Internet Filtering In Australia

[dragonpen61]

Searching for hope in alternate views with some lateral thinking!

Things may not be so black and white!

 

Being Australian and knowing how apathetic our population can be with such concepts as 'freedom', I fear the new filtering will go ahead. But I hope that the trial runs into problems because of growing objections for practical reasons of slowed speeds and fear of profit loss by business since government tends to fear anything that could damage the economy even more and make it look bad (even more so in dark economic times like this).

 

Another hope is that the sheer size of the internet will make it more difficult for the government to actually do filtering in a practical manner. The same problem exists with intelligence operations which is why, for example, CIA monitoring of vast amounts of international telephone information must rely on such tricks as the search for 'key words' that can be side stepped by the use of code words. Even in China, which now does a great deal of filtering, the use of 'proxies' has become a way for many to side step government controls.

 

It is said that everything everybody does is recorded somewhere and all the government needs to do is access it: but if the actual amount of information is almost mind bogglingly vast, then the accessing of key bits of data becomes very problematic. I used to know somebody who worked in intelligence and he informed me that most intelligence work was the endless seeking of important bits of data lost in the ocean of information that is the world. Its easy to make mistakes, to miss things. They may know things about you but do they know enough to paint a real picture of you or even that you are the one they should be looking at?

 

Also governments make mistakes and the public service is famous for them!

 

The way the internet has expanded has taken everybody by surprise including government and those who develop the software for the internet. Also in future as the internet continues to evolve, along with new hardware and software, there may arise new ways to side-step such filtering even if it means using some kind of 'screening' or 'counter filtering' of information etc. Filtering is only as good as the data it picks up and responds to. At least some servers could become little more than 'legit' means of covering up real internet activity because people will always take big risks for big profits or because they believe in something strong enough. How do you prove that a particular server is doing what it is supposed to be doing when even electronic monitoring can be manipulated? If electronic monitoring was so easy then what about the vast amount of successful white collar crime that happens in the world which, unofficially, is much greater than most people know?

 

Do not forget that powerful interest groups lie behind much of the stuff that the Australian Government wants to see filtered. For good or bad, such as organized crime behind the massive profits of ugly internet porn or illegal gambling, may start to undermine such filtering regimes so as to save their billions. Also who watches the watcher? 'Corruption' is not exactly a new term when it comes to Australia or anywhere else in the world. Something that can be added to a list, can be removed from it even if in theory it isn't.

 

Also this would not be the first time that big claims have been made about a new technology or program that has failed to live up to its promises. There have been problems with instigating filtering and these may again show up. The government may be happy with simply launching the filtering regime, make its big splash, and then happily sweep under the carpet any actual on going problems with the plan. Such things have happened before. If the actual filtering fails then the main problem for the government will be the slowing of the internet and growing protest from business while it can't really claim any 'victory' over such as dark pornography and public pressure may force government rethink.

 

My main fear is that what will suffer is legitimate freedoms to seek alternate voices on the internet for such as oppressed minority views, criticism of government policy and actions against the growing unfairness of copyright monopolies. But even here I hope that some kind of solution may be found.

 

There is always hope because if one give ups, then 'one' has already lost.

 

Love the :banana: