The Great Firewall of Australia...

This was posted in a mailing list I belong to, and was from another mailing list, where someone explains with great cogency just why it is impossible to censor the internet via a filter, like our esteemed Govt wishes to do.




For those of us who are having difficulties explaining this to
non-technical friends/colleagues, try using this analogy which has
worked for me:

Installing an internet filter is like the government posting security
guards outside every newsagent in the country.

If you want a newspaper or magazine, rather than walk into the agency
and pick one from the shelves you have to ask the guard to get it for you.

But before the guard gives you the newspaper he sits downs and slowly
reads through each and every article noting down key words in each one.

As the guard starts doing this you notice 5 people forming a small queue
behind you.

The guard finds on page 17 an article about a missing child in the UK.
He writes down the word “child”.

There are now 13 people in the queue behind you.

On page 19 the guard finds a small article about the recent elections in
Italy. The reporter makes some comical and titillating comments of the
state of the Italian electoral system and the fact they have elected
another former porn star.
The guard writes down the word “porn”.

There are now over 30 people in the queue behind you.

At this point he guard notices in the hundreds of words he has written
down the word “child” and shortly thereafter the word “porn”. He returns
the newspaper back to the shelves and walks back towards you.

There are now over 50 people behind you in the queue.

The guard then informs you that the newspaper no longer exists and
forces you out of the queue, much to your confusion.

As you stand there wondering what just happened, you notice that the
queue is now out onto the main road blocking traffic and that someone
using the side entrance to the newsagent has just bought a copy of the
newspaper you were told does not exist.

The Great Firewall of Australia...

This was posted in a mailing list I belong to, and was from another mailing list, where someone explains with great cogency just why it is impossible to censor the internet via a filter, like our esteemed Govt wishes to do.




For those of us who are having difficulties explaining this to
non-technical friends/colleagues, try using this analogy which has
worked for me:

Installing an internet filter is like the government posting security
guards outside every newsagent in the country.

If you want a newspaper or magazine, rather than walk into the agency
and pick one from the shelves you have to ask the guard to get it for you.

But before the guard gives you the newspaper he sits downs and slowly
reads through each and every article noting down key words in each one.

As the guard starts doing this you notice 5 people forming a small queue
behind you.

The guard finds on page 17 an article about a missing child in the UK.
He writes down the word “child”.

There are now 13 people in the queue behind you.

On page 19 the guard finds a small article about the recent elections in
Italy. The reporter makes some comical and titillating comments of the
state of the Italian electoral system and the fact they have elected
another former porn star.
The guard writes down the word “porn”.

There are now over 30 people in the queue behind you.

At this point he guard notices in the hundreds of words he has written
down the word “child” and shortly thereafter the word “porn”. He returns
the newspaper back to the shelves and walks back towards you.

There are now over 50 people behind you in the queue.

The guard then informs you that the newspaper no longer exists and
forces you out of the queue, much to your confusion.

As you stand there wondering what just happened, you notice that the
queue is now out onto the main road blocking traffic and that someone
using the side entrance to the newsagent has just bought a copy of the
newspaper you were told does not exist.