Govt agrees to ISP-level site-blocking of 'dangerous material'

[Drop_Bear]

Govt agrees to ISP-level site-blocking of 'dangerous material'

What could possibly go wrong? It’s not as if security legislation has ever been put to uses beyond those originally advertised or anything. Oh, wait:

Metadata retention

The legal profession seems to be concerned:

The Christchurch material was available only through 8Chan.com which was accessed via the Tor browser. Any “blocking” was only effective against casual access. There is no way in this world that the government and/or ISPs can control such sites or access to them by the determined. Cloudfare, who hosted 8Chan.com have taken the site down, but there are reports that it will most likely turn up elsewhere. In the meantime it is said that the bad boys are using 4Chan.org.

This is known in the trade as “Security Theatre”. It might be good politics, but consumer impacts should come under scrutiny.

[postulative]

@Drop_Bear

The Christchurch material was available only through 8Chan.com which was accessed via the Tor browser.

My understanding was that the Christchurch attacker live-streamed on Facebook. He published a ‘manifesto’ on 8Chan. Does this potentially mean that ISPs can simply take down Facebook or Google?

8Chan has been forced to use Tor as reasonable service providers were sick of getting the blame for some of the more horrific posts on it. Its audience has probably (hopefully) shrunk to a fraction of its former size simply because of the friction involved in getting to it.

Use a VPN if you want to retain any privacy.

[person]

@Drop_Bear

The Christchurch material was available only through 8Chan.com

Nah, it was (is?) also available via peer-to-peer.

As always our morally bankrupt politicians are using one thing (the Christchurch attack, which doesn’t even have anything to do with Australia) as an excuse to increase yet again their secret, unaccountable control over what information we consume and produce.

[buttgdb]

I think the current government is far more concerned with the truth being told than lies - or distressing material, or porn, or any of the usual suspects - being told.
About 70% of the information supplied in Australia is filtered through the Murdoch Misinformation Empire. Not good. Add another filter?
It’s a cure worse than the disease.

Scud-Mud is blaming public servants for ‘poor perception’ - but it’s mostly elected representatives who represent their well-funded (funding?) lobbyists who are on the nose; the public servants who are on the nose are their own political appointees.

[person]

If politicians are seen in a bad light (I reckon they are) they only have themselves to blame.

[PhilT]

@Drop_Bear

This is known in the trade as “Security Theatre”.

@buttgdb

I think the current government is far more concerned with the truth being told than lies…Scud-Mud is blaming public servants for ‘poor perception’ - but it’s mostly elected representatives who represent their well-funded (funding?) lobbyists who are on the nose; the public servants who are on the nose are their own political appointees.

@person

If politicians are seen in a bad light…they only have themselves to blame.

A good summary of Government Theatre! Most watching know the plot but it doesn’t matter to the ‘producers’ since they are convinced someone, anyone, might sponsor their show (be swayed to vote for them even if it is just in case). Sadly their cynical fabrications with resuts seem to be right more often than not.