Australia - Enemy of the Internet

This site could face banning by the Australian Government under the National Classification Code.

A Reporters Without Borders review has kept Australia on its Enemies of the Internet watch list. Australia is on the list of 'Countries Under Surveillance', along with Egypt and Kazakhstan. In their own words:

"The government has not abandoned its efforts to win approval for its mandatory national Web filtering system and has persuaded Internet service providers to create a voluntary system. It has just received the recommendations of the Law Reform Commission which may put in question the type of content involved and enforce its application to all media."

A review of the proposed classification process has recommended that the government review current prohibitions on sites dealing with harm minimisation (such as this site). Currently, just discussing illicit drug use could lead to a RC 'Refused Classification' status, which would mean your Internet Service Provider would be obliged to block all requests to visit this site.

One of the biggest problems with the policy is that it is ill-defined. Hence the Australian Law Reform Commission's review, which may or may not be adopted. Indeed, the government could choose to broaden their definition even more, encompassing more sites such as this one.

Whilst you may assume Australia is a true democracy, external watchdogs such as Reporters Without Borders can help us keep an objective eye on our behaviour.