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Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in Australia are under pressure recently by both the music industry and the government to filter/block illegal downloads and pornography.

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NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
Seriously though if any ISP took part in this they would lose a large majority of their customers to ISP's who didnt filter/block "content."

We've already seen the problems that this would result in. Their are already MANY examples of 'content owners' giving take down notices on items that are actually fair use. The latest and most egregious is the current VH1 BS with the guy running for the local schoolboard.

VH1 used his election commercial (read: IP) without his approval, or even asking him, on a VH1 show about stupid commercials and whatnot and then sent a take down notice when the same guy showed the content they displayed (his own!) on you tube.

Under this proposed scenario people could be losing their internet connection based upon improper notices leaving the small guy to battle them not only for fair use but even to connect to the web.

The govt of Oz better squash this or else many Aussie citizens (and then other country's citizens as well since this would become the model sought after by the industry in other places based upon an established precedent in australia) could wake up one day, try to go online and find out that they are not in Kansas anymore...

Where's Toto? The media maffia just (expletive) him up the (unspecified orifice).

This is history in the making. One of the best or worst decisions of our time could result from something like this.

They shouldn't have to be forced to do that. It's not their place to say whether someone should be banned from the internet. Also, there should be parental involvement with children under a certain age. Nowadays, kids are getting really smart with computers and are capable of quite a bit.

They keep throwing these bad apples everywhere at every country, every website that "seems" to be breaking the law. Once the majority of the world thinks these bad apples aren't so bad and begin to plant them its going to take forever to fix it... if thats even possible. You know how much it takes to get a tree out of the ground?

They're basically using the age old strategy... keep saying the lies until people start believing them as true.

And since when is pornography in the domain to be banned completely? Fk no, Aussies have their rights to adult content! Am I right or what? Child pornography is obviously different...

And I forgot to say its really part of the overall plan.

See the internet is the last free place we can literally do anything and get all informations nearly instantly and without news casts filtering out details or other organizations interfering with what the public can see. The governments can see this, and they want to finally attack the internet and control it. Once they do that I don't think theres anything left for us to be completely free. We'll have to look to the stars I guess.

They won't back off either, they will tell you, give up a little more liberties here for us to regulate and we will be able to stop "global terrorism" before it can start and make the world finally a peaceful place. Its A LIE!! We only lose both, more of our own securities and more freedoms...

President Bush is visiting Australia courtesy of USA corporations to tell Australia to tighten up their internet freedom. After all, terrorists use the internet don't they!

sparkery,
what a stupid, politically ignarant atempt to bash Bush. But hay freedom of speech.
Anyway
The problem that I have with this whole thing is that this impeds on peoples rights. But, let me play Devil's Advocate for a minette. If when these isp custumers signed into their contracts with the isps it stated that they would not do any file sharing, or porn, then there is an issue. As bad as it may sound it is true. But I seriously doubt that there is such a statement.
These groups have no right to try to restrict users on what people can see or do with their internet.
Anouther problem with the whole internet thing is that there is no governing body, and everybody whats to try to be that governing body.
We will never be able to stop the terrorists, racists, gangs, right wing politians from using the internet to further their ideas or thoughts, why......... freedom of speech. Terrorists from what I know mostly use chat rooms in VERY cryiptic messages, so stopping them is very difficult. Different subject in my eyes. Porn is a different entity though.
Lets say they do ban porn because its offensful to a select few, well some find racist websites offensefull, well, their next. So far no big deal right.
Ok but wait it gets more interesting.
Some countries its illegal to say anything wrong about the president or the goverment. I think that would be communist countries. Don't quate me though. Well, now in that country you have to ban those websites, because it's offensfull to the government. As much as the east hates the west could the middle east countries ban people from viewing west orinagated websites?
Ok so lets recap so far we've banned File Shareing, Porn, Racist, political, and west web sites.
But wait....
What about devil worshippers?? Lets get them gone too... Because the general public find them offensfull.
Ok so as the government sees it they are appesing the masses. Taking away our right to make the masses happy.
It is those websites right to post those things up there, wether they be morally wrong or not. (Who has governing morals by the way?)
IT IS THEIR RIGHT WETHER WE LIKE IT OR NOT.
It is called freedom of speech. Like it or not. You take that away or restict them then you must also take away the speech of others.....who you may ask. Christians..... Now I'm about to stike a nerve with some of you.
Their are people that believe porn is ok, people that worship satan, worship earth and nature, worship allah, Christians I'm sure would like to see all these things removed from the internet and let only their, Christian beliefs be seen and heard. There is no right or wrong in religen, you ban 1 you ban them all.
You restrict one idea or opinon you ban them all.
Porn is a freedom, if people wanna make nucky and let me watch hay cool. Who has the right to tell me I cant't watch. Nobody.
Ok I beter stop before a mod says I talk to much. I'll come back later cause I'm sure I wrote some stuff wrong and it did't come out right. Oh and for those of you that want to pick abart my spelling...... Go eat a fat one. And those that wanna bash me as a person stick to the topic cause nobody is perfect.
And I have the RIGHT to post this stuff, and you have the right to post yours to.
We allow these groups to restrict our rights now, allthough it's only porn and file sharing now, who knows what years from now.
Wow maybe I'm just an angry person.
Just my thoughts
LD

wow that is long sorry to those that read it

Just say "NO". If you give into this you will become their "policing ponds". You will become the responsible person/isp they will put in charge to do all their dirty work. If you allow this, get ready it's only the begining. Next you will be in charge of policing anything to do with ones internet connection. It will all be "your problem", it will all lay at 'your doorstep".

The isp's need to help authorities to get the idiots that do the wrong things for young under age kids.