Reflective Post - Net Censorship

The Net is already censored, and not by the Government

This article contributes to the many discussions surrounding the internet censorship plan proposed by Stephen Conroy. I read quite a few articles and one particularly funny website (see the bogus adverts down the side) before deciding on this one. There was also a very entertaining rant about Stephen Conroy from the Opinions section of The Australian which is just great to read.

Ultimately I chose Matt Smith's article because of the comments and discussion that followed it. His article presents a negative view of the net censorship proposal, focusing on the existing levels of censorship already present in the internet. Smith discusses the censorship measures of companies like Apple and Google, emphasizing the bias that Apple has in censoring its apps while the Google Blacklist is completely ridiculed.

To be honest I do think Smith could have been more critical in his article although he does make some good points. His agreement with Fiona Pattern that the Government should be aiming its funding at removing child pornography sites and not merely filtering them is much more effective in that it proposes alternatives rather than just offering criticism. As to who decides what sites should be blacklisted, this I think is a question of who controls information and are mandatory filters really the answer to this? After all there are filters already available on the net that can be customized depending on the users needs. Smith's point that the Google blacklist is not mandatory is an important distinction and one of the main problems with the filter.

I found this article relevant because it discusses the very real possibility of how we currently use the internet and how it might soon change. Should this plan be implemented (from the backlash that its getting I really hope its not likely) what kind of information would be lost? It made me think of that article we read a few weeks ago about the self esteem options that some forms of pornography can offer. Perhaps the link seems vague but I like it because it shows how a morally ambiguous industry can be interpreted in a really positive light. However if sites that are morally ambiguous (such as euthanasia sites etc.) are being banned I think it limits the possibility for new ideas about things in the future.

A final note: having never really read blogs before I found the comments hilarious - check out 'the badger' being badgered. I think this more than anything else made me realise how involving a virtual community can be.