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Australia May Introduce Site Blocking To Prevent Copyright Infringement

Bismillah writes: The conservative Coalition government in Australia is on the verge of introducing legislation requiring ISPs to block sites alleged of copyright infringement. Details of the bill have not yet been published, but it is expected to be sent to Parliament this week.

85 comments

  1. Will see by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Stay tuned

  2. BitTorrent Trackers don't infringe copyright by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Isn't that the entire point? They just help people find other people who are infringing copyright.
     
    The first lawyer with a pair of balls is going to have a field day with this.

    1. Re:BitTorrent Trackers don't infringe copyright by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      When you open the door for a robber, especially when they look like a robber, you're guilty too.

    2. Re:BitTorrent Trackers don't infringe copyright by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      From TFS... The conservative Coalition government in Australia is on the verge of introducing legislation requiring ISPs to block sites alleged of copyright infringement.

      A mere accusation appears to be enough to get a site blocked.

    3. Re:BitTorrent Trackers don't infringe copyright by gweihir · · Score: 1, Insightful

      In these situations, the law is not about reality or what works or not. What these cretins are trying to do is redefine reality. Of courser, reality could not care less.

      --
      Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
    4. Re:BitTorrent Trackers don't infringe copyright by chefren · · Score: 2

      Heh, you can block Youtube on exactly the same grounds as you block torrent sites, in fact you have stronger grounds since Google actually hosts the content. I wonder who needs to make the complaint to get a site blocked. Getting Youtube blocked would raise awaresness for sure.

    5. Re:BitTorrent Trackers don't infringe copyright by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Only complaints from big players will be heard, and only big players can afford to dispute each other's complaints. In its majestic equality, the law allows anyone with thousands of dollars to spend on lawyers to get stuff blocked and unblocked.

    6. Re:BitTorrent Trackers don't infringe copyright by CanadianMacFan · · Score: 1

      Heck, lots of people post unauthorized images on Facebook. (Do people post videos on there? Haven't been on in years so I don't know.) Not exactly what they intended with the copyright infringement law but they should be careful what they wish for.

    7. Re: BitTorrent Trackers don't infringe copyright by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's not copyright infringement but illegal broadcasting. It would be interesting to see somebody fight prosecution using this argument. I haven't checked but I'd imagine the penalty is smaller.

  3. Gubmint considers game of "Whack-A-Mole" by They'reComingToTakeM · · Score: 2

    Film at eleven...

  4. True story by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I was having breakfast at my local cafe w/ my partner last weekend, next to us a group of 4 normal aussies sit down at the table and after ordering start talking about this situation.

    They clearly weren't in IT, not overly tech literate, and in fact like most typical aussies were pretty "anti-big-brother" by the sounds of it... However while discussing this topic of 3 strikes laws and nation-wide blocking of sites, etc - one of them brought up the concept of VPNs and how they could be used to work around all of this for $5-$10 a month, seemingly a tech literate friend must have told them about it - and now it's spreading to his friends via word of mouth.

    A lot of people here are probably already using VPNs for work or to avoid surveillance, and some of you might think that this is the solution to the problem but "most people" won't know about VPNs or know how to set it up.

    But the fact of the matter, where there's a will there's a way, and word of mouth is very effective at spreading information to all types of people from all walks of life - no matter how hard the government try, every day ordinary australians - be they house wives, kids, grandparents, or the tradie down the road - they're simply going to end up using a VPN to work around this.

    Try as you might Abbott, you can't do shit. I suggest you put our money somewhere worth while, say, into science and education, this thing you don't believe in but manages to thwart everything you've been trying to shove down our throats all this time.

    1. Re: True story by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Except last time they tried to block anything, it was as simple as changing your dns.

      They have nfi.

    2. Re: True story by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Or just grab the IP address of the site prior to the law kicking in.

    3. Re:True story by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The thing I find truly infuriating about all this is the moment this passes the senate and actually gets through (which it probably will because we're a bunch of ignorant fools) it will destroy what quality we had left for consume grade internet services. Most of already have to put up with poor quality services off low bandwidth RIM nodes and the lies.

