australian

Washington joins Google and Yahoo! in opposing Australia’s web censorship

The Australian government’s controversial plan to censor offensive material has received more high-profile criticism in the United States, with the US government joining internet giants Google and Yahoo! in publicly announcing its opposition to the plan. The proposal by Australian communications minister Stephen Conroy has yet to face parliament scrutiny. It proposes a country-wide internet filter that will force service providers to block access to material deemed offensive, ranging from child pornography to websites providing details of how to carry out criminal activities. The Telegraph reports that this proposal has already faced criticism over the breadth of its scope, which could see legitimate websites being accidentally blocked - such as media organisations reporting on criminal activity or websites providing vital legal information on issues such as abortion, drug addiction or euthanasia. Meanwhile, other parties are more concerned with the restrictions it will place on internet freedom. The US government is a strong supporter of online freedom and has previously criticised the Chinese government’s strict internet censorship laws . Some critics have stated that, if Australia’s plan goes ahead, it will see the nation’s regulations become as strict as those of China, causing natural concern for Washington. US State Department spokesperson, Michael Train, explained the government’s position: “Our main message of course is that we remain committed to advancing the free flow of information which we view as vital to economic prosperity and preserving open societies globally

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Washington joins Google and Yahoo! in opposing Australia’s web censorship

australian

Australian newspapers hit back at Google’s Real Estate service

A recent enhancement to Google’s mapping service has landed the search engine in hot water with Australian newspapers. Last month, the Mountain View giant announced that Google Maps would list hot property with a real estate feature providing aggregated listings of estate agents and publishers. The initiative was rolled out for testing in Australia, but now two of the country’s biggest newspaper groups are threatening to boycott Google as a result

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Australian newspapers hit back at Google’s Real Estate service