---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Tue, 05 Nov 1996 21:59:33 +1100 From: Irene Graham <rene@pobox.com> To: fight-censorship@vorlon.mit.edu Subject: Re: Australia drafts Net rating system On Mon, 4 Nov 1996 18:53:24 -0800 (PST), Declan McCullagh <declan@eff.org> wrote:

---------- Forwarded message ---------- [...] http://www.smh.com.au/computers/news/961105-news03.html [...] Under the code, which is being developed by the Internet Industry Association of Australia (INTIAA), content will be classified under the existing code used by the Office of Film and Television Classification. "R" or "X" rated material would have to be clearly identified and provided only to registered subscribers. [...]

The subject line of this thread is misleading, which is understandable given the content of the newspaper report. "Australia" is not drafting a Net rating system (yet anyway). I doubt INTIAA actually is either. INTIAA purports to be (i.e. wants to be) the "peak Internet industry body" in Australia. However their code *does not* have the support of much of the "industry". The present stage of the fight in Australia is, not against government censorship, but against "privatised" censorship. There is presently no Net content rating system based on the OFLC classifications, nor with any luck is there likely to be. The Australian Broadcasting Authority (ABA) in its July report on Net regulation was of the view that that system is unworkable for on-line content (which is correct) and proposed the development of a purpose-built classification system. Unfortunately it appears the director(s) of INTIAA have not read that report. The following extract from Electronic Frontiers Australia's response (of 22 Oct 96) to the ABA report tells the rest of the story about INTIAA and its code: "It appears that the ABA has been influenced by a particularly complicated proposed industry code of practice drafted by Patrick Fair of a Sydney corporation "The Internet Industry Association of Australia". That proposed code of conduct, released on the 10th September 1996, proposes a top-heavy industry body, drawing extensive levies from the Internet access providers in order to sustain a professional council as well-funded and well-staffed as a national professional body. INTIAA was established with board members representing hardware and software vendors, a national law firm and several large Internet access providers. Other members of the company include media and the Taxation Institute of Australia. It is fair comment that INTIAA represents a sector of the market with deep pockets and contacts in government, as indeed the Minister for the Communications and the Arts launched INTIAA on the 15th December 1995. The proposed code of practice makes use of the ABA's favoured PICS web page rating standard compulsory , creates an Administration Council with a government appointee as Chair and no direct voting by member service providers on changes to that Code. For those worried about censorship of the Net through the back door, the proposed Code places on service providers the obligation to block "X-rated" material as if it were child pornography. A further problem for service providers is the requirement that they report "illegal" sites to the authorities , report "RC" violations to other site administrators and delete users to enforce compliance with censorship. INTIAA's code of practice does not represent a consensus within the industry. There are State Internet Associations (WA Internet Association, South Australian Internet Association, ACT Internet Association) which do not subscribe to such a bureaucratic system and which instead are developing codes of practice which more fully fulfil industry aspirations and conform more fully to industry experience [...and...] make it quite clear that an Internet access provider cannot be held responsible for content not originating on his or her system under any circumstances. [...] The gloss and complexity of the INTIAA code by comparison has obviously promoted to the ABA the notion that the industry can self-fund a policing function as the government may direct." The INTIAA code is a threat to free speech on the Net (at least in Oz) equivalent to, and possibly worse than, government censorship. Regards Irene ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Irene Graham, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. PGP key on h/page. The Net Censorship Dilemma: <http://www.pobox.com/~rene/liberty/> "A year from now you may wish you had started today." Karen Lamb. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~