So the Aussie government announced a firewall, we said it was stupid and frightening, Aussie ISPs said it was stupid, the government defended it, the plan appeared to go bust, but now it’s back with a truckload of bullshit in tow.
This whole travesty — and it is exactly that — has gone down exactly as we feared it would. Our Halloween Bitter Crumpet author spoke of a government’s ineptitude at genuinely managing increased power.
“While nobody (except for anakata, TiAMO and brokep) is sanely going to argue in favor of piracy, governments around the world have a horrid inability to wisely use an expanded scope of power.”
And that is precisely what has happened. Australia has added myriad sites to the list that don’t approach any rational person’s definition of “depravity.” Your dime-a-dozen porno sites, Christian sites, Satanic sites, LGBT sites, and even a QLD dentist’s site has made the offender list. Why? Because some wanker in Aussie parliament decided it would be good to put that site there.
Like all such lists (banned book list anyone?), the definition of immorality has been left to the grumpiest, crustiest, most easily butthurt group of people on the planet: old white guys.
The blacklist has precipitated a startling trend of censorship that may entirely avoid reversion or lobby. The minute we civilized nations start legislating morality and presuming guilt without redress, we have doomed ourselves to an inescapably slippery slope worthy of profound concern.
Dear Australia,
Love,
Robert
P.S. Meatspin and 2girls1cup made the list. LOLOLOLOL.
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