Australia is set to become one of toughest internet regulators in the world as it moves ahead with a plan to block "offensive" websites.

Legislation to be introduced in 2010 will require internet service providers to block "refused classification" content hosted on overseas servers. A press release touting the plan is titled "Measures to improve safety of the internet for families."

The internet filter is raising the question of who gets to decide exactly what is "offensive."

According to Australia's classification laws, websites may be given a "refused classification" rating if they are found to be offensive to "reasonable adults." Critics say the filter will mistakenly target legal as well as illegal sites.

An early version of Australia's internet blacklist leaked in March. It contained "online poker sites, YouTube links, regular gay and straight porn sites, Wikipedia entries, euthanasia sites, websites of fringe religions such as satanic sites, fetish sites, Christian sites, the website of a tour operator and even a Queensland dentist."

Electronic Frontiers Australia is leading an online action campaign against the proposed internet censorship. Check out NoCleanFeed.com for more info.

EFA notes a number of concerns with the censorship proposal:

• Only illegal material published on websites could be targeted, completely missing other methods of distribution such as BitTorrent.
• Any determined user - including children - could bypass the filter quickly using an anonymizer service, open proxy or VPN connection.
• How far will the list go, now and in future? Will it filter out material on sexual health, drug use, terrorism... even breastfeeding? Euthanasia and anorexia have been touted by Government MPs as topics worthy of filtering.

"Even if it worked the filter would be terrible policy," says EFA. "By censoring the entire country's internet access down to the level of a child of indeterminate age, it robs Australian adults of ability to make their own decisions about what content they view."

There have also been reports that the Conroy held meetings with the Australian Christian Lobby to discuss the internet filter.   

Sound familiar? This year, Canada's Conservative government has introduced three bills that would increase police surveillance of internet use.