[AusNOG] Confirmation of govt blackholing. Was: Re: Understanding lack of Aus connectivity to melbournefreeuniversity.org.

[Heinz N]

> We need to pull our heads out of our asses and start asserting our rights,
> otherwise we may well end up with red underpants on our heads.  It is we,
> the members of this list, that control the Internet in this country.  Not
> Conroy, not ASIC; us.  We hold the figurative keys to almost every major
> network in Australia, and at least one International path.  There is no
> 'internet kill switch' until we bend over and build one, no blocking until
> we implement it.  We have incredible power, both individually and
> collectively. We are the gatekeepers; I suggest that we start acting
> accordingly.
[snip]

While most people on this list would understand *exactly* what is going on 
(and are outraged by it and agree with the comments), we live in a real 
world with laws. There are people who don't even know how to use email! (I 
have some as clients) It is people like them that get elected to make 
brain dead decisions and turn them into laws that people with guns 
enforce. These same people don't know what a DNS or IP address is. They 
just got some fat old overpaid consultant to produce some large 
unintelligable report that they then immediately misinterpreted and now 
think they understand this new fangled internet thingy.

To say that one would expect any worker to in the industry to stand up to 
the AFP (or other govt dept) when they are enforcing some brain dead law 
is not reasonable. The only thing you can do (as I try to do) is educate 
your clients (and bosses) about privacy, freedom and the real need for 
plausible deniability built into all their procedures. Corporates do 
understand C.Y.A. Also, access to good legal advice is essential.

I am sure that if John Linton (co-founder) of Exetel were still alive, he 
would not have just rolled over to ridiculous requests and would have told 
them where to go (like apparently TPG did). Like it or not, it is the guys 
in the top floor offices that we all have to try to educate. It is THEM 
that have to push back because they understand the gradual erosion that is 
happening by stealth and have the power to act. The average worker 
doesn't.

Regards,
Heinz N.