ASIC pledges to block more sites under Telecommunications Act

The chairman of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) last week said the regulator would not “apologise” for using an obscure section of the Telecommunications Act 1979 (CTH) to block websites suspected of fraud, and stated that the organisation would continue to use the controversial power to block more sites, reports an article in delimeter.com.au.

Several weeks ago the Federal Government confirmed ASIC, the financial regulator, had started requiring Australian internet service providers to block websites suspected of providing fraudulent financial opportunities, in a move which appeared to also open the door for other government agencies to unilaterally block sites they deemed questionable in their own portfolios.

The move is based on the use of section 313 of the Telecommunications Act, which allows government agencies to ask ISPs for reasonable assistance in upholding the law, a mechanism which is also being used for the Government’s limited Interpol-based filter to block child abuse material, under the auspices of the Australian Federal Police.

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