ISP Filtering is happening in Australia, don't let it happen here
This is a screenshot of his website today (click for a larger version):
Notice on the right hand sidebar a "tag cloud" with the most discussed topics on that site. Now let's look behind the scenes on the code used to create that "tag cloud":
Oh, look... If the topic is "ISP Filtering" then the Hon. Stephen Conroy doesn't want you to know about it. You can still click on any tag though, go to the search page and enter the term "ISP Filtering" to find the content you want, but obviously there shouldn't be any hint that such a topic exists.
Now you understand why I think we shouldn't have a national Internet filter in New Zealand. You don't know for sure if any future government would change the rules behind the scenes.
(By the way, I hope using the website as an example don't put me on a "persona non grata" list in Australia...)
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Comment by Jonathan, on 25-Feb-2010 21:42
To late mate, its already happening in one month, just search the google news for "internet filter nz"
Comment by siideways, on 26-Feb-2010 07:41
Doesn't worry me (About it happening here in a month) Since "The New Zealand system will be voluntary for ISPs and aims to be milder than the Australian one, by just focussing on child porn instead of "refused classification".
Quoted from http://preview.tinyurl.com/ylh4c59
Comment by nzsouthernman, on 26-Feb-2010 08:46
I wholly agree with @freitasm - it's a slippery slope that we don't want to be on. I'd like to see a list of the ISP's that do not want to participate in this so that we, the technorati, can jump ship to them if our current ISP's sign up.
Comment by siideways, on 26-Feb-2010 08:51
Ah ok then..I get what you mean :) Yeah i'm probably too young :).
And hmm me too (in response to nzsouthernman)
Comment by Hammerer, on 26-Feb-2010 13:47
I am not concerned about Internet filtering ... at all. It is not a worry!
Having said this, I am still genuinely suspicious of most government activity, simply because power does tend to corrupt. The abuse of power is always a problem and cannot be avoided.
But the solution is not to stop trusting. Society cannot operate without trust and if we actually lived the adage "Trust no one" then we would be in big trouble.
Yes, I can see many negative scenarios that are easy to envisage. But I consider the positive outcomes to outweight the risks - for example, the odds of a successful coup being extremely slender.
By the way, it's not about how old someone is either. In general, we can become more disappointed, suspicious, cynical, or reactionary. That does get in the way of looking at the issue at hand.
Comment by Nety, on 26-Feb-2010 14:55
"But I consider the positive outcomes to outweight the risks"
What positive outcomes exactly to you expect? I am sorry but this move will have no affect on child pornography at all. Those that deal in this sick side of society are not so easily tracked. I am with freitasm. Even IF this is being put in place for all the right reasons (and I suspect it is not) it will be far too tempting to increase its scope until suddenly we have something truly disturbing like what has happened in Aus.
Comment by Brett, on 27-Feb-2010 12:29
"Once a power is granted to a government it's really hard to remove it but really easy to change it."
What I dont understand is that this issue is probably *the* most significant issue to hit NZ internet since the internet became mainstream(mid 90's).
Yet most seem very apathetic, or just don't care.
A quick google of "NZ internet filter" and very little turns up. The mainstream press isnt following this. Really, its only a handful of geeks that know, and care, what the significance is.
Mind you, there will be politicians that want exactly that: obscurity so that the plan can be implemented.
Comment by Dratsab, on 28-Feb-2010 00:21
"(By the way, I hope using the website as an example don't put me on a "persona non grata" list in Australia...)"
Yes - it will!!
Take your own tub of vaseline next time you go there as at least you'll be able to have it pre-warmed ;-)
Comment by Dratsab, on 28-Feb-2010 00:29
But on a more serious note...
Child pornography is a front. It's well known you will not stumble across such material as you browse the 'net. Mainstream pornography is something you struggle to avoid but child pornographers know what they're doing is seriously wrong and they will be villified when discovered.
The sorts of people that engage in this behaviour hide behind proxys and frequent IRC channels which most 'normal' people have no idea even exist.
What we are seeing here is the thin end of a wedge, the thickening of which (sounds like what's already happened to our media!!) will be quite subtle but ultimately pervasive.
Comment by muppet, on 28-Feb-2010 20:39
As mentioned, anyone who knows what they're doing know how to bypass filters. It's laughable.
This sort of stuff has been in Saudi Arabia for years, when I was there it was trivial to bypass.
It'll stop joe average and that's it.
That's why we should all be up in arms about this in my opinion. Because it's not going to fix anything at all.
Comment by tumnasgt, on 1-Mar-2010 08:29
The government really needs to have a demonstration about how easy filters are to bypass. Even better, put it on the news, so normal NZers understand this is an exercise of power abuse, not child protection.
To stop child porn, when sites are found, the efforts should be shutting down the site at the server end, not filtering from the users ISP.
Comment by siideways, on 12-Mar-2010 10:00
Orcon just confirmed they won't be doing it.
They recently tweeted:"We understand your concerns about the filter, hence our decision not to implement. 4 minutes ago"
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Comment by Oliver, on 25-Feb-2010 20:50
What web admin is dumb enough to code that logic on the client side...