The Greens are alarmed that Australia has joined South Korea in being placed under surveillance for imposing anti-democratic internet restrictions, in a Reporters without Borders audit of online democracy.

Reporters without Borders identifies ‘12 enemies of the internet' including Burma and China. A further 10 countries - including Australia - are being placed under surveillance for adopting worrying measures that could open the way for abuses of power and control of information.

"This report demolishes the Communication Minister's contention that Australia is just following other comparable democracies. We are not. The Government is embarking on a deeply unpopular and troubling experiment to fine-tune its ability to censor the internet," said the Australian Greens Communications Spokesperson, Senator Scott Ludlam.

"I agree with Reporters without Borders - if you consider this kind of net censorship in the context of Australia's anti-terror laws, it paints a disturbing picture indeed."

The report is available online at: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=30543