From January 20, restrictions will be issued in online chatrooms, websites and mobile phones to protect children from viewing unsuitable material.

The Austalian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) will be able to force content providers to take down offensive material and issue notices for live content to be stopped and links to the content deleted.

(according to HeraldSun’s article).

Adults will not be affected by this law as explained by the chairman of ACMA, Chris Chapman.

“In developing these new content rules, ACMA was guided by its disposition to allow adults to continue to read, hear and see what they want, while protecting children from exposure to inappropriate content, regardless of the delivery mechanism.”

News, current affairs and personal communications will also be excluded by the new law.

The debate

Meanwhile a debate has risen in the slashdot community, in digg as long as in the controlcongress community. Should the government regulate the content children should have access to, or is it solely the responsibility of the parents to control what their children are allowed to see? As slashdot user, thegnu noted:

I would probably actually prefer my kids running rampant on an unprotected internet than living in Disney/Fisher-Price world. Kids are stupid enough as it is today. They need real experience, and while the Internet barely qualifies as “real,” it’s more real than a fake Disney Internet. As fucked up as I am from all the porn I’ve seen, I think I’m pretty OK. Especially when I compare myself to kids who grew up sheltered. And I’m probably more fucked up from all the things real live humans did to me. So let’s just leave the Internet alone, no?

That being said, as long as filtering along a top-level domain were voluntary to the parents, then I’m fine with it.
A discussion of similar gravity has started in Releaselog. Will the government regulations end in children protection? Is it impossible to witness a new law proposal ‘protecting’ adults too?

My Conclusion

I can’t see how regulating content can protect children - and to be honest I agree with thegnu’s view.

• Such law implies that children may become ‘corrupted’ by improper material. I find it a bit naive. Like blaiming heavy metal music or video games for the columbine tragedy (or any similar tragedy); its a solution, which does not identify the deeper problems.
• We underestimate childrens creativity. If they want to smoke they will find a way - and if the want to see porn, then they will see porn.
• Sugar coated reality, with teletubbies, disneyland and yellow/pink clouds of fluffy marshmellows? And enforced by the law? I totally agree with Thegnu.
• It reminds me of a Bill Hicks gig, you should check it out. He makes an interesting point.

I know its not as bad as it sounds, since (as noted by n4sa in the releaseLog) “…the focus will be on domestic content providers (.com.au) only and what they are allowed to display. Its not like they are filtering content thru the ISP’s.” And apart from that, the web is worldwide (duh) and Australia is just one country.

The question is: will it get worse?
Update: Traditional ‘hubs’ of the blogosphere have raised their voice against Australia’s movement.

• Scobleizer would rather raise his kids with freedom of speach rather than “…some government deciding what they can and can’t see”
• A news cast in Techcrucnch, proved (unfortunately) my worries that the Australian censorship will get worse.

The Australian Government has announced that they will be joining China as one of the few countries globally that broadly censor the internet.

As recently as the week prior to the election, Labor Party candidates were telling those concerned about the proposed law that the censorship wouldn’t be compulsory, and that the “clean feed” would be opt-in, not opt-out. Today’s announcement by Telecommunications Minister Stephen Conroy states that the censorship regime will be mandatory, although people will be able to opt-out of it. The problem of course then becomes if you opt-out questions will be asked as to why you want out, which in itself may lead to Government monitoring.

See also Mashable’s Australia to censor part of the internet for additional information.

Let’s see how our online rights will evolve.