. Liberal MPs Simon Birmingham, Alex Hawke, Michael Johnson and Jamie Briggs support their position.

The problem for Hockey and Minchin is that their Coalition leader, Tony Abbott, is publicly hedging his bets on the issue (ably seconded by Shadow Communications Minister Tony Smith) and is widely thought to privately support this censorship, and as we all know Abbott likes to fly solo on policy creation and election promises.

Hockey might as well save his breath.

Labor vote on Internet censorship due this month

The Federal Labor party is set to vote on whether or not mandatory filter plans become legislation within the next two weeks, according to Government Senator, Kate Lundy.

Time to get those protest emails out to your local MP and party leaders. Pronto.

Electronic Frontiers Australia on how to lobby a Lib.

Way to go! Google won't help Rudd Government build the Great Firewall of Australia

Google Australia's head of policy, Iarla Flynn, said the company had a bias in favour of freedom of expression and Senator Conroy's comparisons between how Australia and China deal with access to information were not ''helpful or relevant''.

Google has threatened to pull out of China, partly owing to continuing requests for it to censor material.

YouTube's rules forbid certain videos that would be classified RC, such as sex, violence, bestiality and child pornography. But the RC classification extends to more controversial content such as information on euthanasia, material about safer drug use and how to commit minor crimes.

Google said the topics were featured in YouTube videos and it refused to censor them.

''The scope of RC is simply too broad and can raise genuine questions about restrictions on access to information,'' Mr Flynn said. ''RC includes the grey realms of material instructing in any crime from graffiti to politically controversial crimes such as euthanasia, and exposing these topics to public debate is vital for democracy.''

Stephen Conroy swims against the tide

"When Government seeks to use its full power, including the criminal law, to command where a person may get his or her information or what distrusted source he or she may not hear, it uses censorship to control thought." (U.S. Supreme Court on 21.01.2010)