Australian webcensor site ban list revealed

**Don in the North** · March 19, 2009, 01:06 AM

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/technolog...ed-on-internet

Website blacklist leaked on internet

16:01 AEST Thu Mar 19 2009
58 minutes ago

A blacklist containing more than 2,000 websites banned by the communications watchdog, including child pornography and satanic sites, has been leaked.
The blacklist, which forms the basis of the federal government's proposed internet filter, was published on Thursday on the whistleblower website, Wikileaks.
The websites on the list are not currently blocked, but would be if the government was to go ahead with plans to introduce an internet censorship regime. Some of the URLs listed are illegal.
The list of 2,395 websites, which is maintained by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), includes a large number of child pornography sites and other illegal material.
But most of the websites listed have no obvious connection to child pornography, including various online gambling sites, as well as Christian and other religious sites.
A Queensland dentist and a tour operator also appear on the list.
The list also contains satanic websites and gay and straight porn sites, as well as euthanasia sites.
Several Wikileaks pages also appear on the list.
"We were not notified by ACMA," a spokesman for Wikileaks said.
"This week saw Australia joining China and the United Arab Emirates as the only countries censoring Wikileaks."
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy warned anyone who published the list would risk criminal prosecution, adding that ACMA had launched an investigation into the matter.
"Under existing laws, the ACMA blacklist includes URLs relating to child sexual abuse, rape, incest, bestiality, sexual violence and detailed instruction in crime," Senator Conroy said.
"No one interested in cyber safety would condone the leaking of this list."
People caught distributing the list or accessing child pornography sites on the list could face criminal charges and up to 10 years in prison.
Opposition communications spokesman Nick Minchin said the content of the blacklist was kept confidential for a good reason and any deliberate leaking or exposure of it was irresponsible and probably illegal.
But, he said, the leaking of the list also highlighted how such information could surface, despite the efforts of ACMA.
"The regrettable and unfortunate reality is there will always be explicit and illegal material on the web and regardless of blacklists, filters and the like, those with the means and know-how will find ways of accessing it," Senator Minchin said.
He said the Rudd government would be best served by putting energy into ensuring our law enforcement agencies are adequately equipped to strike at the heart of the problem.
"The coalition also maintains that adult supervision is the most effective way of keeping children safe online and people shouldn't be led into believing, by Labor, that expanded blacklists or mandatory filters are a substitute for that," Senator Minchin said.

ive no problem with the banning of child porn. makes me feel a bit safer when i accidently click random links , trying to click the one i actually want (no not child porn obviously)
however, banning of satanists sites, is a little bit overboard.
if you are gonna ban one religions recruitment/conversion attempts, its only fair that you ban them ALL.

furthermore, i fail to see how a dentist and tour operator can have his website banned when he is not under any charge nor investigation, clearly somesort of error has transpired here and this really erodes the credibility of the list, at least in my opinion.
further thought, cooperation and research is clearly required before this BS comes enforceable.

even then, as they say in the article, there are ways toget around it if you know how, so why bother in the first place with something so poorly thought out?

**Pious Agnost** · March 19, 2009, 01:18 AM

It says Satanic, not Satanist. It is open to interpretation
A nail in the coffin for Australia, now where will I take my holidays

**black-dragon** · March 19, 2009, 02:32 AM

Christian, Satanic, gay and euthanasia websites? This is why I don't vote..

**Don in the North** · March 19, 2009, 03:00 AM

turns out this is another case of the media being idiots and jumping the gun.
its getting worse this year, but heres the official rebuttal from the government
>

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/technolog...ed-on-internet
Website blacklist a fake: Conroy

18:30 AEST Thu Mar 19 2009
26 minutes ago
An alleged government blacklist containing more than 2000 websites to be banned by the communications watchdog has been disowned by the federal government as a dentist included on the list expressed his outrage.
Senator Stephen Conroy has denied that the list of banned websites published on Wikileaks is the real ACMA blacklist.
"The published list purports to be current at 6 August 2008 and apparently contains approximately 2400 URLs whereas the ACMA blacklist for the same date contained 1061 URLs," he said in a statement.
"There are some common URLs to those on the ACMA blacklist. However, ACMA advises that there are URLs on the published list that have never been the subject of a complaint or ACMA investigation, and have never been included on the ACMA blacklist."
The claim comes as Queensland dentist Dr John Golbrani was reportedly furious at being included on the list.
"A Russian company broke into our website a couple of years back and they were putting pornographic listings on there ... [but] we changed across to a different web provider and we haven't had that problem since," He was quoted by smh.com.au as saying.
The alleged blacklist, which forms the basis of the federal government's proposed internet filter, was published on the whistleblower website, Wikileaks.
The websites on the official ACMA list are not currently blocked, but would be if the government was to go ahead with plans to introduce an internet censorship regime. Some of the URLs listed are illegal.
The list of 2,395 websites, which is maintained by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), includes a large number of child pornography sites and other illegal material.
But most of the websites listed have no obvious connection to child pornography, including various online gambling sites, as well as Christian and other religious sites.
The list also contains satanic websites and gay and straight porn sites, as well as euthanasia sites.
Several Wikileaks pages also appear on the list.
"We were not notified by ACMA," a spokesman for Wikileaks said.
"This week saw Australia joining China and the United Arab Emirates as the only countries censoring Wikileaks."
Opposition communications spokesman Nick Minchin said the content of the blacklist was kept confidential for a good reason and any deliberate leaking or exposure of it would be irresponsible and probably illegal.
He said the Rudd government would be best served by putting energy into ensuring our law enforcement agencies are adequately equipped to strike at the heart of the problem.
"The coalition also maintains that adult supervision is the most effective way of keeping children safe online and people shouldn't be led into believing, by Labor, that expanded blacklists or mandatory filters are a substitute for that," Senator Minchin said.

