With the help of GetUp, I have faxed this email to my local MP: The Hon. Archibald Bevis MP Member for Brisbane [ALP].
Dear sir,
As an Australian with 25 year’s worth of experience in the ICT industry I wish to register my opposition to the current proposals for a ‘clean’ internet.
I believe that this proposal:
- is fundamentally undemocratic and may give governments present and future the ability to block information without scrutiny or accountability.
- has the potential to significantly harm Australia’s ICT industry. At the very least, it has already caused harm to Australia’s international reputation (refer to conversations like http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=09/02/12/048203 to see this).
- is technically EXTREMELY weak. ALL other places that have tried this sort of thing have failed. Circumvention WILL be trivial and commonplace.
- is NOT the only possible solution. There are plenty of alternatives – like distributing software to parents to use at home, or making the filter opt-in rather than mandatory. I favour the option of providing a 100% tax rebate for anyone who purchases their choice of commercially available internet filter from the existing market place. I have written about this: http://wordpress.transentia.com.au/wordpress/2009/03/23/unacceptable/
I STRONGLY urge you to prevent this ill-considered and insidious idea from becoming law.
I urge any Australian reader to please join with me in working to prevent this abomination of an idea from becoming law.
