Oz Internet Filter update
So that people know, the the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy has published most of the 174 submissions received on the internet filter. I'd like to point out first that the terms of reference for these submissions were to concentrate on what transparency and accountability measures should be put in place for the filter, rather than whether or not the filter is a good idea in itself, but it's still better than nothing.
The expected parties have submitted -- Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, the Internet Industry Association, etc. -- as well as a lot of private individuals and at least one Christian group I can see off hand. There have also been quite a few academics who have made submissions, many of whom are names familiar to me from research/commentary I've been following. But for the people on my friends-list, there's a submission from a sociology professor at the University of Wollongong focusing specifically on the impact of the internet filter on anime/manga fans, and shounen ai/yaoi/slash fans in particular that's worth a read.
I'm hoping some good can come out of this process, given that from what I've quickly skimmed through not only are people talking about transparency and accountability but also taking pains to point out that a filter is just not a good idea, period.
The expected parties have submitted -- Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, the Internet Industry Association, etc. -- as well as a lot of private individuals and at least one Christian group I can see off hand. There have also been quite a few academics who have made submissions, many of whom are names familiar to me from research/commentary I've been following. But for the people on my friends-list, there's a submission from a sociology professor at the University of Wollongong focusing specifically on the impact of the internet filter on anime/manga fans, and shounen ai/yaoi/slash fans in particular that's worth a read.
I'm hoping some good can come out of this process, given that from what I've quickly skimmed through not only are people talking about transparency and accountability but also taking pains to point out that a filter is just not a good idea, period.