      I really wish we as a people had more say that just voting in the next bunch of dictrators and actually had a say in things that are important to us.

      If copyright infringement is such a problem:

      * go after the site operators
      * shutdown the offending sites
      * educate businesses and industries to "lower" their prices

      My last point is really common sense. If you make it cheap enough and easy enough ordinary folk won't be bothered pirating or infringing upon copyright.

    4. Re:True story by NotDrWho · · Score: 1

      Just because there will likely be a way to get around it doesn't mean we should let them pass the law in the first place without a fight. Sure, you could use a VPN (for now, until they get around to blocking most of those too). But wouldn't it be a lot better to simply stop this law from passing in the first place?

      --
      SJW's don't eliminate discrimination. They just expropriate it for themselves.
    5. Re:True story by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      where there's a will there's a way, and word of mouth is very effective at spreading information

      This right here. I have several friends and colleagues in China, all of them have Facebook accounts, many of them use Google a lot. When the government does something that the general populace disagrees with the populace will typically:

      1. Sit back and take it because what can one man do vs the government right?
      2. Talk, search, and find a way around the problem.

      The terms Tor and VPN are becoming common household names.

    6. Re:True story by CaptainDork · · Score: 1

      This.

      It applies universally.

      When we compare population sizes of interested parties, there are a hell of a lot more people who DON'T work for the authorities than do.

      That means the odds are great that people on the dark side have members who are much more savvy than government/business/ISP gatekeepers.

      --
      It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
    7. Re: True story by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In the UK they block by DNS *and* IP address. And they've now got a fast track in courts for blocking any site that even *mentions* the relevant proxies. As well as the proxies themselves of course.

      TOR still works for the moment. I expect they will try to block that soon however. That would just leave VPNs...

    8. Re:True story by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      if you can block sites you can block VPNs.

    9. Re:True story by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why are people such theives? It is illegal to steal software and movies and music and yet, people love to do this.

    10. Re:True story by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As a matter of fact, it was me who stole the original Star Wars Ep.1 film, so the version that everyone got to see was the hastily put together crap fest that everyone loves to pan.

  5. mmm, tor. .onion for trackers anyone? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Say no more.

    The Pirate Bay has an onion address, does kickass.to?

    When will bit torrent clients support .onion addresses for trackers?

    1. Re:mmm, tor. .onion for trackers anyone? by gweihir · · Score: 2

      You do not need a .onion address to circumvent blocking on the client side, an exit-node somewhere else is quite enough. Besides offering anonymity, TOR can be thought as a VPN to whatever exit-node you chose.

      --
      Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
    2. Re:mmm, tor. .onion for trackers anyone? by SuricouRaven · · Score: 1

      Or, as the pirate bay has, about a billion different mirror sites.

    3. Re:mmm, tor. .onion for trackers anyone? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Except that you can't takedown a .onion address like you can with DNS.

    4. Re:mmm, tor. .onion for trackers anyone? by gweihir · · Score: 1

      Indeed.

      --
      Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
    5. Re:mmm, tor. .onion for trackers anyone? by gweihir · · Score: 1

      Yes, but that would be the DNS that the exit node uses, not your local one. It would be a poor anonymity solution that tunnels all traffic, except that it does local DNS queries and hence tells you ISP what sites you are visiting.

      --
      Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
  6. Good luck. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    They've also tried this in Finland.

    How effective is it? Two words: Mirror and Proxy. It literally has no effect on piracy. It's a waste of resources legislated in by people with no handle on the situation.

    1. Re:Good luck. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      It is not a waste of resources if it manages to censor a bunch of other stuff as well.

    2. Re:Good luck. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And set a precedent that can one day be used to block all sites that "slander" government officials.

