Internet censorship in Australia is enforced by both the country's criminal law[1][2] as well as voluntarily enacted by internet service providers.[3][4] The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has the power to enforce content restrictions on Internet content hosted within Australia, and maintain a blocklist of overseas websites which is then provided for use in filtering software. The restrictions focus primarily on child pornography, sexual violence, and other illegal activities, compiled as a result of a consumer complaints process.
In October 2008, a policy extending Internet censorship to a system of mandatory filtering of overseas websites which are, or potentially would be, "refused classification" (RC) in Australia was proposed. Australia is classified as "under surveillance" (a type of "Internet enemy") by Reporters Without Borders due to the proposed legislation.[5] If enacted, the legislation would have required Internet service providers to censor access to such content for all users. However, the policy was rejected by the Coalition[6] and was later withdrawn by the Labor party.[7] The same day the withdrawal was announced, the then Communications Minister stated that as a result of notices to Australian ISPs, over 90% of Australians using Internet Services were going to have a web filter. Australian Federal Police would then pursue smaller ISPs and work with them to meet their "obligation under Australian law".[8] iiNet and Internode quietly confirmed that the request to censor content from Australian Federal Police went from voluntary to mandatory under s313 in an existing law. iiNet had sought legal advice and accepted the s313 mandatory notice but would not reveal the legal advice publicly.[9]
In June 2015, the country passed an amendment which will allow the court-ordered censorship of websites deemed to primarily facilitate copyright infringement. In December 2016, the Federal Court of Australia ordered more than fifty ISPs to censor 5 sites that infringe on the Copyright Act after rights holders, Roadshow Films, Foxtel, Disney, Paramount, Columbia and the 20th Century Fox companies filed a lawsuit. The sites barred include The Pirate Bay, Torrentz, TorrentHound, IsoHunt and SolarMovie.
In April 2019, the Senate passed a bill in response to the Christchurch mosque shooting which required websites that provide a hosting service to "ensure the expeditious removal" of audio or visual material documenting "abhorrent violent conduct" (including terrorist acts, murder, attempted murder, torture, rape or kidnapping), produced by a perpetrator or accomplice, within a reasonable time frame. Hosts must also report such content to authorities. Those who do not remove the materials may face fines and jail time.
Several ISPs had already voluntarily blocked websites related to footage of the Christchurch shooting before the bill had passed.[4]
^Cite error: The named reference ars-ausblocklaw was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference itnews1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference ISPFiltering-June2011 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ abCite error: The named reference 9news was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Internet Enemies Archived 23 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Reporters Without Borders (Paris), 12 March 2012
^Welch, Dylan (6 August 2010). "Coalition rejects internet filter". The Age.
^"Government gives up plan for Internet filter - internet filter - Computerworld", APP, Computerworld, 9 November 2012
^"Child abuse material blocked online, removing need for legislation", Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, 9 November 2012 (archived on Pandora)
^"iiNet, Internode implement Conroy's new filter", Renai LeMay, Delimiter 14 November 2012
and 29 Related for: Internet censorship in Australia information
InternetcensorshipinAustralia is enforced by both the country's criminal law as well as voluntarily enacted by internet service providers. The Australian...
Internetcensorship is the legal control or suppression of what can be accessed, published, or viewed on the Internet. Censorship is most often applied...
and monitors Internet access. As required by the government, major Internet platforms in China have established elaborate self-censorship mechanisms as...
published in The Age newspaper) Refused Classification – an online database of media either censored or banned inAustraliaInternetCensorshipinAustralia by...
up from 630,000 in 2008. In recent times, censorship of the Internet has slowly relaxed. For example, in 2007, it became possible for members of the...
Internetcensorshipin Pakistan is government control of information sent and received using the Internetin Pakistan. There have been significant instances...
Most Internetcensorshipin Thailand prior to the September 2006 military coup d'état was focused on blocking pornographic websites. The following years...
This list of Internetcensorship and surveillance by country provides information on the types and levels of Internetcensorship and surveillance that...
Internetcensorshipin Singapore is carried out by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA). Internet services provided by the three major Internet...
Internetcensorshipin New Zealand refers to the New Zealand Government's system for filtering website traffic to prevent Internet users from accessing...
InternetinAustralia first became available on a permanent basis to universities inAustraliain May 1989, via AARNet. Pegasus Networks was Australia's...
Internetcensorshipin South Africa is a developing topic. South Africa is not individually classified by the OpenNet Initiative, but is included in ONI's...
This list of Internetcensorship and surveillance in Europe provides information on the types and levels of Internetcensorship and surveillance that is...
This list of Internetcensorship and surveillance in Oceania provides information on the types and levels of Internetcensorship and surveillance that...
attempt to apply them nationwide (see Internetcensorship), or they can, for example, be applied by an Internet service provider to its clients, by an...
users' data in unauthorized servers outside India". Apar Gupta, executive director of the Internet Freedom Foundation, said the censorship was absent from...
and hindering progress. In a 1997 essay on Internetcensorship, social commentator Michael Landier explains that censorship is counterproductive as it...
Internetcensorshipin Syria is extensive; with numerous websites and online platforms being banned for political reasons. Internet usage is authorized...
Internetcensorshipin Ireland is a controversial issue with the introduction of a graduated response policy in 2008 followed by an effort to block certain...
Censorshipin the People's Republic of China is mandated by the PRC's ruling party, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It is one of the strictest censorship...
Censorship by country collects information on censorship, Internetcensorship, freedom of the press, freedom of speech, and human rights by country and...
Censorshipin Turkey is regulated by domestic and international legislation, the latter (in theory) taking precedence over domestic law, according to...
The Australian Classification Board (ACB or CB) is an Australian government statutory body responsible for the classification and censorship of films,...
Censorshipin Japan has taken many forms throughout the history of the country. While Article 21 of the Constitution of Japan guarantees freedom of expression...
North Korea ranks among some of the most extreme censorshipin the world, with the government able to take strict control over communications. North Korea...
right to Internet access, freedom from Internet censorship, and net neutrality. Those who support internet freedom as a human right include the United Nations...
Comparison of BitTorrent sites List of websites blocked in the United Kingdom InternetcensorshipinAustralia "Torrentz WHOIS, DNS, & Domain Info – DomainTools"...
Censorship is a long term issue in Malaysia which has become more apparent as it attempts to adapt to a modern knowledge-based economy. Despite having...