Australian Web Filter To Censor Downloaded Games

Xiroth writes "The Australian Federal Communications Ministry has confirmed that they intend to use the planned filter to block the download of games that have been refused by Australia's classification authority, the OFLC. As an Electronic Frontiers Australia spokesman noted, 'This is confirmation that the scope of the mandatory censorship scheme will keep on creeping.'"

Comments

Unclassified games

[Anonymous Coward]

My understanding is a LOT of games don't get classifications out there.
Filtering them out so you can't get them at all is horrible as the content isn't necessarily bad (and if it is they shouldn't be the ones judging if someone of age should be able to play them).

What's that? It's just a file so it could be *gasp* encrypted and bypass said filter?

OFLC: Yeah, good luck with that.

It just makes so much sense

[CopaceticOpus]

Will they be blocking violent movies too? What about violent books and song lyrics?

I don't doubt this will have an effect. Instead of 15-20 year olds playing violent games occasionally, they will now find them incredibly cool, and go to great lengths to play them. They won't have much trouble unless Australia figures out how to block torrents and eBay too. Even that wouldn't stop anyone.

Can You Hear Me Now?

[Greyfox]

I'm just a bit curious here, can someone in-the-know highlight the internet policy differences between Iran, China and Australia? I'd think a side-by-side comparison of policy features would be really neat.

Re:Refused?

[Nefarious Wheel]

But it still puzzles me that the AU people, which I've always considered as easygoing and enlightened, accept this level of government "protectionism".

We don't. We're not happy about it and we're making our opinions known. The minister in charge (Stephen Conroy is dismissing our objections. Come election time, he will discover this relationship is transitive.