Rotterdam
Singapore
06 November 2008
31 October 2008
"Clean" Feeds on Australian Artists
"Clean" Feeds on Australian Artists
The Australian Government will soon introduce a whole of Internet filtering system under the auspices of child Cyber-Safety, requiring Internet Service Providers to filter out content identified as prohibited by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). As every Australian home already has access to free filtering technology, the scheme not only provides meagre additional safety for children - it also could result in long-term damage to the Australian emerging media and new technologies industries.
The Australian Network for Art and Technology (ANAT) Executive Director Dr Melinda Rackham comments "I strongly believe that this misguided scheme will have a severely adverse affect on our creativity, our culture and our economy."
Whilst there is a need for additional protection for the worlds children online, perhaps more thought needs to be dedicated to this issue by the Government. Industry studies have shown that the mandatory filter could slow down network speeds significantly and block sites that are neither harmful nor inappropriate for children, nor illegal.
There is significant difficulty in identifying what would be banned material in streaming media or via Peer-to-Peer (P2P) file sharing networks. Artists who traditionally work at the leading edge of new technologies will most likely be caught by the "inappropriate" net.
Electronic Frontiers Australia (EFA) expressed alarm, with Spokesperson Colin Jacobs stating that "the Clean Feed will be mandatory in all homes, schools and libraries throughout the country - and concerns remain about who decides what is banned."
Phoebe Knowles from the Human Rights Law Resource Centre comments: "The scheme would limit our rights to privacy by monitoring the information we access and our freedom of information. Free flow of information is essential to a healthy democracy, civic debate and artistic endeavor."
She continues, "Protection of children is undeniably extremely important. However, in the absence of a federal Human Rights Act, this scheme is not rigorously justified as being necessary in all the circumstances having regard to the competing rights. Where the filter blocks material that is neither child related nor illegal, it would be an unnecessary and unjustified limitation on freedom of expression."
Fee Plumley - ANAT's portable platforms and emerging technologies Program Manager comments, "To ensure the world is a better place for Australian children, why not invest in widespread education and lower-cost access to the networks? These will enable children to use current and future systems responsibly and to learn how to protect themselves in our increasingly networked world."
The Internet redresses our nation's tyranny of distance, easily situating Australian creative content and intellectual property in the global domain; and to stifle that is a significant step backwards. Not only is our reputation for innovation in artistic and cultural arenas slipping, but our Human Rights Record - tarnished over the past decade of Desert Detention centers and the Pacific Solution, is looking decidedly unhealthy.
For more information and information on this policy and what you can do about it, visit the EFA clean-feed site http://nocleanfeed.com
www.anat.org.au
___________________________________________________________________
ANAT is assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia
Council http://www.ozco.gov.au its arts funding and advisory body, by
the South Australian Government through Arts SA
http://www.arts.sa.gov.au and the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy, an
initiative of the Australian, State and Territory Governments.
The Australian Government will soon introduce a whole of Internet filtering system under the auspices of child Cyber-Safety, requiring Internet Service Providers to filter out content identified as prohibited by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). As every Australian home already has access to free filtering technology, the scheme not only provides meagre additional safety for children - it also could result in long-term damage to the Australian emerging media and new technologies industries.
The Australian Network for Art and Technology (ANAT) Executive Director Dr Melinda Rackham comments "I strongly believe that this misguided scheme will have a severely adverse affect on our creativity, our culture and our economy."
Whilst there is a need for additional protection for the worlds children online, perhaps more thought needs to be dedicated to this issue by the Government. Industry studies have shown that the mandatory filter could slow down network speeds significantly and block sites that are neither harmful nor inappropriate for children, nor illegal.
There is significant difficulty in identifying what would be banned material in streaming media or via Peer-to-Peer (P2P) file sharing networks. Artists who traditionally work at the leading edge of new technologies will most likely be caught by the "inappropriate" net.
Electronic Frontiers Australia (EFA) expressed alarm, with Spokesperson Colin Jacobs stating that "the Clean Feed will be mandatory in all homes, schools and libraries throughout the country - and concerns remain about who decides what is banned."
Phoebe Knowles from the Human Rights Law Resource Centre comments: "The scheme would limit our rights to privacy by monitoring the information we access and our freedom of information. Free flow of information is essential to a healthy democracy, civic debate and artistic endeavor."
She continues, "Protection of children is undeniably extremely important. However, in the absence of a federal Human Rights Act, this scheme is not rigorously justified as being necessary in all the circumstances having regard to the competing rights. Where the filter blocks material that is neither child related nor illegal, it would be an unnecessary and unjustified limitation on freedom of expression."
Fee Plumley - ANAT's portable platforms and emerging technologies Program Manager comments, "To ensure the world is a better place for Australian children, why not invest in widespread education and lower-cost access to the networks? These will enable children to use current and future systems responsibly and to learn how to protect themselves in our increasingly networked world."
The Internet redresses our nation's tyranny of distance, easily situating Australian creative content and intellectual property in the global domain; and to stifle that is a significant step backwards. Not only is our reputation for innovation in artistic and cultural arenas slipping, but our Human Rights Record - tarnished over the past decade of Desert Detention centers and the Pacific Solution, is looking decidedly unhealthy.
For more information and information on this policy and what you can do about it, visit the EFA clean-feed site http://nocleanfeed.com
www.anat.org.au
___________________________________________________________________
ANAT is assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia
Council http://www.ozco.gov.au its arts funding and advisory body, by
the South Australian Government through Arts SA
http://www.arts.sa.gov.au and the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy, an
initiative of the Australian, State and Territory Governments.
30 October 2008
Flight of the Conchords
Yo Frodo, what you doin' wearing the ring?
All powerful jewelry, is that your new thing?
I know it's hard when you're little more than 3 foot 4
Your little ass so close to the floor.
Trying to lead the fellows to the gates of Mordor
The Fellowship!
(Yea the fellowship)
I don't rap about bitches and hos,
I rap about witches and trolls,
just passing on the words of the Elven king,
Wisdom to all
Frodo! Don't wear the ring!
On Youtube
http://www.youtube.com
Flight of the Conchords follows the trials and tribulations of a two man, digi-folk band from New Zealand as they try to make a name for themselves in their adopted home of New York City. The band is made up of Bret McKenzie on guitar and vocals, and Jemaine Clement on guitar and vocals.
Bret and Jemaine have moved to New York in the hope of forging a successful music career. So far they've managed to find a manager (whose "other" job is at the New Zealand Consulate), one fan (a married obsessive) and one friend (who owns the local pawn shop) -- but not much else.
HBO website
http://www.hbo.com/conchords/
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