Censorware Roundup: Column, Australia NoCleanFeed, Cisco China

Shameless self-promotion: The Australian newspaper "Sydney Morning Herald" reprinted my Guardian column discussing the OpenNet Initiative's "Access Denied" world censorware report and implications for government censorship

Seth Finkelstein looks at the insidious control that governments and corporations want over your internet use.

(and somebody actually read it!)

Electronic Frontiers Australia (not related to the US EFF) has a campaign "No CleanFeed" against mandatory ISP censorware, No Internet Censorship for Australia:

The [Australian] Federal Government is pushing forward with a plan to force ISPs to filter out all material "inappropriate" for children from Australian homes.

Echo: "Cisco File Raises Censorship Concerns"

In its PowerPoint presentation, Cisco referred to the Chinese government's project to control the Internet, including its use by groups such as Falun Gong. After a slide referencing the crackdown on Falun Gong, the next slide proclaims: "Cisco Opportunity: High start-point planning, High standard construction, Technical training, Security and operation maintenance."

Sigh. WHAT DID YOU EXPECT? Repressive governments make for great censorware customers. China's a big market. No surprise here.
(note on the politics civil-libertarian funding: I'm aware someone is likely to get a grant out of this. It's not something for me. You have to be "connected" to get that sort of money, and I'm not a "club-member").

Seth Finkelstein's Infothought blog (Wikipedia, Google, censorware, and an inside view of net-politics) - Syndicate site (subscribe, RSS)