The Australian Government has officially gone drunk with power. Not content to heavily butcher and/or outright ban videogames that don't conform to their horribly outdated MA15+ age rating cap, the Australian authorities are now going as far as to censor the Internet, invoking an almost twenty-year-old clause to get away with blocking access to any Web site that may host or sell videogames above the paltry 15 rating.
The government is justifying its actions by using Schedules 5 and 7 of the 1992 Broadcasting Services act, that basically give Australian authorities the power to ban whatever they want, whenever they want. Basically, the government can and will make ISPs block any site hosted by another country if the content is "potentially" bannable. It also allows Australia's Communications and Media Authority to make up its own rules about what is and isn't allowed.
For a good while, Australian politicians have tried to argue that it's not their fault that Australia has such a horrible censorship record, and that it rests on the shoulders of the country's ratings board. However, this rather Orwellian move is nothing short of sinister on the part of the government, and sets a frightening precedent for the future of the media in Australia.
This is not good at all.
Jim Sterling serves as reviews editor for Destructoid.com, head of the Podtoid podcast, and produces a number of news stories, original features, one-of-a-kind videos. With his passionate argumentative style, controversial opinions, harsh delivery, and dedication to brutal honesty Sterling is a name that you can't help but recognize.
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Contest:
3:40 PM on 06.25.2009
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They used child-pornography as the main reason, why they had to implement a censor-infrastructure. Problem is that now, that the law is thru, one of the conservatives (CDU) stepped forwarded and wants to block "killerspiele"-websites too.
A lot of protests had been staged, but they have such a huge majority, that they can do what they want.
I did not see this one coming. I couldn't feel more sorry for Australians at the moment. Proxy servers are your new friends.
What the fuck? That is like saying "we will ban anything that kinda maybe disturbs me, maybe if I am nauseous one day too, yeah"
They once ban Everquest and Counter Strike here, but they regreted that decision and made them legal again.
That ought to do the trick...
o and that is pretty shittastic of aussieland to be doing this. i mean this is a sign of the impending collapse of the internet ads a realm of potential not unlike the roman empire.
Aussie gamers and net users, if you do not act, you will be prisoners of your government. How long before they go down the Iran/China route, and start censoring anti government websites? There will be no end to it, so you must all organise yourselves and stand up and be counted.
Its true, it is about a generation gap. Those in power don't even want to try to understand the younger people and what they like. Better to just ban/block them.
Don't forget, ISP receive your money. It only takes a lot of you calling to cancel you accounts to quash this. ISPs will panic because of losing customers and back out of blocking such material. Overall, they have the switches and there's little chances of the government closing ISPs down.
You, the aussie people pay their bills and can seriously hurt their business. Just tell them if material is going to be blocked, you'll close your account. If an ISP received a few thousand calls like this, they'd have to act, as that's a lot of money they'd be losing. Sure, it may sound crazy, but its worth a try.
If Twitter can rally a nation to seek freedom from oppression, you aussies need to use the net to your advantage too, of forever be jailbirds.
Remember, the government should fear the people, not the other way around. Don't let them get their way.
you heard it here first, folks.
In other news, Jim, where did your post go on that contest? I've been working on my picture only to find that post...gone?
He seriously needs to be booted out on his arse.
"Mark Newton, an ISP engineer and internet filtering critic, said the move to extend the filtering to computer games would place a cloud over online-only games such as World of Warcraft and Second Life, which aren't classified in Australia due to their online nature.
He said the online distribution of such games has historically been exempt from customs controls on RC material because they have only ever covered physical articles.
"That exemption is the only reason why multi-player games with user-generated environments are possible in this country; without it, it'd only take one game user anywhere in the world to produce objectionable content in the game environment to make the Australian Government ban the game for everyone," said Newton."
This is just part of the government's larger desire to 'protect' us from teh internet by filtering it, something that angers and frightens me at the same time.
The Australian government can go and make a fuss about "Ideals" and "Protecting the Children of Tomorrow" right now, but when it comes down to multi-billion dollar companies wanting to do business in our country, you know there's now way the government will turn them down. All it will take is for Activision, EA, Sony or Microsoft to even start throwing their weight around, and the politicians will fold, be it for the good of the local industry, for just for the sake of their own wallets.
What is it now, North Korea?
Australians cant be that stupid, they got to do something.
The public opinion on the proposed internet censorship thing has being overwhelmingly negative, and yet our Government has pushed on ahead with the trial anyway. You just have to watch some of the talk-back shows that have talked about the issue to find that the only people in favour of the censorship are ill-informed morons and Christian extremists.
As a fellow New Zealander I see this having an effect on us too. I'd say about half, maybe more of the people we play with online with are Aussies.
Fuck you.
As a proud anglo-australian.... this is completely fucked.
When will they ever learn. I hope this isn't Rudd's doing, because I thought he was smarter than this.
Australians: You have my deepest sympathy...
"Fuck you."
First they refuse us a R18+ rating, based on the fact all state generals must agree on the change. It was down to 1 60 year old to say yes! But he refuses to because he thinks it will destroy 'children'!
They then open it up to public discussion to try and change his mind (his idea) he takes all the comments, even the very articulate convincing ones and still says 'no'. It was like he was messing with us! Then, when we are down, they kick us in the face, restricting our chances to even import the f$*$ing games!
I have never enjoyed the state of life here! As gamers and intellectuals are hated and ridiculed from a young age here, and especially in their older years! Gaming is catching on more here, but at age 19, if you admit to random people my age you game, you are frowned at and ridiculed. The bogans (Chavs) are held in higher regard in this country. All i can simply think about Australia atm, is FUCK this country!
And then they expect places like EA to open up shop there. LOL. Good luck killing off the video game industry in Aus.