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cc-nz - [Cc-nz] Oz government plan to censor all internet communication

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Subject: Creative Commons Aotearoa New Zealand discussion

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Chronological Thread  
  • From: strypes <strypey AT riseup.net>
  • To: Creative Commons Aotearoa New Zealand discussion <cc-nz AT lists.ibiblio.org>, disintermedia-discussion AT lists.openplans.org
  • Subject: [Cc-nz] Oz government plan to censor all internet communication
  • Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2008 01:20:37 +1300

Kia ora koutou

CreativeCommons is based on the idea that a combination of free sharing
of data, and fair usage requests by creators, are a better way to
protect the rights of artists, musicians, authors, academics, educators,
public information etc than erecting a digital police state to monitor
every exchange of information. Unfortunately some governments, and the
lobbyists leaning on them on behalf of transnational corporations,
prefer the latter option.

If you thought the implications of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade
Agreement were bad (and they are), I was just sent a link to a
Computerworld article that says the Ozzie government is planning to
"filter" (ie censor) all internet traffic to prevent people downloading
anything "illegal".
http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php?id=1399635276&eid=-255

What next? Are they going to start bugging everyone's phone and opening
everyone's mail, to make sure they're not sharing illegal information
through those? First they came for the "pirates", but I was not a
pirate, so I did nothing...

My attention has also been drawn to the provisions in the NZ
government's new Copyright Act, which oblige ISPs to police their customers:
http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/netw/7319ABDCED2EA62ACC2574C8007E278C

Could this be creating the basis for the same sort of government
censorship of the internet here? Are we on the verge of a balkanization/
colonization of the free internet?

Please raise the issue of freedom of information with elections
candidates, and flood politicians and policy-makers with arguments for
it. They have a huge power to undo the many good things that the open
internet has achieved, and could still achieve, all for the benefit of a
handful of transnational corporate shareholders who prefer enforcement
to innovation to maintain their profits in a disintegrating global economy.

I will be assembling resources on these issues, and attempting to
co-ordinate educational campaigns under an organizing umbrella called
Disintermedia. Please feel free to get involved and contribute:
http://www.openplans.org/projects/disintermedia/summary

"information is the currency of democracy."
- Thomas Jefferson

"It means seed-saving by farmers is now defined as intellectual property
theft.”
- Vandana Shiva

Very concerned
Strypey


--
BTW Fight the 'Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement'!
http://indymedia.org.nz/newswire/display/76066/index.php

"Whether gods exist or not, there is no way to get absolute certainty
about ethics. Without absolute certainty, what do we do? We do the
best we can."
- Richard Stallman
http://www.gnu.org/philosophy

http://www.creativecommons.org.nz
http://www.indymedia.org.nz





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