    3. Re:Good luck. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The system benefits only the copyright holder's interest group, where it gives them eternal amount of billable work. Every day they can just do a google search for torrents, copy paste a list of new sites to be blocked, send it to the ISPs and send a fat bill to the artists.They have a dream job, as they are not responsible for anybody, they literally can accuse anybody for copyright infringement and make the other side to prove them wrong.

  7. Correlation to VPN's by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Purchased

  8. They have the Internet, Down Under? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    How is that even possible? Don't the ones and zeros come out all sideways when the tubes flush the wrong way round?

    1. Re:They have the Internet, Down Under? by tepples · · Score: 1

      Even if the ones and zeros did come out sideways, plenty of modulation schemes are insensitive to phase inversion.

    2. Re:They have the Internet, Down Under? by zbaron · · Score: 1

      In addition to the inet_ntoa and inet_aton and related calls, we have a special inet_ntoaustralia that all TCP stacks here have to implement. It flips the 1's and 0's vertically, so they appear to be in the correct orientation to the host.

  9. Australian here by mjwx · · Score: 5, Informative

    G'day,

    This is the kind of bollocks that the government has been talking about since day one. Mostly driven by the deplorable ACT Attourney General, George Brandis.

    The first thing I should point out is that it's just talk. They're talking about introducing legislation to parliment. They haven't done anything but talk.

    The second thing is, the Libs face a hostile senate. The Liberal party are our conservatives BTW. Whilst they can pass it in the lower house, it will fail in the upper house.

    The third thing is, they will face a revolt from their back bench, many of whom are facing re-election in the next 18 months in an environment where the Liberal party is losing almost every election they're coming up against. So a lot of them are thinking of their own good over the parties.

    Finally, ISP's are a powerful lobby over here and you can bet they dont want to turn customers to smaller ISP's who will skirt the laws.

    So I'm not worried. the LNP (Liberal/National Party) haven't been able to do much of anything and what they have done has earned them a severe backlash.

    --
    Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
    1. Re:Australian here by NoMaster · · Score: 4, Informative

      The second thing is, the Libs face a hostile senate ... the LNP (Liberal/National Party) haven't been able to do much of anything

      To put this into some perspective for non-Aus people: the LNP government is still trying to get major items from last year's budget passed. And this year's budget is only about 8 weeks away...

      --
      What part of "a well regulated militia" do you not understand?
    2. Re:Australian here by Harlequin80 · · Score: 4, Informative

      What I find most disappointing is that the previous Labor government was planning to push through mandatory internet filtering and the conservative LNP party was up in arms about how evil that was. Now they are pushing a similar thing as well as a potential 3 strikes law. Makes it hard to pick who to vote for.

      That said I agree with mjwx, this legislation will be highly populous and fail in the senate.

    3. Re:Australian here by thegarbz · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The second thing is, the Libs face a hostile senate. The Liberal party are our conservatives BTW. Whilst they can pass it in the lower house, it will fail in the upper house.

      Don't be so sure about that. The only reason Labor didn't introduce a very similar bill last time was they lacked the support of the greens. Fucking over Australia seems to be the only mission that has any kind of bipartisan support by the government.

      The only reason this would get blocked is if Labor stick to their opposition tactic of "block everything to discredit the government". I must say though I do like the situation. I hope we forever stay in a world where the government of the day can't pass bullshit bills.

    4. Re:Australian here by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The Liberal party are our conservatives BTW

      I think that's the best part of your comment. Having a conservative party named "liberal" is a great bit of Newspeak-esque irony.

    5. Re:Australian here by Harlequin80 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      They have moved a long way from where they started. Originally they were a liberal party. Really they shifted to being a truly conservative party under John Howard. I think the title of his auto-biography sums it up "Lazarus Rising"

      From their own site.

      In 1944, the Liberal Party of Australia was founded after a three-day meeting held in a small hall not far from Parliament House in Canberra. The meeting was called by the then Leader of the Opposition (United Australia Party) Robert Menzies. Robert Menzies had already served as Prime Minister of Australia (1939-41), but he believed that the non-Labor parties should unite to present a strong alternative government to the Australian people. Eighty men and women from 18 non-Labor political parties and organisations attended the first Canberra conference. They shared a common belief that Australians should have greater personal freedom and choice than that offered under Labor’s post-war socialist plans. Robert Menzies believed the time was right for a new political force in Australia - one which fought for the freedom of the individual and produced enlightened liberal policies.

