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Oz Pirate Party Tells the Elderly How To Bypass the Net Filter
mask.of.sanity writes "When Exit International discovered it was earmarked for Australia's Internet filter blacklist, it wanted to ensure its members could access its pro-euthanasia material, but its members share an average age of 70 — not exactly from the tech generation. So Exit International turned to the filter-hating Pirate Party of Australia, which supplied a 'hacker' who taught a crowded room of grandmas and grandpas how to use proxies and advanced VPN tunnels to access Exit International's material — which the Australian government thinks breaches the moral compass of society. Computerworld has the presentation."
It'd feel odd to teach a group of old people how to access information about killing themselves.
But that's the point of the freedom of information - anyone should have the right to seek it out and access it.
The article says that each workshop lasts approximately five-and-a-half hours. It's taken me a half-hour just to explain how to properly navigate a website to some of my more elderly firewall. I'm not sure if the allotted time is enough to teach the various concepts and methods of VPN/ssh tunnels and proxies. I've worked with computer science graduates that didn't even properly grasp these concepts after a semester long course. I wish them the best of luck either way.
Currently, as a result of back room deals between the government and the Christian lobby, Australia has a moral anchor rather than a moral compass.
I always thought Australia was a developed country, economically, and politically. This Internet filter craziness makes them seem very un-democratic. What's next? Filtering the opposition party websites? Filtering any websites that has an opposing view of the current government? I don't think that next step is such a big one.
Hmm.. government trying to dictate to the elderly what is moral in society. One would think that the elderly would have the most conservative view on what is considered moral.
_Vishal www.squad9.com
People have been trying to block the spread of ideas since before the invention of the printing press.
They've always failed.
Really? In the States and other countries, there have been fairly extensive "campaign finance" laws. These basically restrict the flow of cash, and thus the ability to spread ideas, for non-incumbent parties. They have been extremely successful at shutting up difficult opposition.
I understand the motivation for blocking interactive sites for paedophiles to exchange their revolting material, but a static public information service?
Epic fail.
I'm always skeptical when a relatively harmless activity gets banned in order to "prevent" another, more dangerous one. Child pornography is illegal, and rightfully so. But restricting an entire nation's access to the internet in order to make things more difficult for pedophiles? I don't see the benefits myself, but then I am neither a computer genius (understatement!) nor from Australia, so perhaps I'm missing something.
Personally, I'd rather see increased effort in tracking down the bastards and throwing them in jail.
I am not a vegetarian werewolf.
China's filter is also bypassable. I assume want it that way. The strategy is to ensure that the young and the very concerned have ways to protect themselves individually, to avoid having them motivated to look into organised ways. A classic way to take the wind out of people power.
Expert in software patents or patent law? Contribute to the ESP wiki!
People have been trying to block the spread of ideas since before the invention of the printing press.
They've always failed.
Always?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_of_books_and_burying_of_scholars
Plus generally, you wouldn't have heard about really succesfull such actions by definition.
One that hath name thou can not otter
But its members share an average age of 70. Not exactly from the tech generation.
What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Somebody who is 70 would have been born in 1940. I'm pretty sure they would have grown up with technology their entire lives. In fact, somebody of that age would have grown up with one of the biggest technology expansions in history. They are almost the definition of "tech generation," and grew up under the influence of people like Albert Einstein.
... and then they built the supercollider.
now, having its economy dominated by China, it is apparently more like a Southern outpost of the Middle Kingdom. funny though how Chinese cultural understandings of centralized thought domination and control has proven so quickly popular in Canberra
we need to keep an eye on New Zealand, make sure down there all alone in the Antipodes that cabin fever doesn't make it lose it's marbles like Australia obviously has. plus New Zealand has that domestic situation with Mordor being inside its borders
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
That's not a knife...now that's a knife!
No it's not, that's a spoon.
Yes, I've played knifey-spoony before.
As an Australian, I find it rather depressing that most Americans' "knowledge" of Australia is limited to that single Simpsons episode...
In other news, where is not the same as were. Not even when you write it three times.
Homonyms are fun!
You're driving your car, but they're riding their bikes there.
Note that we already have web censorship (like Australia, allegedly for "child pr0n" - but see the Wikipedia case for how that works out in practice).
But yes, it is particularly mad that any pretence of "only child pr0n" is being dropped, and now all it'll take is copyright infringement to get on the blacklist.
70 means born in 1940.
They came of age with jet Fighter, space ships, nuclear power and color TV.
Not a computer literate bunch, but they weren't exactly from the dark ages.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on