Australians Fight Internet Censorship

For the last few months in Australia, people have been going around in circles trying to figure out the best way to regulate online activity. In an attempt to protect their citizens from questionable and dangerous behavior online, some people think that the government is trying to go overboard in their quest for safety, and the conservative legislators are trying to take away many of these online activities and implement bans.

Censorship is never a welcome thing, and that is exactly what some politicians Down Under are trying to push. Even for such a laid back and open, at least stereotypically, country, these new outlooks on online slots and other activities has come as somewhat of a shock to many. Furthermore, after over 10 years of internet activity, and no censorship, the idea of going backwards and trying to now limit what has been so open for so long is absolutely preposterous.

They are currently in the beta testing trials of several filters that proponents claim will be able to identify and censor questionable content online, and protect all Australian citizens from being exposed to such material.

This whole thing sounds a little too similar to what the US tried to do with the UIGEA, and if there is anything that anybody has learned from that flawed piece of legislation is that the internet is difficult to regulate when so many parts of it are just banned. Furthermore, it is difficult to specify what constitutes illegal or unwanted content, and then even more difficult to identify it accurately every time, and then practically impossible to have a body enforce it. Furthermore, the internet service providers are refusing to be stuck with the duty of all of that, just like the banks have been stuck with the enforcement of the UIGEA. Sound familiar?

It sounds like Australian policy makers might be biting off more than they can chew. In a world where there is global warming, a dismal economy, wars, famine and poverty, does online slots really warrant this much attention and protection?

Australian citizens think not.