Australian censorship: a secret list of prohibited sites and a large fine

Bad news comes from Australia (they posted it on Slashdot , and the blogger lqp translated it ). It turns out that the Australian Department of Communications (ACMA) has compiled a list of sites that providers should block access to. But if only it were, it would be just censorship - but in fact, insanity and the nightmare of surreal, anti-utopian totalitarianism came out.

Firstly, there is no law about the ban in Australia (it is only being prepared for adoption: will it still be accepted, will it not), and the authorities are already censoring the authorities by explicit procedure, so to speak.

Secondly, it is forbidden not only to show sites included in the blacklist of the Ministry of Communications, but even to put hyperlinks to them from forums, for example. Australian forum Whirlpool demand fine(eleven thousand dollars a day) for one such hyperlink.

Thirdly, the content of the list itself is an Australian state secret, criminal disclosure is required for its disclosure. Accordingly, kind sites on which it is impossible to put hyperlinks, good people (on the forum, for example) learn about the fact of their prosecution.

Fourth, taking advantage of the fact that the contents of the list are forbidden to know (and therefore cannot be discussed), the authorities replenished it with the most diverse (far from indisputable) contents. For example, they placed there a site about a similar list in Denmark (that is, Australians are now forbidden to know how and what the Danes are forbidden), and a wiki siteto drain political compromising evidence (wikileaks.org), and the website of opponents of abortion (with photos of gutted embryos), and so on.

The only bright moment in this story is that it takes place in Australia, far from us.

Enjoy it while you can.