      In his opening address at that meeting, he said: ...what we must look for, and it is a matter of desperate importance to our society, is a true revival of liberal thought which will work for social justice and security, for national power and national progress, and for the full development of the individual citizen, though not through the dull and deadening process of socialism.
      It is often said that Robert Menzies stood for the ‘forgotten people’ of Australia; those mainstream Australians whose goals, needs and aspirations had been ignored by Government.

      On October 16, 1944, the name The Liberal Party of Australia was adopted, uniting the many different political organisations. Two months later, at the Albury Conference, the Party’s organisational and constitutional framework was drawn up.

      The name Liberal was chosen deliberately for its associations with progressive nineteenth century free enterprise and social equality. By May 1945 membership of the Liberal Party had swelled to 40,000.

    6. Re:Australian here by TapeCutter · · Score: 3, Interesting
      Neither side actually wants to implement this stuff, the only reason either party bring up these ideas and have long running inquiries is to buy the votes of independent senators on other matters, particularly those senators from the far right minority parties such as "family first". Even if Brandis pushed a bill thru the lower house the senate will drag out voting on it until the next election and then start all over again, with a new set of nutjob independents. The same pattern has repeated itself every election cycle for the last 20yrs, longer if you count video recorders and photocopiers. No matter who is in power the govt always plays bad cop on this issue, the opposition always play good cop because they cannot push legislation thru the lower house and therefore have little to offer in exchange for said senator(s) votes on other matters.

      I made the same prediction about Conroy's filter and most of slashdot laughed - this proposal will go nowhere and be will forgotten before the next election, especially now that we have a communications minister with a functioning brain and his eye on the top job.

      Makes it hard to pick who to vote for.

      Yes, but now you know who to vote against in the senate. :)

      --
      And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
    7. Re:Australian here by KeensMustard · · Score: 1

      Point of order, Brandis in NO SENSE the ACT Attorney General. The ACT Government does a lot of strange things (think "monorail! monorail! monorail!") but neither party in the ACT would field Brandis or anyone resembling Brandis as a candidate let alone give him a position of authority.

    8. Re:Australian here by rtb61 · · Score: 1

      The most amazing thing about the current Australian government is the Prime Minister, Toxic Tony and his pals, scammed their own party member representatives with a email bombing campaign to stay in power (the gist of the campaign being the people still wanted Toxic Tony in power). So they were setting up their own party to loose big time in the next election by actively ignoring their own electorate, so that Toxic Tony and Co could cash in on bigger government pensions as long as they hold those offices for three years. You can see now why the current LNP leadership, Toxic Tony and co are desperate to implement across the board censorship. http://www.buzzfeed.com/markdi... Don't think for a second that they were not fully aware of what was going on.

      --
      Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
    9. Re:Australian here by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ISP is anything BUT independent.

      1) Recording your metadata or more for 2+ years (assume it goes into a Chinese Cloud), bundled in monthly subscription price.
      2) Making same available to 20+ agencies (so not just National Security).
      3) Active blocking of really bad stuff (in secret until leaked) to include weight loss and anorexia for girls.
      4) And in NZ they want to tell you what gear you will use and how to design
      5) Reality Check. VPN, Proxy, Mirror - yeah they wont think of that.
      6) Extradition to USA (Maybe hoping to better the dotcom NZ saga)

      Your average teen/new brand new voter won't care. My downloads not working. What, I have to pay again to get it to work! No brainer these digitally deprived hipsters will vote against the Neanderthal antagonists who don't get it.

    10. Re:Australian here by jonwil · · Score: 1

      Given how much money the big media companies spend on political donations to both sides of politics in this country I wouldn't be so sure that the Labor party are going to be voting no on this bill.

