Hacktivists Force Pause in Australian Net Censorship

[FuktLogik]

It's also pretty worrying though... what if groups with more questionable ideals start doing the same thing?

You mean, like, real terrorists? It's been done, man.

 

[DEAD34345]

It's also pretty worrying though... what if groups with more questionable ideals start doing the same thing?

You mean, like, real terrorists? It's been done, man.

A couple of people have said the same sort of thing now, but I've never actually heard of it. Have these hacker terrorist actually had a real effect on things? In fact, which terrorists are being talked about here?

I don't mean this in a "I don't believe you" kind of way, I'm just genuinely curious (and a little worried) now.

 

[FuktLogik]

It's also pretty worrying though... what if groups with more questionable ideals start doing the same thing?

You mean, like, real terrorists? It's been done, man.

A couple of people have said the same sort of thing now, but I've never actually heard of it. Have these hacker terrorist actually had a real effect on things? In fact, which terrorists are being talked about here?

I don't mean this in a "I don't believe you" kind of way, I'm just genuinely curious (and a little worried) now.

I had assumed you meant in general, and not limited to online. I was of course referring to real terrorists, or anyone else that uses power and fear as a deterrent (i.e the government/law enforcement/forum mods...).

 

[TerribleAssassin]

I saw Anonymous' reaction coming from a mile away. It's surprising that Telstra did too.

Seconded, it's obvious that if something censored, Anon will attack.

Well, looks like another Anonymous war is about to kick off, we might as well:

 

[DEAD34345]

I had assumed you meant in general, and not limited to online. I was of course referring to real terrorists, or anyone else that uses power and fear as a deterrent (i.e the government/law enforcement/forum mods...).

Ah, maybe I worded it badly then. What worried me was that completely anonymous people could actually have a real effect on things through "hacktivism".

If Anonymous can do it then why can't Al-Qaeda or any other actual terrorist group?

 

[Tdc2182]

It's just the internet, which isn't the most important thing in the world might I add.

Yet again, it's the last truly free "place" in the world.

You most likely have pretty much only used it as an entertainment medium, so I'm not surprised that people would think that. People seem to forget there are other things on it than porn and Facebook.

 

[FuktLogik]

If Anonymous can do it then why can't Al-Qaeda or any other actual terrorist group?

One would assume that fear of exposure would be sufficient, but since world law enforcement can't even track these guys down, it speaks volumes about what a good proxy can do. It is rather disturbing when you start to thing about it.

 

[RhombusHatesYou]

It's just the internet, which isn't the most important thing in the world might I add.

Yet again, it's the last truly free "place" in the world.

The net was never free, it was just ignored until the late 90s. As the general public started dipping their toes into the net more and more so came with them the parasitic lifeform known as Legislators. Which is to say before Mr and Mrs Average started tripping over some of the shit we used to do online pretty no one gave a living shit what was gotten up to online.

Internet used to be the Wild West... now big parts of it are suburbia.

You most likely have pretty much only used it as an entertainment medium, so I'm not surprised that people would think that. People seem to forget there are other things on it than porn and Facebook.

... like Pornbook? Faceporn?

Or do you mean the massive interconnection of the world's global communications infrastructure and the high organisational dependency that's grown around it in both the public and private sectors? People weren't dicking around in the late 80s/early 90s when they started kicking around the term 'Information Age'.

 

[Tdc2182]

It's just the internet, which isn't the most important thing in the world might I add.

Yet again, it's the last truly free "place" in the world.

The net was never free, it was just ignored until the late 90s. As the general public started dipping their toes into the net more and more so came with them the parasitic lifeform known as Legislators. Which is to say before Mr and Mrs Average started tripping over some of the shit we used to do online pretty no one gave a living shit what was gotten up to online.

Internet used to be the Wild West... now big parts of it are suburbia.

You most likely have pretty much only used it as an entertainment medium, so I'm not surprised that people would think that. People seem to forget there are other things on it than porn and Facebook.

... like Pornbook? Faceporn?

Or do you mean the massive interconnection of the world's global communications infrastructure and the high organisational dependency that's grown around it in both the public and private sectors? People weren't dicking around in the late 80s/early 90s when they started kicking around the term 'Information Age'.

