Conroy

Exert from a email response I sent in regards to our illustrious Governments filter. Posted here for posterity. Hopefully we can look back and laugh and go 'Conroy? Wasn't he the guy that campaigned to save us against spams and scams coming through the portal? Wasn't he the guy that was so stupid that the 2010 elections ballots had to be kiln-dried before talling because people laughed so hard as his name on the ballots they cried?'
Of course, if we get Gillard for another couple of years, you likely wont be reading this as it will be blacklisted as anti-government propaganda.

Quote: Me, in response to a discussion on the filter via email, 29 June 2010. Names omitted to protect the innocent

Its funny, because until this email I’ve never even looked at it that way. You two argue for and against a filter, I argue against the technical implementation of the filter.

I don’t even oppose A FILTER.

I liked the previous plan installing filters on parents PC’s as they:

· Moved responsibility to the household, and ultimately the parents

· Provided some level of security

· Bypassable unfortunately (Which any solution is. ANY)

I don’t like the proposed filter because:

· It WONT WORK

· It wont stop child pron at all

· It gives your wife a false sense of security in thinking your kids protected

· It will impede our broadband development and speeds which are already behind – This directly impacts economy too

· Extra cost at ISP level – either they pass on the expense to us or what, the GVT will pay – which is us again

· It wont stop torrents, FTP, IRC, what not where the actual harmful stuff is shared

· It should be AT LEAST opt in (As a young bachelor, why do I need content filtering?)

· Its extremely EXTREMLY bypassable (And legal to do so, so duuuh?!?)

· Christ, it will cost people like me even more for internets because ill likely pay for a encrypted proxy connection – internets expensive enough!

· Massive breech of privacy. They will be inspecting each and every packet of information to and from your PC

· Private blacklist means abuse. I think it’s a guarantee it will be abused in some way if its there – power corrupts and all that.

Closing points:

This makes me so angry, only because were being sold a square peg for a round hole!

Ive got a secret for your wife. Don’t tell anyone – the GVT doesn’t want you to know!

You have a filter at home. Its cheap, easy to install, failproof, doesn’t require government funding, sponsorship, and whatnot. It wont impede your privacy, internet speeds. It will also help you grow a true bond with your children and will allow you to explore the wonders of the internets with safety and ease together.

It’s a chair. Move the PC out into the living room (kids shouldn't need more crap in their rooms to give them even more reasons to sit in them all day) and install a chair next to the PC. Install parental ass into said char. Your new filter is set up and ready to go. Even set up free software on your PC to lock the internet out on the kids accounts at certain times, and have designated internets time.