[LINK] Stop the Clean Feed - Protest Rallies Saturday

[George Bray]

There is now a Canberra event.

Here we go again? Do you feel like it's 1997 all over again?
http://www.acs.org.au/news/senate.htm

George


Stop the clean feed - Canberra rally
Rally against the governments planned mandatory internet filtering

Date:    Saturday, December 13, 2008
Time:    12:00pm - 2:00pm
Location:    City Walk (near the fountain outside of the Canberra Centre),
Civic
Street:    Ainslie Avenue
City/Town:    Canberra, Australia



Join us on Sat the 13th to raise public awareness and show the government
that we do not want mandatory internet filtering for Australia.

Anyone wanting to help out, contact me or post at
http://nocensorship.info/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=132#p132

INVITE people!
_______________________________________________

What is the Government's plan?

Although the final details of the filtering plans have been kept under
wraps, the Minister is on record as being firmly committed to a mandatory
clean-feed internet to Australian homes, schools and public computers. A
trial of filtering software by the ACMA has already been performed, with a
"live" field pilot to follow later this year. We must act fast before
millions of dollars are squandered on this technically impractical and
democratically unworkable solution in search of a problem.

What do we know so far?

* Filtering will be mandatory in all homes and schools across the country.
* The clean feed will censor material that is "harmful and inappropriate"
for children.
* The filter will require a massive expansion of the ACMA's blacklist of
prohibited content.
* The Government wants to use dynamic filters of questionable accuracy that
slow the internet down by an average of 30%.
* The filtering will target legal as well as illegal material.
* $44m has been budgeted for the implementation of this scheme so far.
* The clean-feed for children will be opt-out, but a second filter will be
mandatory for all Internet users.7
* A live pilot deployment is going ahead in the near future.

What we don't know is just as important.

* What age level is the country's Internet to be made appropriate for? 15?
10? 5 years old?
* Who decides what material is "appropriate" for Australians to see?
* How are lists of "illegal" material compiled?
* Who will maintain the blacklist of prohibited sites?
* How can sites mistakenly added to the list be removed?

All of us want to see children protected from content that could be
disturbing or harmful. The clean-feed filter is not a good way to go about
this, and could actually reduce the safety of children online.
_______________________________________________

For more information on this issue please visit:
www.nocleanfeed.com

Please note, the above link is the OFFICIAL EFA campaign, not related to
this protest.

For more info on this protest, please visit:
www.nocensorship.info
_______________________________________________

Not in Canberra? Nation wide protests will happen on Saturday 13 December
in:
11am Brisbane Square: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=42526399601
11am Hobart Parliament Lawns:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=39329861995
11am Sydney Town Hall Sydney Facebook Event:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=49916537640
12pm Adelaide Parliament: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=39343300875
12pm Melbourne State Library:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=46838735931
12pm Perth Stirling Gardens:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=45738419714
_______________________________________________

A Newbie Guide to Protesting

What to Bring

• First take care of yourself-

Dress to the weather and wear comfortable shoes. Make sure to eat prior to
the event and bring water. Always remember sunscreen!

• Bring your awareness promotion tools-

Fliers, picket signs, banners and anything creative you can think of. Be
sure to check with your organiser about the laws regarding appropriate
materials. Anything with metal or wood is generally a concern to the police.

• Knowledge-

The aim of the rally is to spread awareness of the issue and voice your
opinion. If you read up beforehand you'll feel a lot more confident on the
day to discuss the issue with the public.

What to Do

• Have fun, keep calm and be polite. If you get into a bad mood, you won't
be able to get the message out clearly (that doesn't mean you shouldn't be
passionate ;) ).

• If anything is going wrong or is making you uncomfortable, let the
organisers or marshalls know. We'll let you know how to identify them on the
day.

• Interact with participants and the public. Fliers will be available for
everyone to hand out to the public – get them involved and educated!

• Don't impede traffic. Even with a large crowd, keep clear for anyone
trying to get through us.

Please note that this is only a general guide. For more info / resources /
to organise and mobilise:
http://nocensorship.info/main
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- -
get informed http://www.nocleanfeed.com
get involved http://nocensorship.info/forum
official petition http://www.wakinggiant.org/au_censorship.htm








-- 
George Bray, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.