Minister slams Facebook breaches

The Communications Minister, Stephen Conroy, has attacked the social networking site Facebook and its former college student founder for what he says is its ''complete disregard'' for privacy.

Senator Conroy is under fire from many in the internet industry for his proposed mandatory net filter. He has previously attacked Google, a key critic of the filtering plan, but last night in a Senate estimates hearing turned his attention to Facebook.

''Facebook has also shown a complete disregard for users' privacy lately,'' Senator Conroy said in response to a question from a government senator.

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This has to be a joke. Conroy has personified the invasion of privacy. He wants to determine what goes on in every bedroom in the country. Today it's no normal porn via computers. Recently the government introduced a "are you carrying porn" question onto the Australian visa applications. Tomorrow he'll be checking that sex is performed in Opus Dei approved missionary position.

His character attacks rolled forward in this session. Now he's after Google over their gathering of wireless network data while photographing for google maps. Again, unlike Conroy, Google stopped when the public objected. See this important step that you are missing, Conroy? It's the "listen to the public" step of democracy. Very important. You don't have the power to make laws and decisions, you have temporary permission. Fuck it up (like now) and you get voted out.

Ludlam says it best:

"The minister's on a bit of a hair trigger so anyone who's criticised the net filters becomes a target for character assasination, whether it be an advocacy group like EFA [Electronic Frontiers Australia] or one of the world's largest technology companies like Google," Senator Ludlam said.

"It comes across as really petulant - the guy's a minister of the Crown, you don't need to be bawling out technology companies just because they've taken a critical stand on his filter."

"I just think the minister's being a little bit oversensitive to criticism - it would be helpful sometimes if rather than shooting the messenger he listens to what he's being told."

Senator Ludlam and Colin Jacobs, chair of Electronic Frontiers Australia, both agreed that the Google Wi-Fi bungle was a serious matter but said Senator Conroy appeared to be beating it up for political gain.

"The Minister's hyberbole, bordering on hysterical, is counter-productive," said Jacobs.

No Australian Internet Censorship - Facebook Group

In 1948 the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). Article 19 affirms the right to free speech:

"Article 19. Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."

Receive information through any media....

(note: whilst this is a UN article it was never ratified into the Australian constitution)

Censorship of any kind is a slipperly slope. Rudd has proposed blanket filters on all Australian ISP which Australian citizens will apparently be allowed to 'opt out' from. These filters are intended to stop children accessing to child porn and other such disturbing material.

Link: Facebook.

44000 members and counting!

Wander on over, join, comment, contribute and learn what the government is up to with their filter idea.

Users to blame for Facebook vandalism: net industry

The shocking vandalism of tribute Facebook pages for slain Australian children could have been avoided if only users, not Facebook, put more effort into policing the site, the internet industry says.

But a former director of safety at MySpace Australia says the industry should be focused on improving content moderation processes rather than blaming users.

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See. The web governs itself. If the people who put the page up took responsibility for what they had done we would have had a little less trouble.

Dealing with the dark side of Facebook

Macquarie University's John Selby, who lectures on internet regulation, said laws that criminalise acts such as defamation, child pornography, racial vilification, inciting violence and causing pyschological or economical harm already existed and applied to the internet.

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Another unworkable idea.

The filtering continues to spread.

Rudd's jumped on the bandwagon now.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said he would consider introducing an internet ombudsman after Facebook tributes to two dead children were defaced with pornography.

Rudd said he would look into an idea put forward by Independent Senator Nick Xenophon to appoint an official who would be responsible for taking complaints and action against such material.

This is the biggest bit of troll feeding ever! Has Rudd ever been online?

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More censorship? Rudd 'epic fail' FaceBook group goes offline

Today, we can reveal that online political speech has been dealt another blow with Facebook, the popular social networking site, being accused of political censorship after it removed the group "KEVIN RUDD = EPIC FAIL".

Before it was removed the Facebook group is understood to have had over 3000 members and focused on building a list what it described as Kevin Rudd's broken promises.

Whether or not you agree with the argument of the group, surely in a democracy the creators have the right to express their views and people have a right to join and support that group.

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This supports the thin edge of the wedge idea, yes?