Internet Censorship in AU, Black Hat/Defcon

I have had a sudden drop off posts this past month, owing to a combination of factors. Firstly I was flat chat finishing a unit in my Masters, then it was the inevitable burnout of posting + study + full time work and other commitments. I needed a break to re-invigorate myself.

With that said and done, there's two things I want to post about:

1) Internet Censorship in Australia
What is the current status? Well, with the impending Federal election, this politically touchy topic has been put on hold. Yes, while Conroy has publicly backed down, it is important to realise that this topic is NOT DEAD. Labour STILL want to roll out the policy. Also, where is the Coalition on this policy? Strangely enough they aren't saying a hell of a lot either. Now you have to ask yourself "why would the Liberal Party remain relatively silent on this issue?" The obvious answer is that they want to roll out this policy too but they don't want to publicly say it. I hope the public continue to apply pressure on Tony Abbott and ask him questions publicly and grill him on this offensive policy.

The only political party with a truly vested interest in truly eliminating this policy is the Australian Sex Party. While I don't want to use this blog as a political platform, its pretty clear that the Australian Sex Party cannot support such a policy without offending its entire constituency and gutting its support base.

I encourage anyone who actually cares about this election to really research the policies of the political parties out there and vote for the party you believe will best represent your interests.


2) Black Hat USA 2010/ Defcon 18
I will be attending Black Hat USA and Defcon in Las Vegas this year. This will be my first time attending the conference, I'm keen to learn from the industry's best and brightest as well as network with people and generally just have a good time. Regrettably, I'll probably have to work on my assignments for my MBA as well but hey, thems the breaks.

When I get back I'll be sure to provide a post or two about what happened at Black Hat, takeaway observations, lessons and trends.

I'll make a more concerted effort to post more frequently.

cheers,

- J.