The Federal Government’s controversial internet censorship scheme may extend to filter more online traffic than was first thought, Broadband Minister Stephen Conroy revealed today.

In a post on his department’s blog, Senator Conroy today said technology that could filter data sent directly between computers would be tested as part of the upcoming live filtering trial.

“Technology that filters peer-to-peer and BitTorrent traffic does exist and it is anticipated that the effectiveness of this will be tested in the live pilot trial,” Senator Conroy said.

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Tags: Filter, government, internet

• Web filtering trial set to begin next week
• Government still evaluating applications
• ISPs don’t know yet if they’re taking part

A Live trial of internet censorship technology is set to begin in less than a week, but the Federal Government still hasn’t decided which companies will take part.

Two of Australia’s largest internet service providers Optus and iiNet have applied to take part in the pilot, due to start next Wednesday, but are still waiting to hear if they have been accepted into the program.

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Tags: Filter, government, web

Digital Liberty Coalition protests against web filter held across Australia

HUNDREDS of people attended rallies in Australian capital cities yesterday to voice their opposition to the Rudd Government’s planned internet filtering scheme.

The rallies, held in seven cities including Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney, were the first in a series of demonstrations organised by anti-censorship group Digital Liberty Coalition (DLC).

In Sydney a crowd of up to 300 mostly young and tech-savvy protestors gathered at Town Hall to hear guest speakers including bloggers and musicians criticise the web filtering scheme.

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Tags: government, protest, web filter

TWO senior public servants have been charged with the theft of more than $1 million from a West Australian Government department, police say. Police allege the pair used their positions at the Department of Industry and Resources to steal up to $1.2 million between 2004 and 2008.
 
Antony Roy Chapman, 46, of Kensington, who is a level 9 public servant and the manager of WA Technology Park in Bentley, and Joy Anne Rebecca Johnston, 45, from Kensington, the Acting Director with the WA Department of Planning and Infrastructure, have been charged with stealing as a servant.

Police said further inquiries were continuing and more charges against the pair were likely.

Tags: government, Public Servant

The Rudd Government is continuing to encounter ISP resistance to its plans for a trial of Internet filtering technology, with SA-based national operator Internode and Perth’s iiNet refusing to have anything to do with it, and Optus saying it will participate only in a strictly limited way.

The Rudd Government is continuing to encounter ISP resistance to its plans for a trial of Internet filtering technology, with SA-based national operator Internode and Perth’s iiNet refusing to have anything to do with it, and Optus saying it will participate only in a strictly limited way.

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Tags: Filter, government, ISP

Support for the Government’s plan to censor the internet has hit rock bottom, with even some children’s welfare groups now saying that that the mandatory filters, aimed squarely at protecting kids, are ineffective and a waste of money.

Live trials of the filters, which will block “illegal” content for all Australian internet users and “inappropriate” adult content on an opt-in basis, are slated to begin by Christmas, despite harsh opposition from the Greens, Opposition, the internet industry, consumers and online rights groups.

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Tags: filters, government, net

The Australian government’s plans to set up a Chinese style firewall and censor the web so that it only says good things is facing a backlash from important political activists.

The group which helped free David Hicks and abolish Work Choices scheme, GetUp, has now set its sights on the Government’s censorship plans.

GetUp plans to run mainstream ads and offline action that will be as elaborate as its ‘Free Hicks’ campaign. A petition on its website has attracted over 22,000 signatures in just a day and GetUp said it had received more emails urging them to act on this issue than any other campaign in recent history.

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Tags: firewall, government

A PUBLIC servant has racked up a $200,000 bill for downloading movies to his taxpayer-funded mobile phone. The man is being investigated by police for incurring “significant debt” on his work phone, the Northen Territory News reports. He voluntarily left his job with the Northern Territory government and took the SIM card with him.

The government said the case was investigated as soon as the first bill came in after the man had quit. A source claimed most of the debt was accumulated within about a month. The rise of mobile internet use has led to some nasty surprises on user’s bills - last December, a Canadian oil field worker was shocked to receive a $96,000 bill for surfing the internet on his mobile.

Tags: government, Public Servant