Bad thing is that after telling Aussies that individuals would have opt out options, that is, not using the filters, they are forcing everybody to use the filters.  A government official says that those who choose to opt out will be put in a watered down filter-list, which beats logic, because in CPB’s books filters are filters.  Watered down or not.

The Open-Net Initiative website quotes a spokesman for Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said the filters will be mandatory for all Australians.

“Labor’s plan for cyber-safety will require ISPs to offer a clean feed Internet service to all homes, schools and public Internet points accessible by children,” Marshall said.

“The upcoming field pilot of ISP filtering technology will look at various aspects of filtering, including effectiveness, ease of circumvention, the impact on internet access speeds and cost.

The plan is to be implemented through the ISPs, meaning that it will be applicable to all internet users in Australia.

CPB thinks that it is very hypocritical for Australia to demand online and other freedoms from other countries and not practice the same.  We will continue monitoring the situation.

Harry Nicolaides has apologized to the Thai king saying it was not his intention to insult the royal family and that he was only reporting what other Thais were saying.

His arrest was due to a book about the Royal Family, he says only 50 copies were printed of which 2 were sold.  And that in the 300 page book only 3 line were offending to the King and has led to his arrest.

His passport is being held for fear that he might skip the country we hope the situation ends amicable for Nicolaides.

He has been visiting Thailand since 2003 and has written a book which mentions members of the royal family.

It is uncertain whether Nicolaides’s blog had anything to do with his arrest.

The Australian Telecommunications Minister Stephen Conroy announced on December 31 2007 that mandatory filtering of the Internet would be instituted there. This announcement follows the Rudd government’s plan to provide a “clean feed internet service for all homes” that was unveiled prior to the fall 2007 elections.

As in China, a great deal of the responsibility for censoring the Internet would be laid on the doorstep of the country’s ISPs but, as in Saudi Arabia, the pretext for this restraint is “protecting” the public against pornography. ONI notes that anyone who wished to see adult content would have to opt out of the system, thereby drawing attention to themselves. Considering the bugginess of filtering software, not to mention the vicious joy of the kind of person who believes they know what’s best for others, it doesn’t take much to imagine just what kind of detritus would be caught up in this sort of filtering regimen. If the Kingdom is any indication, get ready for an Australian Internet without women’s health information and online swim suit catalogs.

Another issue is the efficiency of the country’s Internet connections once national filtering becomes a reality. Considering how important electronic connections are to the global economy, there’s no way it won’t have an effect on the average Aussie’s pocketbook.