      Not to mention that they are filming the latest Pirates of the Caribbean film right here in sunny Queensland and I can gaurantee that Hollywood is talking to both sides of politics and pointing out just how much money is being injected into the Australian economy by content production and that without strong anti-piracy measures, all that content production (and associated economic benefit) will be in jeopardy.

      It worked in New Zealand where they used the Hobbit films as a lever to get the changes to labor laws that they wanted, I see no reason the same wouldn't work here in Australia to get the anti-piracy measures they want.

    11. Re:Australian here by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 2

      It's not just talk; it's conditioning.

      This opens the discussion for a plan to fight crime. This plan is in definite, actionable terms: block copyright-infringing sites. The more you hear things like that, the more normalized they sound.

      Blocking Web sites alleged of a crime is about evading due process. Rather than convict someone of a crime, find them guilty in a court of law, and then take action, you just claim they have committed a crime and pass sentence. In this case, sentence is effectively removing their Web site through state action.

    12. Re:Australian here by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 1

      You have budgets? Obama's pet legislature has run without a budget for almost his entire term in office.

    13. Re:Australian here by mjwx · · Score: 1

      Neither side actually wants to implement this stuff, the only reason either party bring up these ideas and have long running inquiries is to buy the votes of independent senators on other matters, particularly those senators from the far right minority parties

      Its not just parties like Family First but also factions of their own parties.

      What Americans might find difficult to understand is that our parties aren't divided on left and right lines (there are no left win parties left in Oz, even the Greens are extremerly centrist these days). Our major parties (Liberal and Labor) have both left and right elements. Whilst the Liberals tend to be more socially conservative the Labor party has a sizable Christian contingent that are just as backwards. So often legislation like this is introduced to keep the extremists happy even though it'll never pass because the majority of the party will vote against it.

      --
      Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
  10. Expect TOR traffic to increase... by gweihir · · Score: 1

    Unless they are incompetent enough to use DNS-based "blocking". That is a complete non-starter.

    --
    Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
    1. Re:Expect TOR traffic to increase... by SuricouRaven · · Score: 1

      If they are halfway sensible, they'll not specify how to block - just specify what must be blocked, and leave the technological side to the ISPs.

    2. Re:Expect TOR traffic to increase... by redback · · Score: 2

      halfway sensible? not even close.

    3. Re:Expect TOR traffic to increase... by gweihir · · Score: 1

      Would surprise me too. After all, the idea itself is completely boneheaded and only serves to prop up a dead and decomposing business model.

      --
      Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
  11. Netflix worried it wont make money? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Netflix starts up in a few weeks in Australia.

    Did they lobby the govt to create this law to "save" the 2 new jobs it will create in Australia, just so they can funnel their profits overseas like Google, Amazon, Microsoft etc?

  12. Remember NASA vs News website by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Remember when Youtube removed one of NASA's landing videos because a News corporation claimed ownership? Our government wouldn't.

    Our biggest issue is that these clowns were only voted in because they successfully argued (wrongly) that the Carbon Tax was costing everyone a lot of money. Turns out it isn't.. But while the rest of us see fibre with high-speed uploads as beneficial, these guys seem to think Netflix is all the internet will be used for.

    Even worse, most of them clearly can barely use a computer. That's why they won't be affected by any takedown notices anyway (that, and it seems every law they make exempts government anyway)

    1. Re:Remember NASA vs News website by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Our biggest issue is that these clowns were only voted in because they successfully argued (wrongly) that the Carbon Tax was costing everyone a lot of money.

      I thought it was because Labour had so much infighting between Rudd and Gillard, that they were no longer an option. All Abbott had to do was not fuck up too much. Luckily (for him, not us) he managed to delay his screw-ups until after the election.

    2. Re:Remember NASA vs News website by TapeCutter · · Score: 2

      Yep. The other side were so busy fighting amongst themselves they gave Abbot a free ride. Now he is PM we can all see that he didn't actually do any work on his own policies when in opposition, he's still stuck in opposition mode, ie: simply making shit up on the fly and hoping nobody spots the absurdity of his rhetoric.