bout time some heads rolled given the amount of mis-reporting going on.
if you cant do your job properly, find another one. its that simple really, cant pretend to be a journalist, you either are or you arent imo

**Burnum** · March 19, 2009, 03:11 AM

Originally Posted by Don Of Atheos

turns out this is another case of the media being idiots and jumping the gun.
its getting worse this year, but heres the official rebuttal from the government
>

bout time some heads rolled given the amount of mis-reporting going on.
if you cant do your job properly, find another one. its that simple really, cant pretend to be a journalist, you either are or you arent imo

We have yet too see any evidence other then the McCarthy wannabe Senator Stephen Conroy say so.

**Knight of cydonia** · March 19, 2009, 03:15 AM

The government has lost it. But i highly doubt it will get of the ground, not without Telstra's support anyhow.

This seems to be a trend around the world. Governments thinks that every one is a paedophiles/terrorists and out to get us, and gives them an easy story to justify taking away our rights.

Edit: wait, it's fake. but the government should scrap the whole internet censor thing anyway

**Niles Crane** · March 19, 2009, 05:19 AM

I'm not too knowledgeable about my own country's politics, but isn't this something that can be blocked in Parliament? Of course if it does go through, the Labor Party won't be winning the next election. So we sort of win either way.

**Hub'ite** · March 19, 2009, 05:25 AM

Network Neutrality.

**Ahlerich** · March 19, 2009, 05:28 AM

well the problem with the internet is that a countries law cannot be applied to the internet.
if the webserver is in some banana republic they cant be shut down. so a blacklist is the only solution.

if people are offended that their right to watch child or animal porn are stripped - oh well, doesnt make me sad.

as long as there will be no tendency towards the blocking habbit of china i am down with it.

**Niles Crane** · March 19, 2009, 05:34 AM

Originally Posted by Ahlerich

well the problem with the internet is that a countries law cannot be applied to the internet.
if the webserver is in some banana republic they cant be shut down. so a blacklist is the only solution.

if people are offended that their right to watch child or animal porn are stripped - oh well, doesnt make me sad.

as long as there will be no tendency towards the blocking habbit of china i am down with it.

Well, they're actually going to be banning all porn.

**Ahlerich** · March 19, 2009, 05:37 AM

Originally Posted by Octy

Well, they're actually going to be banning all porn.

ok now i am outraged!

seriously

**Niles Crane** · March 19, 2009, 05:41 AM

Originally Posted by Ahlerich

ok now i am outraged!

seriously

If this was being proposed in Canada, I have no doubt you would be angry about it. Parents should be responsible for their own children, not the government.

Besides, it has been said that it will slow down the internet by 80%. We're years behind in speed already.

**Ahlerich** · March 19, 2009, 05:45 AM

Originally Posted by Octy

If this was being proposed in Canada, I have no doubt you would be angry about it. Parents should be responsible for their own children, not the government.

Besides, it has been said that it will slow down the internet by 80%. We're years behind in speed already.

no i am really outraged. that was no sarcasm. thats far too much.

i wouldnt care about child or animal porn or even satanistic hate crap. but all porn that is really censorship that reminds of a fundamental religious government and that i sure dont like

**Don in the North** · March 19, 2009, 05:38 AM

if they ban all porn you can rest assured rape crimes are gonna go through the roof.

**Hub'ite** · March 19, 2009, 05:42 AM

One step closer to the Great Firewall of China...

**Don in the North** · March 19, 2009, 05:44 AM

still another 3 years away from fibre optic cables being finished. im in a semi major city and damn, adsl2 isnt even here yet, they havent even heard of the fibre optic installation promise kevin07 promised.
and no, i voted greens. not him.