By Rex Wockner International News
Report
Protestors speak out against
Australia's Internet censorship measure, which goes into effect on Jan. 1,
2000
A ban on R- and X-rated content on the
Internet takes effect in Australia January 1.
The Broadcasting Services Amendment (Online Services) Bill was
passed by Parliament June 30.
Internet service providers (ISPs) will be required to stop
prohibited material at the border or face fines of $27,500 per day.
"This legislation invites private agencies to suppress the
expression of [cultural] identities with a new system of social control
predicated on a dictionary-based witch hunt: a frantic hunt for offensive
nouns, indifferent to the semantic richness, social complexities, and
living communities and context those words may represent," said IGLHRC.
"In sum, the legislation abandons democratic process to the whims,
prejudices, and profit-making needs of corporations."
For information on where to send letters of complaint,
contact: iglhrc@iglhrc.org or
visit http://www.iglhrc.org/.
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