Australian network filtering promises to reach out to block games, online games and more
by Tateru Nino 
Jun 25th 2009 at 9:00AM
Filed under: MMO industry, News items, Opinion, Second Life, Politics, Legal, Virtual worlds
Australian Communications Minister, Senator Stephen Conroy, has promised to extend Australia's proposed network-level content filtering regime to block games, online games, downloadable games, and websites that sell or allow download of games that are deemed not to be suitable for a 15-year-old audience. This, despite research by the IEAA (the Interactive Entertainment Association of Australia) that the average age of Australian Gamers is 30.
Even though Australian Federal and State laws say otherwise, some MMO titles exceeding that classification are already sold on Australian store shelves, by simply bypassing compulsory classification. Australian Federal and State authorities refuse to respond to any enquiries about the topic.
The matter becomes even more confusing and complex, however, as it introduces a new, defacto classifications body to the mix.
Right now, games that will be sold in Australia (that is, where the actual sale takes place in Australia) need to be classified by the Australian Classifications Board (a division of the Federal Attorney General's office). Games sold by various download services (such as Steam, Direct2Drive, Impulse and so on) do not require classification for sale, as the sale isn't taking place within Australian jurisdiction (only the purchase. There's a difference).
Alternatively, if you're an MMOG publisher, you can choose to skip the compulsory ratings process entirely – especially if you do not think your product will pass it – and everyone just looks the other way, based on an assumed technicality that does not actually exist in law. A seeming conspiracy of silence surrounds the practice among government agencies.
Now we'll complicate the mix by introducing the ACMA (The Australian Communications and Media Authority), who will also get to do game classification for games online, downloadable, or otherwise being sold beyond the present jurisdiction of the Australian ratings system and Classifications Acts.
It is not known if the ACMA's classifications will have parity with the classifications employed by the Australian Classifications Board. Likely it will not – while different government organizations all ostensibly use the same Classifications, how those organizations interpret what should fit into each classification varies. The Australian Customs Service, for example, has been known to impound items that the Classifications Board has found acceptable.
Now, Senator Conroy's plan throws the ACMA's interpretations into the mix. What is currently acceptable for sale may not be acceptable for play or for download. The list of what is actually blocked and why it is blocked is to be kept secret from the public (though in March a version was leaked to Wikileaks, which is now itself on the blocklist).
While Senator Conroy refers to 'games', this appears to just be the spoonful of sugar to make it easier to swallow. Does anyone think that virtual environments like Second Life will be exempt from the proposed network-blocking? We don't. Some sources are reporting that environments like Second Life and games like Age of Conan or World of Warcraft are confirmed as being banned outright, but at this stage, nobody official has actually said that.
Currently nine ISPs are trialling the network-filtering plan until next month, which has already proven to block some quite unexpected things:
"Alongside child porn, bestiality, rape and extreme violence sites, the list also includes a slew of online poker sites, YouTube links, regular gay and straight porn sites, Wikipedia entries, euthanasia sites, websites of fringe religions such as satanic sites, fetish sites, Christian sites, the website of a tour operator and even a Queensland dentist.
Other Australian sites on the list are canteens.com.au ("Tuckshop and Canteen Management Consultants") and animal carers MaroochyBoardingKennels.com.au.
The dentist, Dr John Golbrani, was furious when contacted to inform him that his site, dentaldistinction.com.au, appeared on the blacklist." – Sydney Morning Herald
In Britain, Senator Conroy was nominated for the annual internet villain award "for continuing to promote network-level blocking despite significant national and international opposition", George White, press officer with Britain's Internet Services Providers' Association, said.
We'll be contacting Senator Conroy's office for additional information during Australian business hours.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Amana said on 9:08AM 6-25-2009
Unbelievable.
Sometimes I'm embarrassed to be Australian. This is one of those times.
Senator Conroy needs to watch himself or he'll be 'blacklisted' himself...
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Havok said on 2:23PM 6-25-2009
According to Websters, fundamentalism is: "a movement or attitude stressing strict and literal adherence to a set of basic principles."
The definition lacks most of the connotations our modern media applies to it today.
Utaka, everybody makes decisions every day based on beliefs. I believe that if I get in my car it will start and I can go to work. Maybe my car's broken. Maybe I'll die on the way to work. I believe it will start and that I won't die on the way, lacking any evidence. I suppose I'm a nutter.
Tyranor, you're adhering rigidly to the idea that fundamentalists are stupid, thus filing yourself into your own definition of fundamentalism (which by the way is wrong). You're actually refusing to see in anything other than black and white (fundamentalists are stupid and there's no way around it) even as you condemn others for the very same thing you're guilty of. And because I'm a grammar Nazi, "Thus, is stupid" is a sentence fragment.
Stabdriver, though I agree with the second half, I'm not really sure how anything you said is relevant to the discussion at hand. In regards to the first half, if the word is synonymous its interchangeable; I wouldn't drive down the road and yell "HEY BUDDY! WHAT ARE YOU, A FUNDAMENTALIST!?" if somebody cuts me off. I also wouldn't say that somebody is a fundamentalist if they got a really easy question wrong in class. Clearly the words are not synonymous.
If I drive without ever breaking the speed limit and generally never break the traffic laws because they just shouldn't be broken, that makes me a Fundamentalist - I'm rigidly adhering to a strict set of rules. That doesn't make me stupid, even if it might make me really annoying to all the other drivers on the road.
