[LINK] Rudd Government's internet filter to block up to 10, 000 'unwanted' sites

[rene]

On Thu, 13 Nov 2008 17:57:28 +1100, Rick Welykochy wrote:

> rene wrote:
>
>> One sometimes wonders. For example, have a look at this ACMA media
>> release of 1 Oct 2008
>> http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/204876/pc=PC_311406
>>
>> People on this list who understand about 'domains' and domain
>> registration (including the need to pay to register same, generally
>> by credit card or cheque, not cash) may wonder, like me, why it
>> appears that all that was done was to have Melb IT "prevent the
>> domain names in question from directing to the offending sites".
>>
>
> Given the political mileage and poli-cred that ACMA writeups like that
> are aiming for, one can assume that if a proper investigation and
> subsequent prosecution has ensued, it would have been documented with
> suitable flag-waving and more motherhood statements, similar to
>
> "This excellent outcome underlies the invaluable role played by
> internet hotlines such as ACMA's in responding to illegal material
> online ..."
>
> Excellent outcome? All that really happened was that a domain rego was
> canceled. Hardly the right stuff, imho. Have the perpetrators moved on
> to distribute their illegla materials through other channels and/or
> other domains? You betcha.

Exactly. 

Neither ACMA nor the AFP nor the government need to bother much about doing 
anything effective, because they get the 'political mileage and poli-cred' 
via clueless and/or ignorant and/or lazy journalists/media anyway. 

For example - results of the ACMA media release (take care, blood may boil 
on viewing):

ACMA blocks child porn websites
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/10/01/2379596.htm

ACMA blocks Australian pedophile sites
http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;94316007

Of course, the above reports are also why some advocates of Labor's 
filtering plan claim that such sites are already being blocked, and 
therefore there's 'obviously' no technical etc problem extending existing 
blocking systems to more material.

Irene