In a move that could have ramifications for GLBT websites, Australia has moved closer to a regime of internet censorship.
The Rudd Government announced last week that it will proceed with compulsory internet filtering after the “success” of this year’s internet filter trials, conducted by “independent testing laboratory” Enex Testlab.
“The pilot trial of ISP-level filtering demonstrates that blocking Refused Classification (RC) material can be done with 100 per cent accuracy and negligible impact on internet speed,” said Senator Stephen Conroy, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, in a statement.
The RC list would include bestiality, child sex abuse, depictions of drug use and sexual violence, as well as content identified by an unspecified “public complaints mechanism”, said Conroy.
ACON CEO Nicolas Parkhill said the organisation remained concerned that websites with queer content may be blocked, potentially undermining safe sex and other health information.
Already, many government departments routinely block websites which include words such as ‘gay’ and ‘lesbian’ regardless of the content of the sites.
“ACON remains very concerned about internet filtering,” Parkhill told SX. “These concerns are driven by the risks posed to our ability to craft HIV prevention and health promotion messages in plain language that targets our community. This initiative has the ability to undermine public health efforts and this is deeply worrying.”
Parkhill said ACON had previously sought clarification from the Federal Government on the issue, and would be doing so again in light of the new internet filtering announcement.
“We will again raise our concerns, and we are seeking a meeting to discuss this issue,” he said.
The Australian Sex Party (ASP) also expressed major reservations about the government’s plans.
ASP convenor Fiona Patten said the creation of an RC content list would mean that 95 per cent of the world’s adult sites would need to be listed, slowing down internet speeds.
“How you can have a filter blocking access to over four million sites with over 420 million pages and not slow the internet down?” she said.
Patten added that the internet filter would ban depictions of legal sexual acts, and said overseas websites would struggle to pass the “very vanilla” rating system.
Conroy, meanwhile, sought to assure Australians that they should not fear websites being blocked without good reason.
“The government is introducing new transparency measures to ensure the public can have absolute confidence in the process for material being placed on the RC Content list,” he said.
“The government will immediately undertake public consultation with the release ... of a discussion paper on additional measures to improve the accountability and processes that lead to RC-rated material being placed on the RC content list.”
The next step towards internet censorship will be the introduction of legislative amendments to the Broadcasting Services Act during the autumn 2010 parliamentary sittings, followed by a twelve month process of implementation.
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