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 (8) Click to add a new comment
fatfox
March 20th
8. 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
7. 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
6. 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
5. 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
4. 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
3. 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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