EFA MEDIA RELEASE - PETITION AGAINST CENSORSHIP OF AUSTRALIAN INTERNET

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Media Release
Electronic Frontiers Australia Inc.

                    Media Release                  July 26th 1997

PETITION AGAINST CENSORSHIP OF AUSTRALIAN INTERNET

Electronic Frontiers Australia today launched an online petition
against unnecessary censorship of the Internet.  In a first for
participatory democracy, users will sign electronically using a new
signature verification procedure which should set a standard for future
online petitions.  The petition will be presented to the Senate in the
next Parliamentary session.

The full text of the petition follows.  Details of how to sign and
more information about the EFA campaign against Internet censorship are
available at:

  http://www.efa.org.au/Campaigns/petition.html

The petition has already been endorsed by ISOC-AU (the Australian
chapter of the Internet Society), the West Australian Internet
Association, and the South Australian Internet Association.

Internationally, the EFA campaign is supported by members of the Global
Internet Liberty Campaign, including the American Civil Liberties Union
and French, Spanish, and British user groups.

---

Petition

To the Honourable the President and Members of the Senate in the Parliament
assembled:

The undersigned Petitioners respectfully request that the Senate recognises:

    * That, for many Australians, the Internet plays a vital role as 
      a means of communication, a vehicle for the expression of ideas and
      opinions, and a source of information. 

    * That the Internet is a complex, global environment where traditional
      concepts of regulation are not easily applied or enforced. 

    * That there is a need to make a clear distinction between the 
      responsibility of those who produce and publish content and that of
      intermediaries such as carriers and Internet Service Providers. 

    * That the full potential for development of the Internet in Australia 
      will depend on governments recognising rights to freedom of speech 
      taken for granted by other societies. 

    * That the emerging information industries should not be burdened 
      with unnecessary and poorly conceived regulation. 

The petitioners therefore call upon the Senate to reject any attempt by
the Government to impose additional censorship on the Internet.

ENDS

      --------------------------------------------------------------
      Electronic Frontiers Australia Inc  --  http://www.efa.org.au/
      representing Internet users concerned with on-line freedoms
      --------------------------------------------------------------
      Media Contacts

      Kimberley Heitman
      Phone: +61 8 9458 2790
      Email: kheitman@it.com.au

      Danny Yee
      Phone (home): +61 2 9955 9898
      Phone (work): +61 2 9351 5159
      Email: danny.yee@efa.org.au
      --------------------------------------------------------------

BACKGROUND


The EFA campaign
	http://www.efa.org.au/Campaigns/contreg.html

ISOC-AU
	http://www.isoc-au.org.au/

West Australian Internet Association (WAIA)
	http://www.waia.asn.au/

South Australian Internet Association (SAIA)
	http://www.saia.asn.au/

Global Internet Liberty Campaign (GILC)
	http://www.gilc.org/

Democrats Press Release on Senate allowing electronic petitions
	http://www.democrats.org.au/democrats/media/1997/04/227nsd.html
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