iNet Web Blog

The word was out! Our illustrious Minister for Communications, Mr Stephen Conroy, was going to be on the panel of Q&A on the ABC television channel. Those on the panel for tonight’s show were Minister for Communications, Stephen Conroy; Shadow Minister for Climate Change, Greg Hunt; columnist, Andrew Bolt; and Muslim sociologist, Susan Carland.

It was evident at the beginning what was going to be the main topic of conversation, the clean feed filter “black list”. Just in case you have been living under a rock, its at www.wikileaks.org (but sssshhhh, you didn’t hear it from me!). The audience was charged, there were a stack of emails introduced at the beginning of the show, and there was pretty clear unison among the panel on their concern for a “black list” (except Mr Andrew Bolt, who had to remind those vocally opposed to the filter that they were probably being alarmists and were likely not being “morally” responsible in our judgment of it).

9.30pm AEST the Twitter posts start, and I sat back and watched as they followed the time zones across the country. The opposition to the ACMA and Minister Conroy was evident. Yet, still we watched him unravel like a ball of wool being played with by cheeky kitties. The body language was evident. Constantly drinking, sucking on his bottom lip and the lack of eye contact, showed that he wasn’t expecting the opposition he hit. When the topic is addressed he is full of smiles and smugness. However, as it moved along the panel the smile continued to drop and turned into a nervous laugh.

Various excuses and platitudes were handed out by Conroy. The Russians were blamed for hijacking websites with kiddie porn (and it must have been kiddie porn or the such, because normal porn isn’t filtered. Or is it?). Responses regarding the reasoning for other controversial additions to the list, such as an abortion website, were skirted and avoided it seemed. It was pretty much a blame game. However, it was a game that those of us passionate about our rights weren’t willing to risk playing.

“Hysteria” it was called. Those that opposed the filter were feeding off media hysteria. I wonder if it had occurred to him that the media were feeding off those of us opposed. Turn on Twitter on any given day and see many references to Stephen Conroy, ACMA and Censorship. The press didn’t have to look far for news fodder. Links to reports and lists were being posted all over the Internet. May I suggest Mr Conroy that perhaps it is you that is starting to feel the effects of the media frenzy?

Well the media and Mr Conroy had plenty of Internet fodder tonight to feed off. Below are just an example of some of the comments that were flying across Twitter, which most users feed through to their other social networks (so now you have many many more peeps reading about it):

“Any law that is 9 years old is 9 years behind web, wikileaks is the writing on the wall for old school pollies #qanda”

“Just sent SMS – “Will you agree to be extradited to Swedden if you hunt down the leaker of the blacklist to Wikileaks?” #NoCleanFeed”

“not liking the “pass the blame” talk #qanda”

“#QandA – I am checkin all the blank pages on my sites in case the Rusky Mob has put some rude stuff on them. Thanks for the tip Steve”

“Be careful ABC, your not coming across totally impartial here – very anti #nocleanfeed but we love you for it! #qanda”

“The problem is that mr conroy has not taken the advice of the tech community n engaged them to build something new. Where’s the partnership?”

“Senator Conroy – You have flat out lied to the Australian public tonight on national TV – Now Resign #NoCleanFeed”

I had to also voice my own concerns:

“I beg to differ Mr Conroy…. most wouldn’t know where to report sites to, that’s if they can be bothered to do it anyway”

“OMG…. is Conroy reading too many net Urban myths…LOL”

“hear hear…. a black list is a black list…. welcome to the McCarthy era!”

“the TV is NOT the Internet”

“for someone who didn’t read the list… Conroy seems to be able to discuss links on the list… can this man ever tell the truth?”

“how can you support a black list & support free speech? that’s an oxymoron”

“in 2009 we have to educate parents to educate their children on the use of the internet? Wind the clock on please.”

It didn’t stop there. Someone had to prove a point by hacking the Governments Classification website. On the surface you could laugh and say they deserved it, however in my opinion, it didn’t do our cause any favours. It reminds me of ecoterrorism, do we now have iterrorism. Which can bring about another topic, regarding what tactics can be used to prove a point, when the other side are playing just as dirty.

So what gives me the right to be so vocally opposed to this filter and everything it stands for. I think part of it was be summed up in my last Twitter comment….

“I’m a parent of a 21yr who has been on the net since she was about 7yrs old… you teach them to treat the internet like real life… dohhh”

That, and I design websites for a living, and have been actively operating on the Internet here and overseas for nearly 20 years. If I can bring up a child without fearing the Internet, then anyone can. It doesn’t take much, just a little common sense and proper computer housekeeping.

Filtering the Internet won’t stop kiddie porn or the like. They can boast all they like about who they do catch, but there are just as many not being caught on peer to peer. It makes sense to concentrate on the main avenues of the transference of material. These filters are going to cost us all, not only in freedoms, and speed, but also financially because ISP’s will pass on the costs. During this current economic downturn, does it really make sense to waste more money on something that more than likely will fail.

If the previous voluntary filter system wasn’t a smash hit, what makes you think that any more are going to want it now.

Hands off our Internet!