Australian eDemocracy
SA Govt backdown on new Internet law
South Australia’s Attorney General, Michael Atkinson, has announced that he will repeal a law that would have required any person posting a comment online during an election period to publish their real name and postcode.
Government launches controversial schools website
Deputy Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, today launched the government’s information website on Australian schools, MySchool.org.au. However, the site’s launch has been overshadowed by technical problems, with the site crashing only hours after its official launch due to the huge number of people trying to logon to the site. The Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority, which developed the site, managed to get the site back online later in the morning.
The Great Australian Internet Blackout
To protest against the Federal Government’s proposed Internet filter, hundreds of websites have been “blacked out” this week as part of the Great Australian Internet Blackout.
New book: eGovernment of Tomorrow
The Swedish Government agency for Innovation Systems (Vinnova) has released a new book called eGovernment of Tomorrow, which outlines four scenarios of how eGovernment may develop to 2020. Their point of departure is the future of public participation and trust in government and society at large.
Hillary Clinton: Internet 'new nervous system for the planet'
US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, has delivered a speech on Internet freedom in Washington DC, highlighting the role of the Internet in global communications, describing it as a "new nervous system for the planet", which allows us to be "connected in ways we weren’t a generation ago".