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AU Classification Board To Censor Mobile Apps

Posted by samzenpus on from the we-got-a-ban-for-that dept.

bennyboy64 writes "The Australian Classification Board is seeking to censor mobile phone applications under its National Classification Scheme. 'I recently wrote to the minister [Minister McDonald] regarding my concern that some so-called mobile phone applications, which can be purchased online or either downloaded to mobile phones or played online via mobile phone access, are not being submitted to the board for classification,' Australia's Classification Board director Donald McDonald told a Senate Estimates committee. I wonder if they know that there are over 80,000 applications on the iPhone platform alone?"

5 of 129 comments (clear)

  1. The end of indie iphone games in Australia by atomicstrawberry · · Score: 4, Interesting

    As far as I know, to release a game on a medium regulated by the Australian classification board, you have to have the game in question classified. This costs a minimum of $1000 AUD.

    This will spell the end of any small-scale iPhone game development by individuals or indie developers in Australia. The only games we'll see will be from big publishers, if we see them at all - even a big-name game is going to struggle to recoup $1000+ from Australian sales alone.

  2. like hell it isn't by serps · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This is not censorship: this is rating, like done with movies and so already.

    Yes, but anything that is refused classification is unable to be sold. That's what censorship is. It's ironic that the predecessor to the OFLC was the Film Censorship Board, yet anything they didn't review was available to sell. i.e. they didn't censor.

    --
    "Einstein argued that [...] God is not capricious or arbitrary. No such faith comforts the software engineer." ~ Brooks
  3. I was going to take issue with the word "censor" by Rogerborg · · Score: 4, Funny

    Then I RTFA:

    iTnews has since been informed that Minister McDonald was referring to Commonwealth Censorship Minister Brendan O'Connor.

    Well, how charmingly honest of them. In a more sophisticated regime, that would be "Minister for the Protection of Cute Children's Precious, Precious Innocence."

    --
    If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
  4. Proposed Categories by Ukab+the+Great · · Score: 4, Funny

    No need to worry yet. Perhaps the categories will be

    1. Boobies
    2. Extra Boobies
    3. Mediocre girl-girl
    4. Wicked Awesome girl-girl
    5. Why would you pay 99 cents for that boring thing, mate?

  5. Re:I was going to take issue with the word "censor by srjh · · Score: 4, Informative

    Unfortunately they're not quite that honest - that title is from the author, not the Australian Government.

    His actual title is "Minister for Home Affairs".

    I would have said that the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy was more deserving of that title. He's the one pushing for mandatory state-wide internet filtering, three-strike copyright infringement laws, and privacy/interception exemptions for ISPs so they can prove their users aren't breaking the law. Also known as the internet villain of the year.