http://www.news.com.au/sundaytelegraph/story/0,,22304224-5005941,00.html

Student cracks Government's $84m porn filter

A MELBOURNE schoolboy has cracked the Federal Government's new $84 million internet porn filter in minutes.

Tom Wood, 16, said it took him just over 30 minutes to bypass the Government's filter, released on Tuesday.

Tom, a year 10 student at a southeast Melbourne private school, showed the Herald Sun how to deactivate the filter in a handful of clicks...

Article really only contains what most people with an ounce of internet savvyness expected. However, I was quite impressed by the way the guy handled himself. He didnt fall into the trap of saying that filtering was stupid, offered the smart alternative and nicely put the obligatory 'waste of money' comment.

I just cant begin to understand how the government can waste so much money. I dont just mean buying software for everyone but how can you possibly spend so much money to deliver a peice of internet software? If you are filtering the net then it means you have access to downloading the software. If you have internet it means you have money which means you have a tax file number which could act like a password for Australians, limiting who can download the software. (whether or not that is even important is another issue :P)

Anyway, surprise - it was cracked and a family first MP said that ISPs need to censor out internet.

I am now interested in getting the software just to see how easy it is to crack but the thought of installing it makes me feel dirty. Im imagining a starforce-esque side effect on something this stupid.

Yes, this is a really big deal, going to be doing a news post about it later

I want it sent out on to me.

I don't really see what the big deal is. If you are a kiddie and you sneak out at night and get busted, you are grounded. If you disable the free internet filter you are grounded. I much prefer even a one hundred billion dollar free internet filter for every pc in australia, anything at all to keep them happy enough to not mandate filtering upstream of my home.

Headline should be: Wood cracked for porn

^^^^
ahahahahaha

meh who really gives a s*** if kids can look at porn or what not ffs i mean really is it really that big a deal if they see some punani before they are 18. f*** most kids are having sex at 15 these days anyway so how is looking at some porn going to make it any better.

f*** most kids are having sex at 15 these days anyway so how is looking at some porn going to make it any better.

Though, hate to stereotype, but how many of those 15 year olds having sex would also be in the same group as those with the technical savvyness to be able to get around these filters (no matter how simple or stupid they are)?

Frankly this is just authoritarian a****** pollies trying to push their moral beliefs onto us. It's just that if they use the "only for minors" excuse, people will somewhat agree. How long until it becomes a mandatory filter though for all connections?

Guess we really aren't that different to China.

Frankly this is just authoritarian a****** pollies trying to push their moral beliefs onto us.

No it's not mate, this is choice. You have the choice to install a free government internet filter if you want to.

When it's mandatory, and they are arresting people that bypass it, then it's authoritarian. Sure you can complain about wasted tax dollars, but in my view it's a small price to pay to still have the choice to use uncensored internet.

How long until it becomes a mandatory filter though for all connections?

Then everyone with wireless routers will set them up to work as one giant router and we'll create our own awesome internet just for porn.

Can't stop the signal Mal. They can never stop the signal.

The Onion Router is one example of a technology that trivializes this (and pretty much any other) filter.

At work we block 4 times the number of anon proxy, and other loopholes then we do porn.