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Tuesday, March 30th, 2010 | Posted by Editor - Blog News Service

US concerned by Australian Internet filter plan

US concerned by Australian Internet filter plan

US concerned by Australian Internet filter plan

CANBERRA, Australia – The United States has raised concerns with Australia about the impact of a proposed Internet filter that would place restrictions on Web content, an official said Monday.

The concerns of Australia’s most important security ally further undermine plans that would make Australia one of the strictest Internet regulators among the world’s democracies.

“Our main message of course is that we remain committed to advancing the free flow of information which we view as vital to economic prosperity and preserving open societies globally,” a U.S. State Department spokesman Michael Tran told The Associated Press by telephone from Washington.

Tran declined to say when or at what level the U.S. State Department raised its concerns with Australia and declined to detail those concerns.

“We don’t discuss the details of specific diplomatic exchanges, but I can say that in the context of that ongoing relationship, we have raised our concerns on this matter with Australian officials,” he added.

Internet giants Google and Yahoo have condemned the proposal as a heavy-handed measure that could restrict access to legal information.

The plan needs the support of Parliament to become law later this year.

Australian Communications Minister Stephen Conroy says the filter would block access to sites that include child pornography, sexual violence and detailed instructions in crime or drug use. The list of banned sites could be constantly updated based on public complaints. If adopted into law, the screening system would make Australia one of the strictest Internet regulators among the world’s democracies.

Conroy declined to comment on the U.S. concerns.

“The Australian and U.S. governments liaise regularly on a broad range of issues. It would be inappropriate to discuss the details of these consultations,” said his spokeswoman, Suzie Brady.

Some critics of Australia’s filter have said it puts the nation in the same censorship league as China.

In general, freedom of speech is considered an integral American value, as protected by the First Amendment to the United States constitution. This freedom has caused controversy at times. For instance, it is legal to express certain forms of hate speech so long as one does not engage in the acts being described or urge others to commit illegal acts. Austrlia is a federation, and responsibility for censorship is divided between the states and the federal government.

The Communications Minister, Stephen Conroy, has begun distancing himself from his controversial internet censorship policy. Senator Conroy has long said his policy would introduce compulsory ISP-level filters of the Australian Communications and Media Authority’s blacklist of prohibited websites. But on March, 28th, he said the mandatory filters would be restricted to content that has been labeled as, RC or “refused classification”.

When the ACMA blacklist was leaked last month, it caused great controversy, partially because it included a slew of R18+ and X18+ sites, including regular gay and straight pornography and other legal content.

Australian Motion Picture Rating System

E – Exempt from classification. Films that are exempt from classification must not contain contentious material (i.e. material that would ordinarily be rated M or higher).
G – General. The content is very mild in impact.
PG – Parental guidance recommended. The content is mild in impact.
M – Recommended for mature audiences. The content is moderate in impact.
MA15+ – Not suitable for persons younger than 15. Persons younger than 15s must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. The content is strong in impact.
R18+ – Restricted to adults 18 years and older. The content is high in impact.
X18+ – Restricted to adults 18 years and older. This rating applies solely to sexual content – no violence nor “fetishes”, including spanking, may be shown (legally may be sold in the ACT and the NT only but may be purchased interstate via mail order).
RC – Refused Classification. Banned from sale or hire in Australia.

Senator Conroy said, on March 28th on the SBS Insight program, “it’s mandatory refused classification, and then parents – if the trial says that it is possible to go down this path … have the option to block other material”.

This about-turn has done little to assuage the concerns of online rights groups, the Federal Opposition and the internet industry, as the RC category includes not just child pornography but anti-abortion sites, fetish sites and sites containing pro-euthanasia material such as The Peaceful Pill Handbook by Dr Philip Nitschke.

“The guidelines are so broad that RC can’t help but hoover up political speech even if only as collateral damage,” said Internode network engineer Mark Newton, describing Senator Conroy’s comments last night as “the great walkback of 2009″.

Senator Conroy openly admitted many of the decisions regarding what sites were to appear on the blacklist were made by “faceless bureaucrats”. He said he was working to build in “further safeguards”, but would not abolish the policy because some sites were found to be put on the blacklist in error.

“I don’t think Senator Conroy really even knows what his own policy in relation to filtering is. It seems to change on an almost daily basis; it is vague and contradictory and there is little public confidence in his ability to implement it,” said Opposition communications spokesman Nick Minchin.

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