Yesterday the new federal agency for telephones, TV, and computers announced it was partnering with five ISPs (two of them in Perth!) to hunt down computers infested with viruses and spyware in the hope of putting a dent in spam mailouts and DDoSes.

Could this be the first ever example of the Howard government implementing well-thought-out policy towards the Internet? Alas, no. The press release quotes ACMA’s head bureaucrat rattling off a line that was clearly prepared by a junior aide, and it doesn’t even quote the Minister who launched the initiative. So I suspect this is probably just good thinking on the part of someone buried deep down, and not something the fat cats can claim credit for.

If it works out, woohoo! Finally some solid regulatory action to deal with spam. And if not … well I probably won’t notice, since I’m spending the next week bunkered down to fend off those other zombies that spring forth from exams.