      BTW the mining unions were the force behind the demise of Rudd in round one of the leadership brawl, they are just as anti-AGW as the mine owners themselves, and for the same reason. Getting rid of rudd turned the ETS into a "revenue neutral" tax and diluted the Mineral Resource Tax to the point where it had no effect and raised nothing in revenue. Abbot was on a winner fighting these tax because, aside from the voters natural aversion to new taxes, the miners (Labor), mining unions(LNP), and Rupert's newspapers(ordinary punters), all desperately wanted those taxes dumped or neutered.

      The end result is that Australia is now an international piranha when it comes to climate change, it even has a multi-billion dollar "direct action" scheme that in effect rewards companies for polluting the atmosphere.

      --
      And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
    3. Re:Remember NASA vs News website by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As much as I hate unions and the way the mining industry rape the environment. The MRT was a disaster from the start and would not have worked even under the original proposal as it was all based around absurdly inflated mineral.prices at the time. Those prices were not sustainable for more than a couple of years even under the most optimistic scenarios.

  13. conservative Coalition government in Australia by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Just goes to prove that the majority of voters in Australia are conservative. Do they complain as much as the Americans about their government? Because if they do, it only proves they're just as stupid... And remember, Murdoch is an Aussie. I'm very disappointed. I expected better from these people, and here they are, no different from the rest of us schlubs. And what's worse is that their beer isn't all that good either. Maybe that's the problem.

    1. Re: conservative Coalition government in Australia by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thank you for showing us how enlightened and welcoming you are to people with different opinions by calling someone stupid.

      I know absolutely nothing about Australian politics so the last thing I would think to do is insult them. Please stop breathing air so others that are more open to different views may continue to live.

    2. Re:conservative Coalition government in Australia by TapeCutter · · Score: 2

      lol - The croc bait is criticising Aussie beer and intelligence.

      --
      And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
    3. Re: conservative Coalition government in Australia by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Please reread the post, as many times as needed to comprehend what was posted, because you obviously failed here.

      Thank you.

    4. Re:conservative Coalition government in Australia by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The intelligence of anybody that continually reelect the people they complain about is very questionable, damn near nonexistent. The conservatism is a very successful global appeal to basic instinct, as just played out in Israel.

      The beer, well, the stuff is tiger piss! Yuck! Even Canada has real beer, comparatively speaking of course!

    5. Re:conservative Coalition government in Australia by CanEHdian · · Score: 1

      Just goes to prove that the majority of voters in Australia are conservative. Do they complain as much as the Americans about their government?

      Since this is Slashdot, you didn't read TFA. But if you had, it's clear that the US Government is the Australians' government.

      --
      When the copyright term is "forever minus a day", live every day like it's the last.
    6. Re:conservative Coalition government in Australia by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Just goes to prove that the majority of voters in Australia are conservative.

      Well, no actually. The numbers show that the LNP (actually, a coalition between the Liberal and National parties) only achieved around 46% of the primary vote (I can't be arsed to find a link at the moment ...), but the way our preferential counting system works, they ended up winning enough seats anyway.

      As the saying goes, in Australia the opposition does not win, the Government loses. Basically, the opposition rides into an election solely based on the message that they are not the other guys.

  14. Salami Slicing by enter+to+exit · · Score: 3, Informative

    Again, this imbecile government bungles another one of their policies. They have no subtlety. If you want to implement an unpopular law, blame it on the terrorists.

    Tell the people the laws are necessary to prevent The Children radicalizing. Then once you've created the regulating mechanism, increase it's scope outside Parliament. (preferably through carefully vague mandates). Salami slicing.

    They've stuffed it in their collective haste to please Rupert Murdoch. It's a good thing our government is incompetent.

