Most tech-savvy Australians are pretty upset about the government’s proposal of mandatory internet filtering. But some anti-censorship groups are more upset than others. Michael Meloni, editor of Somebodythinkofthechildren.com has launched a new website called The Gift Of Censorship, and for every 1000 letters sent to Senator Conroy through the website, they’ll also deliver a bag of coal in a large red sack to the minister.
Perhaps it’s best to just let the press release explain:
21 December 2009, Brisbane — Senator Stephen Conroy has been making a list to find out whether you’ve been naughty or nice. A blacklist of thousands of websites that he doesn’t want Australia to see. Now it’s time Australians told Senator Conroy what they really want this Christmas: No Internet Censorship.
Instead of writing to Santa, TheGiftofCensorship.com lets visitors write a brief message that will be delivered to Senator Conroy in a large red sack. And for every 1000 messages sent, Senator Conroy will
also receive a stocking full of coal.Michael Meloni, an IT manager and anti-censorship campaigner from Brisbane, said he built the site to inform the public about all the kinds of legal websites that will be blocked when the government’s mandatory ISP filtering policy is introduced.
“I want to show people that blocking refused classification websites doesn’t just mean blocking child pornography, there’s lots of legal stuff as well.”
“Senator Conroy has been spreading a lot of misinformation about what is refused classification, but it’s easy to find out what will be banned by reading the government’s own National Classification Code”
Meloni said.The festive themed protest site joins a number of other sites and events campaigning to stop Internet censorship in Australia, including a rally in all Australian capital cities on January 30, 2010.
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So send the good Minister a letter and help the gift of coal be shared amongst the politicians in Canberra this Christmas…
matt
Monday, December 21, 2009 at 3:42 PMthats awesome! awesome name for a site too.
unfortunately, the only thing the government likes more than censorship, is coal, destroying the environment and valuable Agricultural resources to get it, so I’m not sure if sending the gov coal will send the right message.
ell
Monday, December 21, 2009 at 4:55 PMWell done Michael Meloni – nice, easily digested )if you can get beyond the bile in my throat..)summary of the situation. Having had personal dealings with the vagaries of the Classification Board I can say that if this goes ahead we are in deep trouble. No doubt the Christian lobby are visiting as many naughty sites as they can to get their complaints ready for action.
Fight on Australians, fight on!
matt
Monday, December 21, 2009 at 5:05 PMI find it rather worrying that they push both the internet filter and the R18 discussion paper on us over Christmas, when communication between people and their politicians is the hardest, for instance, I just emailed a Senator about the filter, and he’s out of the office until the 5th of Jan…
Daniel du Prie
Tuesday, December 22, 2009 at 4:42 PMI think that’s the very idea. That way hopefully everyone will have forgotten about the proposed laws by the time they’ve recovered from their hangovers & Conroy can quietly go ahead passing them through.
Brewski
Monday, December 21, 2009 at 5:46 PMI’m just scared that anything can be classified RC. I mean, look at the situation with Video Games in Australia. We can’t even get an R18+ for them. Does that mean the Senator Atkinson and his fellow cronies will only allow the Sesame Street website for everybody to view, as other web sites might be deemed RC?
Face it, we are not Communist China.
Everyone thought that John Howard and his buddies were trying to strip Australians of their rights. Well Kevin Dudd is doing a better job of it.
RIbs
Monday, December 21, 2009 at 11:37 PMYeah but then you got religious crazy-pants Abbot on the other side =/
So… next election we get a choice between crazy relgious conservatives or crazy censorship nazis…
uhh.. I think now’s the time to fight for our to NOT vote and remove the fine, because I see no clear option for proper liberals.
StevoTheDevo
Tuesday, December 22, 2009 at 8:13 AMFor the first time ever my bottom three may well be
third last: Liberal
second last: Labor
last: Family First
Normally Labor are Third Last and eventually get my vote (after multiple rounds of preferences).
Thank christ for preferential voting.. Ideally I don’t want either of the major parties in power but if I have to have one of them I still get my say!
Ollie
Tuesday, December 22, 2009 at 10:18 AMWell… even Sesame Street had to be toned down years ago because a lot of the stuff was deemed inappropriate for modern society. With gay/almost paedophilic connotations to most of the things that were perfectly normal in the 70s/80s.
gary
Tuesday, December 22, 2009 at 2:27 PMWe need to have a national POWER OFF day where everybody switches off their computers and mobile phones in protest at Conroy’s filter. How about 26th January 2010.
bill berry
Tuesday, December 22, 2009 at 6:43 PMThanks i will not feel guilty putting this croney Rudd Labor Government last on the ballot paper at the next federal election .
Warren
Monday, January 25, 2010 at 1:41 PMLooks like senator Conroy might be on santa’s naughty list. I thought my grandfather fought in a world war to keep us a free nation so we could have things like choice and free speech, this is why we speak english and not japanese or german, yet conroy seems to be trying to turn the clock back. If senator Conroy gets his way all the soldiers fought and died for nothing. Hope you can look their widows in the eyes Conroy and say oh well. Here’s an idea Conroy do what your paid to do and govern the country properly or resign and get another job.