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AU Authority Moves To Censor Net Filtering Protest Site

An anonymous reader writes "On Friday the Sydney Morning Herald reported that an Internet censorship protest site had been set up under the banner 'Stephen Conroy: Minister for Fascism' and was ironically registered under the very name of the Australian Communications Minister responsible for trying to mandate the compulsory filtering scheme in federal law, stephenconroy.com.au. Within hours of the story being published, auDA, the Australian Domain Name Authority, had shut down the site, giving the owners only 3 hours to respond to a request to justify their eligibility for the domain. Normally auDA would allow several days to weeks for this process. An appeal to request an extension was denied, with no reason given. The site was quickly moved to a US domain, stephen-conroy.com in order to stay active while the dispute with auDA is resolved."

26 of 225 comments (clear)

  1. As evil as it sounds... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I think this is somewhat justified. Sure, where do you draw the line but this site was registered under a false name -- that of someone in Parliament. There's always the mature way and the immature way to handle things, and in this case with the people who created the same, they took the immature route. There's a time and a place for things, this sort of thing is more suited to personal jokes between friends and groups on Facebook.

    1. Re:As evil as it sounds... by MichaelSmith · · Score: 5, Informative

      auDA requires you have some right to the name, in this case they did, they registered the business name to go along with it. They have every right to the domain name under auDA's own policies.

      smithm@michael:~$ whois stephenconroy.com.au
      Domain Name: stephenconroy.com.au
      Last Modified:17-Dec-2009 23:01:47 UTC
      Registrar ID:Domain Central
      Registrar Name: Domain Central
      Status:pendingDelete (Client requested policy delete)

      Registrant:SAPIA PTY LTD
      Registrant ID: ABN 94140321240
      Eligibility Type: Company

      Registrant Contact ID: C032321-DC
      Registrant Contact Name: Domain Manager
      Registrant Contact Email: Visit whois.ausregistry.com.au for Web based WhoIs

      Tech Contact ID: C032321-DC
      Tech Contact Name: Domain Manager
      Tech Contact Email: Visit whois.ausregistry.com.au for Web based WhoIs

      Its not immediately clear to me how they qualified for this name.

    2. Re:As evil as it sounds... by bmo · · Score: 5, Insightful

      >I think this is somewhat justified.

      No, it's not. Not in the least.

      It's political speech. If there's *any* sort of speech that needs protecting, it's "controversial" political speech because mainstream political speech doesn't need protection as much. Stephen Conroy doesn't like criticism. Well, boo-hoo, cry me a river. It doesn't matter if it's "immature" or not. What's next, banning editorial cartoons that Steven doesn't like, or throwing people in prison that Steven doesn't like? He has now demonstrated that he won't stop at child pornography. This is *exactly* why Steven Conroy's "protect the children" censorship should be shouted down.

      Steven Conroy is a fascist with a stick up his arse, pure and simple.

      I'm in the States, and Steven Conroy makes me want to punch him.

      --
      BMO

    3. Re:As evil as it sounds... by Runaway1956 · · Score: 3, Informative

      Your first point is valid. Your second point is valid. 3rd point, about not being Australian? Doesn't matter. Men the world around can recognize a douche, no matter what language the douche speaks, or what culture the douche is from. Pussies are pussies, they need to be washed from time to time, and there really isn't much variation on douches. Form follows function.

      Does anyone have an email, so that we can all tell the douche he is obviously a douche?

      --
      "Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
    4. Re:As evil as it sounds... by cheekyboy · · Score: 4, Interesting

      its ironic these pricks of govt people love it when they see Iranians or Iraqis protesting their own govt or saddam , they love to see NK denouncing Kim Jong.

      But the second the same thing happens in western countries, oh no, we have to ban it, its evil.

      Get the F out of here you stupid politico fascists , we can shit on your face all day, we have that right. The fact the politicos get their own better retirement and health benefits proves they are above the human slaves.

      --
      Liberty freedom are no1, not dicks in suits.
    5. Re:As evil as it sounds... by whitehatnetizen · · Score: 5, Informative

      As much as I agree with you, you don't seem to understand that the group that registered the domain committed fraud. also in Aus, to have a .com.au domain, you need to either have a registered business/trading name related to the domain, or have the domain be your actual name. as far as I can tell, neither of these were the case and so it is fraud.

    6. Re:As evil as it sounds... by dov_0 · · Score: 4, Informative

      In Australia at least it is a requirement that you actually have a registered business to obtain a .com.au domain name for a start. The domain name must also be directly related to your own business. auDA are well within their rights, as there is no evidence to show that the protest group actually has a business called 'Stephen Conroy'.

      --
      sudo mount --milk --sugar /cup/tea /mouth /etc/init.d/relax start
    7. Re:As evil as it sounds... by Dhalka226 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      If there's *any* sort of speech that needs protecting, it's "controversial" political speech

      I'm all for protecting free speech, but that does not mean we need to protect every manner of expressing that speech. You don't get to go through town on a loudspeaker at 2am without getting cited for noise ordinances just because your message happens to be "VOTE OUT OBAMA!" You don't get to spray paint your message on my garage. We already accept sensible limits on these means of expression without necessarily supporting censorship of the message, and that is rightly so.

