Promoting And Protecting Digital Rights Since 1994
EFA is an independent non-profit association that relies on membership subscriptions and donations. If you’re concerned about digital rights in Australia, please join or donate today.
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Senator Quixote deserves to be told off
The Labor government’s plan to censor the Australian internet has entered the realm of farce. Despite scraping back into government by the barest of possible margins, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has returned without delay to trumpeting his doomed scheme to anybody that will listen. As we have said (for years, now) the filter will not help parents, nor will it help police crack down on illegal material. It’s a worst-of-all-worlds…
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AFP pushing for invasive data retention
ZDNet are reporting today that the Australian Federal Police are pushing the government to pursue aggressive mandatory data retention policies, forcing ISPs to collect information about your internet use and preserve it in case you are one day suspected of wrongdoing. The article quotes AFP assistant commissioner Neil Gaughan as saying that they are pushing the Attorney-General’s Department and other agencies to implement the new regime, the existence of which…
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A rising tide lifts all criminals
The Australian reported today on alarm by Federal police at the opportunities the NBN will provide to cyber-crooks. “The inherent risk of the NBN is that it could facilitate the continual growth and sophistication of online criminal syndicates’ ability to commit cyber offences against online systems due to the attractiveness of the increased speed,” they said in a submission to a Parliamentary enquiry. The problems with this line of reasoning…
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Independent's Day and the Censorwall
Only a few weeks ago, I wrote a blog post, “Is the filter really dead?” Since that post was written in what now seems a simpler and gentler bygone political age, an update may be in order. As of today, the ALP and the Coalition are neck-and-neck in numbers, and who forms the next Government will come down to winning the support of three of the four uncommitted independents. There…
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Are Ageing Aussies destined for the fast lane?
This afternoon Delimiter posted an article from Exetel’s CEO about Ageing Australia not being interested in seeing broadband speeds of up to 1Gbps. Here is an excerpt from the article: During the election campaign, Communications Minister Stephen Conroy revealed the NBN would support speeds of up to 1Gbps, instead of the 100Mbps initially planned — after NBN Co chief executive Mike Quigley informed him the upgrade would cost no extra. But in…
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How you shaped the Election
This election, online issues finally got the attention they deserve. And the situation is here to stay. I’m not talking about which party had the most Facebook followers or made the most gaffes on Twitter (Julia Gillard and Family First, respectively). Serious issues around internet governance and our internet future came into play, and by all accounts will continue to be significant as the situation plays out this week. The…
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What We Do
Policy
We actively monitor a number of policy areas and specific issues. The topics below provide a detailed view of EFA’s policy positions.
Copyright
Australia’s copyright laws are outdated, inflexible and not fit for the digital age. As such, EFA is a long-standing supporter of reform of Australia’s Copyright Act.
Privacy & Security
Privacy is fundamentally about consent and control over access to information, and goes hand-in-hand with security. Privacy is a human right.
Censorship
Adults should be able to make their own informed decisions about what content they create and consume.
Encryption
Access to encryption technologies is vital for individuals and groups to be able to safeguard the security and privacy of their information.
Internet Safety
Surveillance is not safety. Safety for whom, against what? This complex problem is more likely to be exacerbated, rather than solved, by measures that allow for unaccountable surveillance and the undermining of communications security.
Surveillance
EFA is committed to ensuring that Australian’s home life is not subject to arbitrary interference.