Havok said on 2:24PM 6-25-2009
Sorry...I'm not sure how I replied to you...This is supposed to be tacked on to the discussion on the post below.
tripndie said on 5:54PM 6-29-2009
i can't believe something like this makes you say " Sometimes I'm embarrassed to be Australian. This is one of those times." it's all about some uptight politician playing god. this will NEVER go through and there's been way too much scare mongering going on.
David Gill said on 9:12AM 6-25-2009
Once again our communications minister proves he knows absolutely nothing about the internet or the changing moral zeitgeist
Stop wasting tax payer money on stupid, easily bypassable filters, and spend it on something worthwhile, like catching the disgusting people creating the child pornography. Oh wait, you kind of forgot thats the reason the filter was being emplaced in the first place, wasn't it?
Conroy, Fielding, Xenophon - the three people in our government who may as well be fundementalists; they truely are that stupid.
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Havok said on 9:25AM 6-25-2009
You're implying fundamentalists are stupid: most of them are not, they merely subscribe to a more rigid moral code. Do you really believe "fundamentalist" is congruous with "stupid?" I've met many a fundamentalist who is not stupid, and a great many very stupid people who are not fundamentalists.
But don't believe that I think this story is good news or that I agree with it - I believe in the freedom of speech and media expression. I also believe in the fair treatment of your fellows; your communications minister apparently believes in none of those ideals.
Meagen said on 9:53AM 6-25-2009
David: You don't know what "fundamentalist" means, do you.
David Gill said on 10:26AM 6-25-2009
For the record; I never meant religious fundamentalist. Yes, thats the common link, but it's not what I meant.
I should probably word it better. The link between fundamentalists and stupidity was not the angle I was looking for.
I meant that those three politicians are renowned for sticking to their narrowed minded belief systems. Which is all well and good; everyone's allowed their own opinions and can live life how they want.
But when you're in power, and people are presenting logical, rational and reasoned arguments as for why this idea is economically, ethically and morally wrong, and you still stick to your guns, that is when the problem arises. Conroy specifically, has not actually shown why any of these arguments are wrong, but sticks to his "hurr durr child pornography" arguments. Oh, and "the russian mafia" did it. That was good for a laugh.
Yes, its a delusional view, but I like to think that politicians have a duty to rebut these arguments, especially when the plan is at the tax payers expense.
Conroy doesn't seem to have any understanding of the technology he is dealing with. As pointed out by that network engineer from Internode (name is lost on me), the logistics of not only implementing it, but getting it to work effectively, are almost impossible at the current state of technology. When you refuse to even acknowledge things like that, and stick to your belief system, thats when a person living by fundamentalist ideals becomes stupid.
On a slightly off-topic point, did anyone see Fielding's little "no proof of human impact on climate change" decision? That was...interesting...to say the least.
Stabdriver said on 11:03AM 6-25-2009
Yes, the word 'fundamentalist' (as it is generally used in our society/societies) is synonymous with 'stupid'.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundamentalism
Belief in a magical sky fairy oustide of the context of a video game qualifies you as 'stupid', or possibly 'guillible' - or the somewhat less offensive 'silly'.
Tyranor said on 12:50PM 6-25-2009
A fundamentalist lacks the ability to distinguish anything beyond basic black and white. He adheres to ideas rigidly with no possibility of compromise.
Thus, is stupid.
Utakata said on 1:13PM 6-25-2009
Fundementalist also make descisions based on beliefs, even if it's wholly lacking of any evidence supporting their claims. Also see: nutter.
Amana said on 2:38PM 6-25-2009
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Fundamentalist
(i
Amana said on 2:39PM 6-25-2009
(i luv lmgtfy) *silly comment system
MCRaider said on 9:44AM 6-25-2009
Glad to be in the big USA here. Where our internet is not capped (yet, still crossing fingers that congress will stop it before it starts. Article here about it...) ok it is but at 250G a month it is nothing to worry about for me.
It looks like Australia is turning more into China censorship wise then any other Western country around.
I feel for my friends down under though, hopefully this does crazy law/idea does not become practice. The gaming industry is a multi-billion dollar group that is now surpassing TV, Movies, and Music in entertantment revenue and value. Wish Mr. Conroy could see that.
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Russell Clarke said on 2:31PM 6-25-2009
Heh, wait and see what Obama's shiny new 'cyber command' brings to the party.
MeowCat said on 9:58AM 6-25-2009
Are they going to block TV shows and movies too?
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Havok said on 2:27PM 6-25-2009
Eventually I'm sure they will. This is a slippery-slope Australia's on.
Muskie said on 10:00AM 6-25-2009
....-seethes- This man needs to be sacked, Tarred, and Feathered. I'm honestly willing to move back to a liberal government just to get this man out of his seat. Already, the scope of the "filter" is beginning to creep, and it hasn't even begun yet.
www.somebodythinkofthechildren.com . check it. bookmark it. Fight for your freedom to Play games, damnit!
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Dude said on 11:29AM 6-25-2009
See you Oz. Man, your government are harsh. And I thought Australia was the land of fun, beer and surf.
Looks like the surf bit will be less intended for the web soon. :'-(
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ScytheNoire said on 11:40AM 6-25-2009
Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt! Woo! Go Go Stupid Politicians!
(sarcasm, the cheering for politicians, stick them all in a blender with the lawyers)
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