      In that same vein, I have absolutely no problem with the website saying WHATEVER it wants about Senator Conroy and his Internet filtering crap. In fact I applaud it. I do NOT think that having something to say about him entitles them to a domain name compromised entirely of his name, particularly when registering such a domain appears to be in violation of the registration rules. If they want to create an organization called No To Conroy or some such, and register notoconroy.com.au or notoconroy.org.au or what-have-you, more power to them. Keep the message out there. Just not like this.

    8. Re:As evil as it sounds... by Jeremy+Erwin · · Score: 4, Funny

      That's it. No more slashdot posting for you today. Come back when you've gotten laid.

    9. Re:As evil as it sounds... by CrackedButter · · Score: 3, Insightful

      How do you explain free speech zones then during the bush administration?

    10. Re:As evil as it sounds... by ta+bu+shi+da+yu · · Score: 3, Insightful

      That's true. But this is a moot point, given that it was nobody by the name of Stephen Conroy has anything to do with the website in question.

      --
      XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
  2. To be fair... by BrokenHalo · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'm no fan of Stephen Conroy's Great Wall of Australia, but the owners of the site in question can't have any claim to legitimacy if they fraudulently use someone else's name to register it.

    1. Re:To be fair... by nulldaemon · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I'm no fan of Stephen Conroy's Great Wall of Australia, but the owners of the site in question can't have any claim to legitimacy if they fraudulently use someone else's name to register it.

      Normally I'd agree with you but a satire of a political figure is, imo, legitimate use of a domain.

    2. Re:To be fair... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      not in .com.au, it isn't. Have you seen the requirements to register a .com.au? Satire doesn't cut it, I'm afraid:

      1. To be eligible for a domain name in the com.au 2LD, registrants must be:
      a) an Australian registered company; or
      b) trading under a registered business name in any Australian State or Territory; or
      c) an Australian partnership or sole trader; or
      d) a foreign company licensed to trade in Australia; or
      e) an owner of an Australian Registered Trade Mark; or
      f) an applicant for an Australian Registered Trade Mark; or
      g) an association incorporated in any Australian State or Territory; or
      h) an Australian commercial statutory body.

      There is no

      i) in it for teh funnees.

    3. Re:To be fair... by keeperofdakeys · · Score: 3, Insightful

      It's not the supposed legality of the site that is the main problem in my view, it is the fact that they were not given much time before the site was pulled down. According to the site this is not very common, usually sites have a few days to respond. Coupled with the fact that the office is closed for christmas, there domain may 'expire'. The EFA has also accepted to help, which means it must not be as clear cut as mentioned above.

    4. Re:To be fair... by EdIII · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Normally I'd agree with you but a satire of a political figure is, imo, legitimate use of a domain.

      No, it's the legitimate use of a website, specifically its content. A domain brings in a lot of other talking points, such as trademark law, trademark dilution, etc.

      I think it is pretty damn good argument that if your name is not Stephen Conroy, or have a service contract with Stephen Conroy, that you cannot own the domain legally.

      Of course, I absolutely despise domain name squatters, so I may be a little biased in this regard. Ownership and registry of domains has to be reworked regardless.

      People get the political satire argument a little confused and immediately try to apply to it to domain names, which I just don't think is appropriate. If you make some content in the spirit of political satire and get it published at the New York Times, it is at the New York Times. If video, it could be shown on Comedy Central, or some other entertainment channel. It is still being presented through another distribution channel where it is clear that it is not being presented by the target of the political satire.

      In some ways, you might even look it as being libelous and even impersonation. Would a reasonable person conclude that it was not Stephen Conroy making the statements? Would a reasonable person conclude that the Stephen Conroy, or somebody named Stephen Conroy own and condone the content of that domain? Could a reasonable person sue Stephen Conroy for the content of the domain?

      The Internet is just too new right now. I don't think we have really answered these questions yet, or been forced to deal with them enough yet.

      I hate censorship as much as the next person, but putting your protest in the man's name? I don't think you should do that. Get something like censorship-in-australia.com.au or something.

      I may completely disagree with Stephen Conroy's politics, but I will wholeheartedly support the idea that he has the rights to own that domain and make arguments that it be turned over to him. Please note that I limit that to StephenConroy or Stephen-Conroy, etc. Not Stephen-Conroy-is-a-complete-douche.com.au.

      Of course... if the protesters can find another man named Stephen Conroy and make an agreement with him that could make it a lot more interesting to me.

    5. Re:To be fair... by beav007 · · Score: 3, Informative

      The problem is not the domain name, it was the name used to register the domain name. Also, satire and parody are not welcome in .au domains. The domain name must be your business name, or a derivative of your business name. Anything else gets squashed. That's the rules for owning a .au address.