I'm gonna be honest, I'm not entirely sure where you stand on this issue.

 

[Not G. Ivingname]

Ahhh Censorship....

If you like censorship someone would like to welcome you to the party!

Spoiler: Fixed for you.

Though either would work...

AH, I love the old lefty vs righty arguements vis Hitler/Stalin... How about we call them all extremists and move on eh?

Well... I kind of did

 

[Radelaide]

As a Telstra employee, this makes me kind of happy. Because the ISPs weren't telling anyone about the filter, in-store consultants (such as myself) would not have been able to provide adequate information about this. Like consumers need another reason to yell at me.

While I support the idea of blocking child sexual abuse sites, more planning needs to go into a straight-forward, completely transparent way of filtering these sites without impacting speeds or legit sites. (Not legit child porn, before I get a inbox full of quotes. Legit sites like the Brisbane dentist who was blocked under the trial filter.)

OH yea does bigpond come under telstra because then Im in the clear

Wut? Bigpond IS Telstra. It's what Telstra call their ISP service. It is entirely owned BY Telstra.

DISCLAIMER TIME!

As an employee of Telstra, my opinions are not shared by the company, nor do I speak on behalf of Telstra, its associates or any other employee. Any opinions I share on topics about Telstra are made on my own behalf.

Also, no, I will not fix your ISP/Mobile/Homeline service. I am off the clock, bitches.

 

[Radelaide]

As a Telstra employee, this makes me kind of happy. Because the ISPs weren't telling anyone about the filter, in-store consultants (such as myself) would not have been able to provide adequate information about this. Like consumers need another reason to yell at me.

While I support the idea of blocking child sexual abuse sites, more planning needs to go into a straight-forward, completely transparent way of filtering these sites without impacting speeds or legit sites. (Not legit child porn, before I get a inbox full of quotes. Legit sites like the Brisbane dentist who was blocked under the trial filter.)

OH yea does bigpond come under telstra because then Im in the clear

Wut? Bigpond IS Telstra. It's what Telstra call their ISP service. It is entirely owned BY Telstra.

DISCLAIMER TIME!

As an employee of Telstra, my opinions are not shared by the company, nor do I speak on behalf of Telstra, its associates or any other employee. Any opinions I share on topics about Telstra are made on my own behalf.

Also, no, I will not fix your ISP/Mobile/Homeline service. I am off the clock, bitches.

Quick query: How does it feel to work for the Evilest corporation since Atilla the Hun got that merger with Stalin going?

At $21.84 + time + commission? It pays well.

Also, we're not that bad. We're the first company in Australia to provide a 4G network, we provide NextG (850MHz) so people in more rural areas can stay in touch and they employ sexy bitches like me to be completely indifferent to your insuffering. If you don't like it, go to Optus and suffer their reception. Or Voda!

 

[Timmibal]

As a Telstra employee, this makes me kind of happy. Because the ISPs weren't telling anyone about the filter, in-store consultants (such as myself) would not have been able to provide adequate information about this. Like consumers need another reason to yell at me.

Dude, that fucking SUCKS. Iknowthatfeelbro.jpg and all that.

Doesn't that piss you off just slightly though? The only reason you were able to answer customer enquiries in any way shape or form is because you're registered on a game site? You don't think someone should have thought to maybe send a faq your way knowing the shitstorm the filter engendered when the gubbmint tried it? Good to know Telstra treats its employees just as poorly as its customers.

Also, we're not that bad. We're the first company in Australia to provide a 4G network, we provide NextG (850MHz) so people in more rural areas can stay in touch and they employ sexy bitches like me to be completely indifferent to your insuffering.

You lie. Vivid had the first 4G network released in Australia (Although the term 4G has been scaled back because Verizon/AT&T threatened the ITU with legal buggery) and the only reason Telstra brags about near total coverage by NextG in rural areas is because they won't let anybody else rent the infrastructure out there.

Although your reps are usually pretty fit, I'll pay that.

 

[NoeL]

Ok, after reading the first page of replies this HAS to be said.

Anonymous are NOT a "group", or "organisation". Watch the Extra Credits vid.


