Media Release
12 November 2002
Internet no safer after three years of censorship laws
The Federal Government's Internet censorship laws should be repealed and the costly and failed Internet regulatory apparatus dismantled according to Electronic Frontiers Australia (EFA).
A review of the laws which came into force in January 2000 is currently being conducted by the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts (DCITA).
EFA's Executive Director, Irene Graham said EFA had recently undertaken a review of the operation and effectiveness of the scheme.
"There is no evidence to support recent Government claims that the Internet has been made safer. Official government reports trumpeting the success of the scheme have been, by the Minister for Communication's own admission, based on erroneous statistics," said Graham.
In two years, the Australian Broadcasting Authority (ABA) prohibited 756 items. Meanwhile the number of documents on the World Wide Web grew from an estimated 800 million in 1999 to over 3 billion today.
The ABA spent 83% of its Internet censorship efforts investigating content on overseas-hosted websites over which it has no control. The remaining 17% was directed to investigating content designated 'Australian-hosted'. The ABA reports that prohibited content found on Australian sites has been 'taken down'. However, the ABA refuses to disclose the URLs or titles of 'taken- down' material on the ground that the information would enable a person to access prohibited content on the Internet.
"The emergence of Internet archival services, which document web pages as they existed at various points in time back to the very beginnings of the Web, makes a mockery of any attempt by governments to achieve the modern-day equivalent of burning books."
"We hope the increasing number of adult Australian Internet users is resulting in fewer parents being lulled into a false sense of security by the government's claims. The government cannot make the global Internet safe, or even 'safer', for children."
-- ENDS --
Below is:
- Background information
- Contact details for media
Background:
EFA Submission to the DCITA review of the operation of Schedule 5 to the
Broadcasting Services Act 1992, 8 Nov 2002.
Executive Summary:
http://www.efa.org.au/Publish/efasubm_bsa2002.html#es
Full submission:
http://www.efa.org.au/Publish/efasubm_bsa2002.html
Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts (DCITA),
Issues Paper - A review of the operation of Schedule 5 to the Broadcasting
Services Act 1992, issued 27 September 2002.
http://www.dcita.gov.au/Article/0,,0_1-2_1-4_111735,00.html
"Internet safety for Australians continues to grow", Media Release, Senator
Richard Alston, 21 August 2002.
http://www.dcita.gov.au/Article/0,,0_1-2_15-4_110952,00.html
About EFA:
Electronic Frontiers Australia Inc. ("EFA") is a non-profit national
organisation representing Internet users concerned with on-line rights and
freedoms. EFA was established in 1994, is independent of government and
commerce, and is funded by membership subscriptions and donations from
individuals and organisations with an altruistic interest in promoting online
civil liberties.
Media Contacts:
Ms Irene Graham Mr Kimberley Heitman
EFA Executive Director EFA Chair
Phone: 0412 997 163 Phone: 0439 938 233
Email: ed at efa.org.au Email: chair at efa.org.au
----------------------------------------------------------------Electronic Frontiers Australia Inc -- http://www.efa.org.au/
representing Internet users concerned with on-line freedoms
URL of this release: http://www.efa.org.au/Publish/PR021112.html
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