Aussies censor internet content

In a move which critics say strikes to the heart of free speech, the Australian government is making plans to introduce filters which will block access to sites considered to contain illegal or objectionable content.

Sites to be banned are to be selected by an independent body, working on the basis of public complaints. Aussie communications minister Stephen Conroy has run a seven month trial of the filtering system, working alongside ISPs, and has said that the technology has been found to be one hundred per cent effective. He now plans to introduce the measures on a more permanent basis, in order to introduce 'a package that balances safety for families and the benefits of the digital revolution'. "Most Australians acknowledge there is some internet content which is not acceptable in any civilised society" commented Conroy.

However, the move has provoked strong reactions from critics, some of whom are calling the plans 'the great firewall of Australia'.  One internet users lobby group referred to the idea as 'handing control of the internet to the moral minority', and went on to point out that it was public complaints systems such as this which once saw classic literature such as The Catcher in the Rye banned in Australia.

More tellingly, even those who are cautiously prepared to accept that such filtering could be a good idea are sounding a warning note about how the plans are implemented. Dr Windsor Holden, principle analyst at Juniper Research told BBC news that the 'noble aims' of the filtering system could be lost in its implementation, and that 'extreme caution' was required.

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