Secondly, everyone thinks child porn is wrong, and most people agree that preventing its distribution is a good thing. So why are they against the filter? To quote the OP:

"the plan has been criticized as lacking transparency, accountability and any sort of visible appeals process"

THAT is why people are against the filter. There are no standards in place to limit what they can or cannot censor, and there's no way to appeal if you think your site has been wrongly censored.

 

[Radelaide]

As a Telstra employee, this makes me kind of happy. Because the ISPs weren't telling anyone about the filter, in-store consultants (such as myself) would not have been able to provide adequate information about this. Like consumers need another reason to yell at me.

Dude, that fucking SUCKS. Iknowthatfeelbro.jpg and all that.

Doesn't that piss you off just slightly though? The only reason you were able to answer customer enquiries in any way shape or form is because you're registered on a game site? You don't think someone should have thought to maybe send a faq your way knowing the shitstorm the filter engendered when the gubbmint tried it? Good to know Telstra treats its employees just as poorly as its customers.

Also, we're not that bad. We're the first company in Australia to provide a 4G network, we provide NextG (850MHz) so people in more rural areas can stay in touch and they employ sexy bitches like me to be completely indifferent to your insuffering.

You lie. Vivid had the first 4G network released in Australia (Although the term 4G has been scaled back because Verizon/AT&T threatened the ITU with legal buggery) and the only reason Telstra brags about near total coverage by NextG in rural areas is because they won't let anybody else rent the infrastructure out there.

Although your reps are usually pretty fit, I'll pay that.

Okay, I'll clear it up a little.

There WAS an announcement on our internal mailing site, but it only said that child porn was being blocked. It didn't say anything about how it was being blocked, what sites were being blocked or any process of appeal.

I'd also found out about this through a group on Facebook that I 'like'. They'd announced that the filter was going ahead and I'd read further on the news page they cited as a source. Again, none of the information in the above paragraph was available in that page.

I will be curious tomorrow and ask my (pretty fit) co-workers tomorrow about what they know on the subject and if we can get any more information. If not, I'll send off a few emails and see what information I can get just in case anyone DOES come in and ask, I don't wanna be all "WELL, I get my reliable information about the filter from a gaming website," when the key demographic of Telstra really aren't the gaming type.


Also, aren't Vivid a Porn company? I've never heard of Vivid as a telecommunications company...

DISCLAIMER TIME!

As an employee of Telstra, my opinions are not shared by the company, nor do I speak on behalf of Telstra, its associates or any other employee. Any opinions I share on topics about Telstra are made on my own behalf.

 

[Timmibal]

Also, aren't Vivid a Porn company? I've never heard of Vivid as a telecommunications company...

http://www.vividwireless.com.au

Maybe they're only operating here in dullsville.

 

[Hellz_Barz]

This is probably the first smart thing that Telstra has ever done in it's entire history of being a retarded rip-off of an internet provider.

 

[Thorvan]

Hmm, These "hacktivists". Vigilantes. Secret identities. Scourge of governments and criminals alike. Driven by their own mysterious code of ideals. Act as individuals in loose association.

Superheroes and super-villains are not longer comic book fantasies.

Really how different is "Intentet Anonymity" from Peter Parker's "Secret Identity"

Because "Anonymous" are a bunch of childish nerds with nothing better to do.

...Wait...

 

[samsonguy920]

I doubt it is so much a worry about attack from hackers in reprisal to enacting censorship as it is more thinking that maybe the idea just isn't so right after all. I do approve the idea of referencing Interpol for sites to ban, but picking out your own can lead to so many legit sites getting filtered out it would be wrong.
Then there is the whole part where the government won't be funding it that might lead to the other 3 deciding not to. Money can turn into a more powerful force with companies than sense and morals. Which is a sad but true state of things these days.

 

[WeBeNukin]

Wow, if this is true then that means that Anonymous has actually achieved it's goals, at least slightly. I agree with most of the ideals Anonymous stands for, but I really doubted that they could have any positive effect through their methods. Apparently I was wrong, which is definitely a good thing.

It's also pretty worrying though... what if groups with more questionable ideals start doing the same thing?

Anonymous are a bunch of internet terrorists, and occasionally I worry about the implications of that.
That said, I've always been pleased that they have their heart in the right place, when they decide to actually select a target for the purpose of making a statement.

Terrorist is such a strong word. I think freedom fighter is more fitting.