A little off the topic...

I noticed today that the University of Melbourne has a former Prime Minister speaking soon as part of the Public Lecture series. OK, so this doesn't have anything to do with books or their banning, but is does have to do with privacy and freedom. And when thinking about things such as internet filters, is this nearly restricting access to things for our own protection? Hmmm.....where have I heard that before?

Taken from the flyer for the public lecture:

Should we have laws that protect our privacy? What would constitute a breach of privacy? How do we balance the ‘free speech and the need for a free media’ argument against an individual’s right not to be subjected to intrusions on their privacy by journalists, photographers, television crews, bloggers and social networkers? In his first public lecture at the University of Melbourne, former Prime Minister Paul Keating will provide his views on these important questions.

Admission is FREE. Bookings are ESSENTIAL.

To book please register at

www.unimelb.edu.au/public_lectures/

The Privacy Imperative in the Information Age Free for All
delivered by The former Prime Minister of Australia, The Honourable Paul Keating

Date: Wednesday 4 August 2010

This lecture will be streamed live on the night at live.unimelb.edu.au/

It may be a little off the topic, but it's still part of the bigger picture - freedom of speech. I thought it sounded interesting anyway. Check out the streamed lecture if you can't make it there in person.