ISPs in AU and NZ start censoring the internet without legal precedent
Several websites including Voat, ZeroHedge, Archive.is, LiveLeak, and others have been blocked in Australia and New Zealand in direct contravention to civil liberties that citizens are supposed to have. The biggest of these internet providers, Telstra, has published a blog post defending their censorship action – even acknowledging that free speech has been sacrificed by company decision:
“We appreciate that it is necessary to ensure free speech is carefully balanced against protecting the community – but with these sites continuing to host disturbing content we feel it is the right thing to do to block them.”
In fact, some of the blocked sites have been unfairly lambasted in mainstream media as “refusing” to take down offending material. Let’s be clear, each and every one of the blocked websites operates lawfully – that includes removing illegal material when requested. These internet service providers (ISPs) in Australia and New Zealand have taken it upon themselves to play judge, jury, and executioner in their condemnation of these websites and their visitors just for exercising free speech.
In New Zealand, mobile internet service providers take it upon themselves to enact censorship
Starting over the weekend, Spark NZ, Vodafone NZ, and Vocus NZ were the three New Zealand ISPs that have taken it upon themselves to block these sites. On their part, the ISPs and smartphone network providers are claiming that these are only temporary blocks. Temporary blocks that have lasted multiple days – more than long enough to change people’s’ browsing habits. Even the perpetrators of this censorship are aware how unprecedented it is. Geoff Thorn, a chief executive at New Zealand Telecommunications Forum (TCF), commented to CIO:
“This is an unprecedented move by the telecommunications industry, but one that they all agree is necessary.”
CIO additionally confirmed that the ISPs are working together to ban the same sites.
In Australia, censorship also happens at the whim of the internet providers
Unsurprisingly, the over-reactive censorship has even started spreading around the world. Starting Monday the 18th, Telstra and Vodafone in Australia have also implemented these blocks network wide – that means even the many Australians using Vodafone reseller networks are affected by Vodafone’s censorship decisions. Of course, Facebook is not one of the sites that has been blocked.
https://twitter.com/James23235689/status/1107657943678279680
Vodafone has even confirmed that they were told to place the blocks, and they will remove the blocks when they are “advised” that the illegal content has been removed.
Censoring free speech is never “the right thing to do”
The internet providers in Australia and New Zealand are sliding down an incredibly slippery slope against free speech. Previously, in Australia and other parts of the world like Russia and Philippines, ISPs would not censor access to websites unless clearly told to by the government. The precedent that internet providers can decide when to start blocking sites seemingly arbitrarily has now both been set and abused… All in the name of “doing the right thing.”
Hi Matt, Vodafone Australia has temporarily blocked sites known to be actively hosting footage of the shootings in Christchurch. We believe it's absolutely the right thing to do. When we receive advice the content has been removed from these sites, we will then remove the block.
— Vodafone Australia (@VodafoneAU) March 18, 2019
Simply put: It’s not the right thing to do. Free speech is an absolute concept and by that virtue alone – this is not the right thing to do.
A full list of blocked websites can be found below:
- voat.co
- 4chan.org
- 8ch.net
- liveleak.com
- archive.is
- bitchute.com
- zerohedge.com
- kiwifarms.net
- eztvstatus.com
- dissenter.com
- documentingreality.com
- bestgore.com
- archive.fo
Please let us know in the comments below if any blocked websites are missing from this list.
Comments are closed.
67 Comments
this comment will prob be blocked but you really think that blocking hate speech and the spread of a video someone murdering people is a bad thing? sickening tjat you defend those sites
I believe lookism.net is banned. Couldn’t access it at the same time the others went down, they had a thread on the shooter along the lines of “incel shoots up mosque”. I need others to confirm.
We still have free speech. If you aren’t happy with that “censorship” you can choose another internet provider of your choice. I mean 4chan and kiwi-farms etc break laws all the time. Now internet providers are done with their bullshit and you call that censorship ? If someone comes to your house acts like a total douche-bag and you want to get rid of that person would you also accept a “but its censorship”. Its their services and so these internet providers can do what they want with their service. But if you are thinking that is is good idea to share such videos i will cancel my PIA subscription.
You sound a little butt hurt??
Hah. Ok. Such a weird analogy. Plus you apparently still needed to hide your real name Mr. “John Smith”. Soon that’ll not be an option if these so called liberals will have their way you know..
4chan and kiwi-farms are breaking no laws. They are simply exercising their God given right to free speech. Just because you are offended doesn’t matter. Act like an adult and not like a spoiled child. Have we all forgotten sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me. Here is a tip. Sites like 4chan have no real political agenda. They are trolls trying to get a reaction out of you for entertainment. If you ignore them you win and they disappear. Stop feeding the trolls
It is censorship. The ISPs are legally allowed to do it, but it is censorship none the less. And when every available ISP censors the web, you can’t just “choose another internet provider” and when the government encourages such censorship, this becomes akin to modern day book burning. The ISPs and the AU and NZ governments will be on the wrong side of history like the Nazis and Soviets.
Cancel it then you fucking idiot
You’re a little retard faggit
Facebook has broken the same rules as those sites in regard to this incident yet hasn’t been blocked. Why, because they’d lose money.
Nice false equivalence, did your two brain cells stay up all night trying to come up with that analogy? How can you legitimately think it’s OK for your ISP to determine what you can and can’t view based on their own “moral” standards. Can you not see what a potential slippery slope that is. Today it’s a shooting video, tomorrow it’s a whistle-blower document revealing government corruption or recordings of said corruption. Stop being a government bootlicker and use your two brain cells to think for yourself.
LOL what about facebook breaking laws dude? They’re totally in the clear, right? Try to think of the implications of the NZ government massively overreaching in their censorship. People who don’t want a free internet are just appalling.
Yes let’s ignore the fact that those ISP’s that are censoring these sites make up the majority of the market and an even bigger majority of mobile users. Your analogy is flawed and in this day and age being able to restrict anyone’s access to information, especially when they PAY for that service, is essentially an attack on liberty itself.
“If someone comes to your house acts like a total douche-bag and you want to get rid of that person would you also accept a “but its censorship”. ”
Ummmm…this is more like your landlord deciding who can come to your house that you’ve paid rent for, than you deciding for yourself. That’s what censorship is, someone else deciding what is acceptable for you because, well they can and they know better. Why would you give up the opportunity to choose for yourself? Is critical thought that taxing? Even if you do let someone else do your thinking for you, did you ask the other tenants in the building if they’ve decided to let the landlord choose for them too?
Could you please say it again but in Russian?
And I suppose next you’ll be saying that it’s up to the postal and courier services to open your parcels and decide whether or not they want to deliver to you certain news journals or political literature. And moreover that if they all adopt, in unison, a policy if restricting your access to third-party services, then that’ll be just dandy. How dismally short-sighted you are!
Good riddance to your terrible attitude. You will not be missed.
You’re a short-sighted fool who does not understand all the subtle implications of this.
fuck up.
Your argument is the most idiotic one I’ve read thus far. Allowing internet service providers to start blocking websites without a legal authority calling for the site to be blocked because of its content is a slippery slope from which there is no escape. What next, they block sites run by anti abortionists because of pictures they don’t like? Or perhaps a website that espouses a certain political viewpoint? Where does it stop? In the absence of a legal mandate to do otherwise, internet providers are supposed to act as dumb pipes regardless of the content.
Encyclopedia dramatica also blocked.
Here are a couple more that went down in NZ:
documentingreality.com
bestgore.com