Ever since the Labor Government proposed the “clean feed” under the leadership of Kevin Rudd as recently as 2009 before, thankfully, vagueing out on the idea after extensive protest, it became scarily apparent that Internet censorship could potentially be an issue that Australians will once again face in the future. Needless to say, Pedestrian avidly opposes any kind of government regulated Internet censorship in Australia, and we know that the majority of you guys do too, so in this instance it is good to see the current government not adopting a stance on Internet regulation that could impact the free and open web (not to mention how it could impair 100% of guilty pleasure Reddit trolling).
As of today the world’s governments are meeting in Dubai for the United Nations International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a conference where representatives will negotiate international telecommunications regulations and Internet issues like censorship and increased regulation of content such as blocking online traffic. Australia’s Communications Minister Stephen Conroy will lobby against the proposed changes of Internet regulations, and has said, “Australia does not believe a case has been made for change”.
While the Labor government’s opposition of proposed regulation changes to be addressed at the ITU, it should be noted that the same government was responsible for the proposal for telecommunications companies in Australia to instigate mandatory online data retention of every Australian citizen as part of a parliamentary inquiry into national security, an alarming affront to civil liberty and online privacy that’s been likened to the Gestapo screening in the former GDR.
Google has launched “Take Action”, a campaign promoting “a free and open Internet”, and is inviting users of Google (ah, that’d be Everyone) to pledge support. If you are passionate about the world wide web free and open for voices around the world, and your right to have access to online information, Take Action now.
Via Australian Financial Review
Photo by Indranil Mukherjee for AFP via Getty Images