  3. The world is global now. by pecosdave · · Score: 4, Interesting

    You can't censor in secret anymore. Either you can pull a China/North Korea/Cuba/Most of the Middle East and just outright limit, filter and forbid in the open and go full tilt enforcement while not hiding the fact you're being a douche about it, or you can go hands off and only enforce your countries top level domain. Few people in the US use a .us top level domain, though the popularity is increasing. .com is for the world and can be hosted anywhere nearly transparently. It's time Australia figures that out.

    --
    The preceding post was not a Slashvertisement.
  4. Re:For what it's worth by timmarhy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    yes and in any other case you'd only have 3 hours to respond? this is clear cut government intervention on a topic they should keep their fucking nose OUT of, and precisely the kind of thing that should be fought.

    --
    If you mod me down, I will become more powerful than you can imagine....
  5. No worries, mate. Unless you're not a fascist. by gavron · · Score: 4, Interesting
    I was once an expert witness in a case where AuDA stole domains from someone who legitimately registered them.

    AuDA is a fascist organization [organisation]. They do what they want, use their funds to hire high-powered lawyers, and out-spend those who seek to use their services within their fascist rules or even those used by the rest of the Internet world.

    I think Australia is a beautiful wonderful place, and have many friends there. When they can free their government from AuDA and their Big-Content masters, it will be a better place.

    Oh yeah I need a punchline to get the karma masters happy. AuDA and Australia fascists: step off.

    E

  6. Now does everyone realise by Muskstick · · Score: 4, Insightful

    ...that Bob Brown is the best choice for PM, The Greens really have the only policies that make sense. Can you all imagine no Labor or Liberal bastards calling the shots and the country actually being run by someone who cares about it rather than these insane power hungry pollies with mad personal agendas to fulfill.

  7. Re:not a US domain name by trickyD1ck · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If something isn't true, it doesn't make it a fallacy.

  8. Re:For what it's worth by Techman83 · · Score: 3, Informative

    No it's clear cut corporate intervention, unless you want to go for the standard conspiracy theory crap.

    Considering how irritatingly slow auDA are at handling any kind of request (think a month to 6 weeks, yes I have witnessed this), I find it highly unlikely that they weren't at least prod'd into action via external forces (ie Senator Conroy or one of his cronies).

    I guess it's not like they have a history of doing this... Oh right they do -> Filtering out the fury: how government tried to gag web censor critics

    --
    # cat /dev/mem | strings | grep -i cat
    Damn, my RAM is full of cats. MEOW!!
  9. Re:Domain Name Registration Requirements by doug20r · · Score: 3, Informative

    You are wrong about the commercial requirements. These are very minimal. Just placing some ads on their website selling Steve dolls or Steve posters etc would be enough to meet the auDA monetised website requirements.

  10. Eh, the SITE is a parody, the registry isn't by SmallFurryCreature · · Score: 5, Interesting

    If I act/dress like Steven Conroy goose-stepping through the streets, THAT is parody. If I create a passport with his name on it, then that is fraud.

    They should have registered the site in their own name, then it would be parody and they would probably win in court (don't know aussie laws on parody but presuming they are as similar to EU/US laws as you can expect from a continent of criminals).

    Mind you, the fact that the registry changed its normal procedure for this case shows that this is a real attempt at suppression of critical thoughts. Then again, everyone knows not to use local registers for anything, they are all corrupt but without the global oversight the .com.org.net have to work under.

    But if you want to parody/critize, you need to know what battles to fight. Like the show "Have I Got News For You". They can only do what they do because they got lawyers watching the entire show, who decide what joke/satire is worth it and which isn't. You can make far harder satire, if you give the enemy only the satire itself to fight. Not accidental criminal/libel stuff that they can use to shut you down.

    For instance, I can say that George Bush is the monkey whose brain was served in The Temple of Doom, but if I then hint "which leads him to cheat on his wife" I am opening myself up to much to attack. This side is now attacked because it faked the registry, neatly allowing the attacked to side-step addressing the charge of facism.

    Just as my post may now be modden down for attacking Bush, or the criminal aussie remark, rather then the main point I am trying to make.

    --

    MMO Quests are like orgasms:

    You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.

    1. Re:Eh, the SITE is a parody, the registry isn't by drinkypoo · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Wow, so you're comparing a website to a passport? That's really.... wow. Have you also given thought about multiple people having the name Steven Conroy?

      Australia already holds the view that .com.au domains are for businesses, and that their name should be related to the company's name. I think this is a completely reasonable restriction; I would welcome it for .com as well. It would all but eliminate domain squatting if you had to get a business license to go with every domain, yet would not prevent savvy individuals from forming a vanity business for a single vanity domain. In any case, this is the way the rules are written for .au, though not for .us, so the standards are different. As a consumer, I welcome some meaningful protection; if you accept that trademarks are a legitimate concept, this isn't much of a leap.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"