    1. Re:Salami Slicing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You sure that would work with internet site blocking down there this time? Last time they tried doing a block list for the internet they used those excuses and made it an offense to even reveal the contents of their little block list. And it was found out that the scope of the blocks had expanded from it's child porn scope before it even finished it's trial run. You'd think the people would remember this.

    2. Re:Salami Slicing by CanadianMacFan · · Score: 1

      Well subtle isn't one of the first words I think of when I think of Abbott.

  15. g'day mate by pbjones · · Score: 1

    firstly, we are finally getting Netflix etc in Oz, although it won't be the same as in the USA. As for blocking sites, I guess that no-one is going to give up their VPN anytime soon.

    --
    There was an unknown error in the submission.
    1. Re:g'day mate by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You can pretty much blame Foxtel for that though. If they hadn't got their grubby little paws on a lot of the content we're likely to have seen it on either netflix, stan, or presto.

    2. Re:g'day mate by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I've actually written to the communications minister outlining that if the media companies want the government to enforce any new laws, then they should make their content available universally to all interested consumers. i.e.: if HBO lets Foxtel have exclusive rights to Game of Thrones (at around AU$540 if all you are interested in that show) when iTunes sells a season (in higher quality mind you!) for around AU$35, then they can go jump. Basically, the messages is people *want* to pay a reasonable amount to watch these shows, but they can't find anyone to give money to.

    3. Re:g'day mate by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This.

      I'd love to buy my digital media, but I haven't found a reasonable option yet.

  16. GPL violations as well ? by Alain+Williams · · Score: 2

    So if someone makes a complaint about corporate GPL violation - will the violating company's web site be blocked as well ? If so it could be useful. However I suspect that this law is aimed at protecting corporate profits and not controlling corporate robbers.

  17. Not *alleged* by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Subtle twisting of facts there, dear Submitter.

    The Government at the same time said it would also amend the Copyright Act to enable rights holders to apply for a court order requiring ISPs to block access to non-Australian websites that had been PROVEN to provide access to infringing content.

  18. I hope they have fun with that by Thraxy · · Score: 1

    The fact is, youtube is the biggest host for copyright infringed material and google search is the best way to find other sources for pirating. So unless they plan on blocking all Google services they can stick their legislation in their down under.

    Don't get me wrong. I'm not advocating piracy or anything. I just find it funny how people who seamingly know nothing about how the internet works can be tasked with writing legislation for how to police it. What we need to do is make a public collection, so we as people can start throwing money at politicians, just like the big companies do. That way maybe we'll get something done that actually means a damn to humanity instead of big business.

  19. Because that works. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Censorship doesn't even work in China, it doesn't work in the UK, and it will certainly not work in Australia who are used to being screwed over on internet related matters and are generally chatty.

    VPN use in Australia is going up due to terrible region restriction bullshit. Now it will go up even more.
    Soon they will probably end up trying to block VPN. And that is hopefully when business even stops by and tells them to get fucked.

    1. Re:Because that works. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually the current government encouraged use of VPN to circumvent region blocking and regional price gouging (a.k.a. the Australia Tax). So they've actively encouraged Australians to utilise the same technology that would circumvent any attempt at website blocking.... so yeah, good luck with that.

    2. Re:Because that works. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That was the previous government IIRC, July 2013 Senate Standing Committee report?

  20. Google... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...will have something to say about this.
    How can you block the world's; nay, the universe's largest search engine!

    CAPTCHA = 'unjust'

  21. Tyranny by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    No, they aren't a tyranny. They will never have to worry about that because all the guns are in the hands of government.

    1. Re:Tyranny by DMJC · · Score: 1

      By the time the government figures out what a metal printing 3d printer is, there will be an assault rifle in every home.

  22. What a novel strategy by skinned · · Score: 1

    It's amazing there are people that think that blocking websites makes any sustainable difference.

  23. Bont Skates by KORfan · · Score: 1

    So, I guess Bont Skates won't be having a web site anymore then.

  24. Block this one by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    A bloke down the pub told me this site (liberal.org.au) was hosting infringing content

    That's an allegation, lets get it blocked now shall we?