The Synchronous Converter

The Australian government’s recent proposal to install filtering of objectionable and illegal content on the internet has critics up in arms with allegations of violations against the freedom of expression.

According to details available, Australian communications minister Stephen Conroy has been overseeing the trial run of the system with the help of ISPs for the past seven months, with a hundred per cent success rate. The sites to be banned will be decided by an independent body on the basis of complaints from the general public. The measure, having been tested successfully, will be implemented on a more permanent basis.

Conroy has described the move as a necessary one for the safety of Australian families and for the proper utilization of the benefits of the digital revolution. According to him, there is universal rejection of certain content on the internet that affects the functioning of a civilized society, and such content should therefore be banned.

Critics are incensed at the move, calling it the ‘great firewall of Australia‘. The internet users’ lobbies are calling the move a transfer of control to the ‘moral minority’ in Australia. They point out that public complaint systems like these had led to the banning of such classics like ‘The Catcher in the Rye‘ in Australia in the past.

Even supporters of the move are quick to caution the government that misplaced enthusiasm in implementing the move could cause problems. The benefits of the system could be lost if the ‘noble aims’ of the project were obfuscated by other interests, claims Dr Windsor Holden, principal analyst at Juniper Research.

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