[LINK] ASIC to review website blocking procedures

[Jan Whitaker]

Watchdog to review website blocks

Published: May 30, 2013 - 1:06PM

Australia's corporate watchdog will review how it goes about blocking 
access to dodgy websites as part of a crackdown on frauds and scams.

Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) chairman Greg 
Medcraft says quick action to deny access to these websites has a 
major impact on the amount of money lost by duped investors.

It emerged earlier in May, ASIC had used Section 313 of the 
Telecommunications Act to block Australians' access to fraudulent websites.

Mr Medcraft told a Sydney conference ASIC had used that section of 
the act 10 times in the past 12 months, where the regulator asks 
local internet providers "to block Australians' access to the 
internet address hosting that site, which is usually overseas".

However, ASIC's actions also led to about 1,200 websites 
inadvertently being blocked as well, including education website 
Melbourne Free University.

"We are reviewing our procedures to ensure that this does not happen 
again," Mr Medcraft told the 2013 annual stockbrokers conference in 
Sydney on Thursday.

"Obviously we are not targeting legitimate websites.

"However, we don't apologies for blocking the sites of criminal 
fraudsters and we will continue to take action to prevent scammers 
ripping off Australians."

Mr Medcraft said Australians has lost hundreds of millions of dollars 
over the past 15 years, "often with devastating consequences".

"Cyber crime is something ASIC takes very, very seriously and we will 
keep fighting against these fraud sites," Mr Medcraft said.

This story was found at: 
http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-business/watchdog-to-review-website-blocks-20130530-2ndir.html 




Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
jwhit at janwhitaker.com
blog: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/
business: http://www.janwhitaker.com

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