Adam Turner
Thursday, 19 March 2009 11:47
Business IT -
Networking
Page 1 of 2
The Telstra-owned Yellow Pages online directory is just one
of more than 40 sites which faces fines of up to $11,000 per day for
linking to the website of Maroochy Boarding Kennels - wrongly included on Australia's secret list of banned websites .
The
Maroochydore boarding kennel and a Queensland dentist are included on
the Australian Media and Communications Authority's secret list of
2,395 banned websites, which has been published on whistle-blower site Wikileaks. Both apparently banned sites are linked to by dozens of
Australian websites, including online directories such as the Yellow
Pages.
The list of 2,395 sites is suppoed to target child pornography but lists online
gambling sites, YouTube links, regular porn and fetish sites. It is to
form the basis of Australia's mandatory ISP-level internet filtering
list.
The ACMA threatens fines of up to $11,000 a day
for linking to sites included on secret blacklist. There is no recourse
for sites listed, sparking fears the list could be
abused for political or business espionage purposes.
The inclusion of
Queensland businesses Dental Distinction and Maroochy Boarding Kennels
would seem to confirm fears that sites could be incorrectly added to
the list. According to reports, Dental Distinction was previously a
victim of hackers which may have triggered its inclusion on the list.
The publishing of the secret blacklist may signal open warfare between free speech advocates and the Australian government.
Wikileaks
published Australia's entire
internet filtering blacklist, which is not even obtainable under the
Freedom of Information act, in retaliation after Wikileaks itself was
added to the list. Wikileaks was blacklisted for publishing
Denmark's blacklist, together with a press release condemning the
practice for lack of public or judicial oversight. An Australian
anti-censorship activist submitted the page to the ACMA,
requesting it be censored. The activist wished to expose the
"slippery scope" of the proposed mandatory internet censorship scheme.
After
Wikileaks was blacklisted, the ACMA then threatened high profile tech
forum Whirlpool.net.au with an $11,000-per-day fine unless it edited a
forum member's posting which linked to the page detailing the Danish
blacklist.
The leak caps off a week of high drama in the internet filtering debate.
CONTINUED
LATEST HEADLINES FROM YOUR IT
