Criminal Information on the Net

[Jennifer Cram]

So, Australia is to institute the toughest measures to censor the net for 
"criminal information" (ABC news last night).

In a society where a person can be in fear of their life because of threats 
from a spouse but the police cannot do anything about it until actual 
harm is done, a society where "criminal" information of the type being 
railed about is freely available in print, a society where previously it 
has not been illegal to know something, even if it might be illegal in 
certain contexts to put that knowledge to practical use, it is suddenly 
assumed that it is the access and knowing that constitutes the danger.

Use of the internet for conspiracy purposes would not be via the Web, but 
largely by email anyway, and that's the only truly criminal information I 
can think of (other than perhaps inciting to riot etc).

I regularly use the "mail-to" facility in graphical browsers to email to 
colleagues information I have stumbled across which I believe will be of 
interest to them. Such facilities will be used across national boundaries 
to circumvent any censorship anyway.

If we take this to its logical conclusion I can see librarians and others 
spending innumerable hours excising the neat recipe for molotov cocktails 
from the Macquarie Dictionary, the information on how to set and 
light fires from all scouting handbooks, and the detail of how the 
dastardly deed was done from all murder mysteries,

		
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Jennifer Cram		
Manager, Library Services		Real generosity toward the future 
Queensland Department of Education	lies in giving all to the present
P O Box 33                                           - Albert Camus		
BRISBANE ALBERT STREET  Q  4002		
Australia                               Everything should be made as 
email jcram@qednsl.qld.gov.au           simple as possible but not simpler
phone + 61 7 237 0975                                - Albert Einstein		
fax   + 61 7 237 1108                   

        !  "Stressed" is just Desserts spelled backwards !		
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Unless explicitly attributed, the opinions expressed are personal.