

Australia looking to censor iPhone apps - whatusername
http://www.itnews.com.au/News/158652,classification-board-seeks-to-censor-iphone-apps.aspx

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wakeless
All this is saying is that iphone apps should be on the same playing field as
all other computer games sold in Australia. Which is fair enough.

Now, I'm the first person to hate on Stephen Conroy and his ridiculously
communist sensorship ideals, but this isn't really one of them.

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whatusername
Did you see the figures posted in the article

In 2008-09 the classification board received 7,036 applications. That figure
included applications for classifying 4,792 films, 1,095 computer games and
197 publications.

What happens when you add 20,000 iPhone games to that. Plus updates - do they
have to be re-censored? The principal is ok, but the implementation scares me.
(Oh - and we need an 18+ rating for video games, but that's another story)

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wakeless
The principal of classification isn't that great, but it is in play and it is
here to stay. So it does need to be fair.

This just underlines the point about scalability issues that this is running
into and the great wall of Conroy will also run into. We all know the Internet
is way too big to control so why try?

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JacobAldridge
Welcome to Australia. Please set your clocks forward 19 hours, and your
politics back 20 years.

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jstevens85
Because a member of the Classification Board sent a letter to a Government
Minister?

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JacobAldridge
It was a general comment about the current state of censorship at a federal
level.

This specific issue may be a fair question to ask, but within the web filter
debate, lack of an R18+ rating for games, and an inconsistent censorship
regime throughout the country, I feel the questions being asked are at least
ten years too late.

~~~
jstevens85
I think the problems are overstated. There really isn't a web filter debate.
It's really a bunch of people yelling at a rogue Labour minister who has too
much power as leader of the right faction. There are very few people arguing
in favour of the plan, and it looks like it will be impossible to pass through
parliament.

The lack of an R18+ rating is more a reflection of the problems with the
constitution. The federal parliament is unable to make censorship laws that
apply to the entire country, and we are therefore dependent upon all six
states to agree. The situation now is that 5 states support an 18+ rating, one
doesn't.

The serious censorship problems are really that several films, such as Ken
Park, have been banned even though there exists an 18+ rating for cinema.
Also, the banning of one of Philip Nitschke's books is troubling.

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JacobAldridge
I didn't realise the R18+ issue was state-related. Who's the hold out?

I hope you're right about the web filter debate. I would have said the same
thing about the GST, but then there's a big distinction between a PM's
personal agenda and a "rogue Labor minister".

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jstevens85
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_Film_and_Literature_C...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_Film_and_Literature_Classification_\(Australia\))

"Currently only Michael Atkinson, South Australian Attorney-General opposes
the R18 classification introduction and is also blocking the release of a
public paper that canvasses the opinion of the Australian public on whether or
not an R18 classification should be introduced."

Don't really understand the opposition to the GST. It massively simplified the
sales tax system in Australia. We're one of the lowest taxing countries in the
developed world.

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JacobAldridge
Thanks. My GST comment wasn't a judgement on it, just a policy comparison. If
you'd asked me in '98/'99 about whether Howard would get it through, my
response would have been something along the lines of "it looks like it will
be impossible to pass through parliament".

Here's hoping that's where the comparison ends.

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the_real_r2d2
It wouldn't surprise me. Lately the Australian Gov. has done crazy stuff
related to Copy Rights Laws, "Net Security" and Net neutrality.

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Specstacular
Another stumbling block to innovation and engagement in Aussie Software
development and 'new media' market. Typical!

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gord
A moments thought and they would have realized that Apple will do all the work
for them.

Huge waste of time, money, energy - and basically the things they dont want,
wont be filtered out by this [ eg. uncategorized porn on jailbroken phones, if
there is such a thing]

Australia is a wonderful country, but we need a bit more clarity in such
things as net neutrality, censorship and separation of church and state. [The
latter is only hinted at in the constitution, and has been interpreted very
weakly in court judgements.]

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etherael
This may be uncharacteristically abrasive and terse, but fuck this country.
(yes, I live here, and want to leave)

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DanielBMarkham
I hope this post comes off okay. I've been visiting your country for a few
weeks now on holiday, and I've found both here and NZ to be places with
wonderful people and scenery.

Having said that, both places seem to have a bit of the nanny-state complex. I
can sympathize that it is frustrating -- but it's not all bad, by any means.
We've had a wonderful time.

I'm not sure I would chose to live here, however. I've traveled and lived in a
bunch of places in the states, and the attitude seems a bit different here. I
remember being in NZ last week and seeing the front page of one of their
papers -- "New Zealand's Millionaires". It was three or four poor blokes mug-
shotted on the front page, just like they had been caught robbing a liquor
store or something. The message was clear: rich people have somehow cheated
their way to the top. These guys are not to be emulated (except maybe as
hoodlums)

So that (and a few other things) makes me more of a visitor who would like to
come back than somebody who would want to live here. I think there are a lot
of people who are really laid back, and just a few who want to micro-manage
everybody else. Unfortunately it only takes a few....

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andrewtj
I'm an Australian and I agree with your comments except to say that I find the
"laid back" attitude is a bit of a misnomer - it's really indifference spun to
appear as a positive thing.

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etherael
This was in my blind spot, but it's clever, thanks for pointing that out, I
couldn't agree more.

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die_sekte
"Australia: We're going backwards!" or "Australia: We want to control
everything you see!"

