You got censored...

What do a dentist, an owner of a dog kennel, a school cafeteria food provider and a US astrology site have in common? They all operate websites that have all fallen victim to Australia’s new Internet censorship laws.

Australia has joined the ranks of many countries that have decided to implement mandatory Internet censorship. The only problem is, their filtering system is far from perfect, and innocent people are having their businesses blocked under the new regulations.

The Australian government unveiled plans late last year to implement a two-tiered system of censorship aimed at protecting children from pornography and violent content online. The plan includes two blacklists, one of which will filter illegal content according to Internet content laws as well as other "unwanted" content, and the other will also filter content unsuitable for children. Internet users will be able to opt out of the secondary blacklist for children, but will not be able to opt-out of the primary filter, sparking free speech concerns. No statement has been made about what content will be considered "illegal", or what is considered "unwanted".

Furthermore, because the blacklists are secret, un-audited, and specifically exempted by legislation from the Freedom of Information application process, the Ofiice of Film and Literature Classification (which regulates
Media censorship in Australia) would never get a chance to check the accuracy of these classifications. Thus, innocent websites are able to slip through the cracks and become banned.

Cliff Foggarty, the owner of the dog kennel that got banned, didn’t even know that his website was blacklisted until he received calls from journalists that discovered his name on a list of banned websites that was leaked to the public last year. Foggarty’s business was still blacklisted as recently as March this year, despite complaining to the Australia Communications and Media Authority.

Assistant law professor Derek Bambauer, author of ‘Filtering in Oz: Australia's Foray into Internet Censorship’ said Australia's move to impose mandatory internet censorship ''puts the country at the forefront of the spread of this practice from authoritarian regimes such as China and Iran to Western democratic nations''.

The fact that Australia, which most people consider a fairly democratic nation grounded in common law principles of responsible government, is following the lead of these countries is a worry to say the least. One can only hope that the Aussie Government gets its act together and has a look at these filters and how they operate, or else I’ll never be able to find someone to take care of my dog while I get my tarot read online by an American psychic ever again.