Regarding Net Censorship.
Mar. 17th, 2009 03:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
reynardoAbout time I made my voice heard. And done at the same time as various friends, too.
To Ms Anna Burke MP
Dear Ms Burke
I am writing to you on a matter of great concern to me: the proposed regulation of Internet browsing within Australia.
The prospect of certain sites being banned horrifies me and scares the civil liberties out of me. My objections to such censorship are as follows:
1) I believe it is the right of every human being to decide for themselves that they should and should not read. I agree that children should be protected, but I believe it is the responsibility of their parents, carers and educators to make that decision, not the government.
2) Numerous investigations and feasibility studies have shown that for every block you put on a particular web feed, someone, usually the web feed's owner, will find a way around it. A prime example of this is the way spam will still come into the best-filtered mailbox, requiring the ISP or the mail filter's provider to work out ways to stop it again. Putting millions into compulsory filtering will be a waste of time and money best spent educating people how better to recognise risky sites and dangerous pop-ups.
3) and most importantly, banning sites on the basis of someone's say-so leads to censorship and the blocking of free speech. It can lead to vocal minorities demanding and obtaining the blocking of information contrary to their views, be those views anti-pornography, anti-Islam, anti-Darwin or anti-Holocaust, to name a few. Once you start picking and choosing which sites are to be banned, you run the risk of banning the good sites for bad reasons.
4) Finally, while I don't believe that white supremacy sites, Islamic "We hate the West" sites, and Twilight-appreciating Edward-the-vampire fanfic sites are wholesome viewing for anyone, I fully support and endorse the right to see those sites, read what they have to say, and let people make up their own minds. It is true that some people will still believe the evil that men speak. But once you start blocking some sites, they'll be able to accuse you of blocking any site. It is far better to be able to say "People aren't reading what you say because it's drivel, not because we're stopping them."
I hope you will pass on my views and my request for no mandatory banning of hyperlinks or censoring of internet feed in Australia to the Prime Minister and to the Communications Minister, Mr Conroy. It is a scheme fraught with dire possibilities, and will not stop the rot at all.
Yours sincerely,
Gillian B
And now - back to the packing.
To Ms Anna Burke MP
Dear Ms Burke
I am writing to you on a matter of great concern to me: the proposed regulation of Internet browsing within Australia.
The prospect of certain sites being banned horrifies me and scares the civil liberties out of me. My objections to such censorship are as follows:
1) I believe it is the right of every human being to decide for themselves that they should and should not read. I agree that children should be protected, but I believe it is the responsibility of their parents, carers and educators to make that decision, not the government.
2) Numerous investigations and feasibility studies have shown that for every block you put on a particular web feed, someone, usually the web feed's owner, will find a way around it. A prime example of this is the way spam will still come into the best-filtered mailbox, requiring the ISP or the mail filter's provider to work out ways to stop it again. Putting millions into compulsory filtering will be a waste of time and money best spent educating people how better to recognise risky sites and dangerous pop-ups.
3) and most importantly, banning sites on the basis of someone's say-so leads to censorship and the blocking of free speech. It can lead to vocal minorities demanding and obtaining the blocking of information contrary to their views, be those views anti-pornography, anti-Islam, anti-Darwin or anti-Holocaust, to name a few. Once you start picking and choosing which sites are to be banned, you run the risk of banning the good sites for bad reasons.
4) Finally, while I don't believe that white supremacy sites, Islamic "We hate the West" sites, and Twilight-appreciating Edward-the-vampire fanfic sites are wholesome viewing for anyone, I fully support and endorse the right to see those sites, read what they have to say, and let people make up their own minds. It is true that some people will still believe the evil that men speak. But once you start blocking some sites, they'll be able to accuse you of blocking any site. It is far better to be able to say "People aren't reading what you say because it's drivel, not because we're stopping them."
I hope you will pass on my views and my request for no mandatory banning of hyperlinks or censoring of internet feed in Australia to the Prime Minister and to the Communications Minister, Mr Conroy. It is a scheme fraught with dire possibilities, and will not stop the rot at all.
Yours sincerely,
Gillian B
And now - back to the packing.
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no subject
Date: 2009-03-17 05:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-03-17 10:47 am (UTC)And I like point 4 too, because the best way to tackle those views is to either point and laugh or pwn them logically. Hiding them does nothing (except give them potential grounds to scream "censorship!" as you point out).
no subject
Date: 2009-03-17 10:55 am (UTC)And besides, you'd be writing to your local member, not mine, so the similarities shouldn't be a major problem :-)
no subject
Date: 2009-03-17 11:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-03-17 11:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-03-18 08:37 am (UTC)This.
no subject
Date: 2009-03-17 11:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-03-18 12:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-03-18 08:36 am (UTC)Really, really well written!
It should be circulated to give people the right idea.
no subject
Date: 2009-03-18 09:32 pm (UTC)