UPDATE
Back in May 2009, the Australian government put Wikileaks on its banned list.
As of 29 November, according to ZDnet, this is no longer the case.
"Currently, the ACMA list of prohibited URLs that is notified to accredited filter providers does not contain any URLs within the Wikileaks website," said the ACMA.
"Since April 2010, the ACMA has investigated two complaints about specific pages of content on the Wikileaks website, which both resolved to content found to be not prohibited."
Wikileaks hit the front pages this month, with a new release of government documents that show the inside goings-on of diplomacy in the US.
In the dosuments our very own Prince Andrew is namechecked, as is the Governor of the Bank of England, Mervyn King.
ORIGINAL STORY
The Australian communications regulator has issued a stark warning that websites who link out to 'banned' hyperlinks are liable to fines of up to Aus $11,000 a day.
The news comes after web forum Whirlpool was threatened with the fine for posting a hyperlink to a blacklisted anti-abortion website
Wikileaks blacklisted
One of the newest additions to Australia's 'blacklisted hyperlinks' list is Wikileaks; the website that publishes anonymous submissions of sensitive info on everything from corporations, religion and governments.
The blacklisting of certain pages of the site has come about after Wikileaks posted a list of websites at the tail end of 2008 that comprised the 'secret internet censorship' list for Denmark. On this list were over 3,500 sites that were censored or banned in the country.
Disturbing picture
While Australia's list of blacklisted sites currently stands at 1,370, the Sydney Morning Herald is reporting that that list could increase to around 10,000 sites – most of which are of illegal pornographic content, but could also includes sites that house incendiary political discussions.
"The Government is embarking on a deeply unpopular and troubling experiment to fine-tune its ability to censor the internet," said communications spokesman Senator Scott Ludlam of Australian opposition party Greens.
"If you consider this kind of net censorship in the context of Australia's anti-terror laws, it paints a disturbing picture indeed."
On its website, Wikileaks, which leaked the news that the government had banned it for leaking information, simply said: "The first rule of censorship is that you cannot talk about censorship."
Currently, it is not illegal for internet users in Australia to click on the sites found on the web blacklist. The people targeted by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) are webmasters linking out to the sites that the government have flagged up as inappropriate.
This could all change, however, if a mandatory internet filtering censorship scheme is implemented – something that is being debated at the moment.
Your comments (11) Click to add a new comment
scott001
December 4th 2010
11. Why has the wikileaks site been removed or blocked? Political pressure?
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richs
December 3rd 2010
10. Australia cannot hide the lie anymore that it is a free democractic country with freedom of thought and expression. It has long criticized countries like China and others for the abuse of human rights but it is right there doing the same if not worse i.e. demonizing Asylum Seekers and incarcerating them behind razor wire. Dogs are treated better in Oz. It is not surprising that Aussies are docile and swallow everything their govt tells them. It is ironic that while China is loosening its chains of censorship and restrictions, Australia is tightening the noose around its citizens. Today, there is more freedom in China than in Australia where increasingly legislation is being passed quietly and surreptiously contrary to its constitution but, and its a big but, they are always prefaced that they are done accoording to the Constitution which is an absolute lie. Sad but true Australia is slowly and stealthily going down the drain.
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kmh_
November 29th 2010
9. Hey guys, do something or lose your freedom for ever. I come from Iran, where not only all news are censored, but also altered in a way that the govenment orders.
Our government began the same way, first banned some sites by accusing them to be against "National Security". Now, thousands of websites are filtered, no free media exists.
Now, a student is held in jail and is going to be executed just for holding a paper in his hand saying "Fascist Presedent, get out of university", and just a few people know about that.
It's rediculus to let the sites that spread hatered, child abuse and rape work, and ban the sites that show what gov's doing.
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karmenu
May 16th 2010
8. So we criticise China ..for lack of freedom and democracy ... So what does this make us look like .China and Burma in the making??? ..no wonder our primeminister already speaks Chinese ..and his counterpart Little Johnny speaks American!! What is bloody happening to this country????????
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fatfox
March 20th 2009
7. Ah! You're not fined $11,000 a day for having a link, just for not removing the link? Er... isn't that like saying someone won't get fined $1m for parking his car in the wrong place, just for not choosing to park it anywhere other than where he has?
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sylviaelse
March 19th 2009
6. It's not true that the SMH or anyone else, could be fined $11,000 per day for linking to Wikileaks. The fines are imposed for failing to comply with a link deletion notice. But the notice first has to be issue to a person, before they're required to comply.
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thingalon
March 19th 2009
5. To the Americans posting here about Australian being morons or shaming us:
Do not think for a second that this ridiculous scheme represents what the Australian people want. This horrible and invasive law has tried to pass through quietly; none of the mainstream media outlets are reporting it, and the cries from the tech industries are being completely ignored.
It's all being pushed for quietly by a bunch of insane right-wing Christian lobbyists, who have less technical knowledge than an amoeba, and about as many scruples.
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nippleman
March 18th 2009
4. Australians cannot link to this site https://secure.wikileaks.org/wiki/Main_Page
anymore. But i can, because i am not Australian.
lol
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jens
March 18th 2009
3. This is an appalling erosion of free speech. Wikileaks is one of the last true whistleblower sites left.
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lifesizeandrew
March 18th 2009
2. Way to tell people what to think Big Bro! I am really amazed that more people aren't disgusted by this. This is really a violation of the right to knowledge as well as targeting innocent persons for revenue purposes.
Shame on Australia. :(
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simox
March 17th 2009
1. Linking above to Wikileaks, the Sydney Morning Herald is to be fined $11,000 daily for radical subversion. Otherwise the internet will increasingly be used to inject timely truth into political discourse, as Wikileaks does consistently. It is the role of the Australian government to crush this ideal function of the fourth estate.
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