Strong Verbs Are Just Better

Australians will be unable to opt-out of the government's pending Internet content filtering scheme, and will instead be placed on a watered-down blacklist, experts say.

Under the government's $125.8 million Plan for Cyber-Safety, users can switch between two blacklists which block content inappropriate for children, and a separate list which blocks illegal material.

Pundits say consumers have been lulled into believing the opt-out proviso would remove content filtering altogether.

Oh, and this will slow our already ridiculously slow browsing speed.

NO, no and no.

Firstly, I would kind of like my government to trust me not to do illegal things. If I do something illegal and they find me doing it, then we can have a fight about whether the thing ought to be illegal or not, but first up, I want to believe that I have a right to make my own damn choices and cop any resulting consequences.

Secondly, I'd like to know how they filter 'illegal material'. Because this will come down to LJ eventually. Will they filter individual posts? Entire comms? I should hope there would be enough upset to stop them filtering the entire site.

THIRDLY, what kind of illegal material will be filtered? Will someone make an executive decision as to whether fanfic constitutes an illegal copyright violation? Because I'd rather like to see that hashed out in a court, rather than implemented by a task force somewhere.

THIRDLY PART B: I assume 'illegal material' means child pornography. But I imagine it will mean that, first of all, erotic fanart will go. And then what about fic? There's fic out there involving certain underage fantasy characters which does fetishise them by age. It squicks me, so I don't read it. Can we say again: I'd like my government to trust me?
There's also a lot of fic out there about teenagers in which the author/reader is positioned as an equal within the framework of the story. Hell, there are sex scenes in actual YA lit which I'd give an MA rating if it were my fic: last I heard no one was calling Tomorrow When the War Began child porn.
This is somewhat complex reasoning. I'd like the right to exercise my reason and morality for myself, thank you. I don't want some government committee telling me my fic is immoral. And I don't want them telling me it's not, either. Because what it comes down to is this:

Even if it is immoral to be reading Harry Potter porn, no one is getting hurt. Even if it *were* squicky and fetished the characters by age, it's fiction. Until someone lays hands or eyes or ears on a living, breathing child, I firmly believe the government should have no right to take any action against them. It might be squicky. They might need serious mental help. It might be morally wrong. But until there's an actual child involved, it's a moral question. And I don't want to be living in a society where the government thinks it can regulate morality.

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Er. Hi, Dad. :D Hi, medieval blogosphere. *looks sideways*