Australian Computer Society (ACS) - Community Affairs Board (CAB) - Economic, Legal and Social Implications Committee (ELSIC) - Regulation of the internet page

This page is at:
http://www.acs.org.au/boards/cab/regulation.html

Table of contents

• Introduction

• Broad principles the ACS CAB ELSIC supports on the issue of regulation of the internet

• Some submissions and related material that the ACS CAB ELSIC and related bodies have made on the issue of regulation of the internet

• Some other relevant information sources

• Feedback

• Disclaimer

• The ACS CAB ELSIC is a strong supporter of the principle of freedom of speech.

• Any regulation of the internet should be no stronger than that of analogous media. For example, in relation to the Web, production and distribution of books, and in relation to e-mail, the writing of letters and use of the mail system.

• Any regulation of the internet should generally focus on the producer of the material, rather than the distributor of the material. This is in a context where Internet Service Providers are normally not aware of the nature of almost all the material they distribute, just as, for example, the postal service is normally not aware of nature of almost all the mail it distributes.

• Any proposals for regulation should take account of the specific characteristics of the internet, in particular that it is difficult to prevent access to information on the internet, and that attempts to use blocking technologies may be ineffective, and result in unintended detrimental consequences.

• Any proposals to regulate the internet should normally be implemented only after international discussion, and ideally, agreement.

• Parents and other custodians of children should be given access to tools which can assist them in controlling access to the internet by children they are responsible for, rather than governments attempting to re-design the internet so that all the material on it is suitable for persons of any age.

• 1999-11-18 - ACS Media release - 'ABA Approach to Internet Age Verification is Inconsistent and Unrealistic, Says ACS'

• 1999-05-12 - the ACS - The Australian column, 'Well-meant Bill Won't Work', 12 May 1999 at:
  http://www.acs.org.au/news/oz110599.htm

• 1999-04-29 - MEDIA RELEASE, 'ACS Urges Caution on Legislation to Manage Internet Content', 29 April 1999 at:
  http://www.acs.org.au/news/intupdat.htm
  This media release provides summary information on a submission presented by Andrew Freeman and Tom Worthington at the the Senate Committee on Information Technology on the evening of 28 April 1999. The submission is at: http://www.acs.org.au/boards/cab/elsic/regulation-1999-04-senate.html

• 1999-04-28 - On the evening of 28 April 1999, the ACS presented a submission to the Senate Committee on Information Technology (SCIT). The draft Hansard in relation to that hearing is about 131,000 bytes in size, is in pdf format, and is available from:
  http://www.aph.gov.au/hansard/senate/commttee/s-it.htm
  or more directly from:
  http://www.aph.gov.au/hansard/senate/commttee/s2279.pdf

• 1999-04-26 - SENATE COMMITTEE SUBMISSION, ACS CAB ELSIC - Submission to the Senate Committee on Information Technology on regulation of the Internet, 26 April 1999.

• 1999-04-23 - MEDIA RELEASE, 'ACS welcomes government legislation to manage internet content', 23 April 1999 at:
  http://www.acs.org.au/news/argyint.htm
  This media release supports a number of the broad intentions, as understood by the ACS, of proposed legislation relating to the internet, but raises concerns about the legislation as well.

• 1997-06-29 - MEDIA RELEASE, "Wake Up to 'Net Benefits, ACS Tells Legislators", 29 June 1997 at:
  http://www.acs.org.au/news/netfocus.htm

• 1997-04-28 - ACS Community Affairs Board submission, 28 April 1997 to the Senate Select Committee on Community Standards' Inquiry into Computer On-line Services - Part 3 at:
  http://www.msj.com.au/ELSIC/submissionpt3.html

• 1996-06-14 - An Open Letter to the Commonwealth and State Attorneys General, From: The President of the Australian Computer Society (ACS), 14 June 1996 at:
  http://www.acs.org.au/news/newsjn21.htm

• 1996-02-17 - Investigation into the content of on-line services - Submission by ELSIC of the CAB of the ACS Inc. to the Australian Boardcasting Authority - Discussion draft version 2.0 at:
  http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/II/ABAACSSubmn2.0

• 1995-03-30 - Submission on the Regulation of Bulletin Board Systems, Australian Computer Society and Electronic Frontier's Australia to the Select Committee on Community Standards Relevant to the Supply of Services Utilising Electronic Technologies, 30 March 1995 at:
  http://www.tomw.net.au/sensub1.html