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New police powers to block websites |
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THE federal Police Commissioner will be given new powers to block Australians' access to overseas internet sites with crime or terror-related content. The Howard Government introduced legislation into parliament yesterday that will also give the commissioner power to order the telecommunications watchdog to take down Australian websites that incite terror or are related to organised crime. A black list of overseas internet addresses already exists and is maintained by the Australian Communications and Media Authority, but it covers only material regarded as extreme pornography or which breaches copyright. Under the amendment, federal police will inform the authority of websites to be blocked and the authority must then notify the relevant internet service providers.
Service providers will be required to ``take reasonable steps'' to prevent users accessing that website or content. Australian Privacy Foundation chairman Roger Clarke said the Howard Government was, without warning, trying to censor the internet. ``Even worse, ISPs throughout the country are to be the vehicle for censorship, by being required to block internet content,'' Mr Clarke said. Greens senator Kerry Nettle said the bill would give the Police Commissioner enormous power over what political content Australians could look at on the web. ``The Government has dropped the bill into the Senate on the eve of an election with virtually no explanation,'' Senator Nettle said. It is unclear if and when the legislation will be passed. Labor did not return calls from The Australian yesterday on whether it supported the bill. An election may be called before the House of Representatives sees the bill. A spokesman for Communications Minister Helen Coonan said organised crime sites that tried to defraud people and terrorism sites needed to be added to the black list. ``Individuals and groups are abusing the anonymity of the online world to carry out offences from unwanted sexual approaches to online fraud and terrorism,'' the spokesman said. |
