Net filtering a $33m waste: child groups
<http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,25756003-15306,00.html>
Fran Foo | July 09, 2009
CHILD rights groups have come out in force to criticise the Rudd Labor
government's controversial plan to censor the internet, saying the scheme
will divert around $33 million away from more effective ways of tackling
online child pornography.
In a joint statement with lobby group GetUp, both Save the Children
Australia and the National Children's & Youth Law Centre believe the
resources could be better spent on law enforcement agencies battling to
eradicate child pornography on the internet.
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Joint Statement on Internet Censorship
<http://www.cla.asn.au/0805/index.php/articles/2009/active-anti-censorship-c
ampaign-starts>
We oppose the Government's plan to censor the internet through mandatory
ISP-level internet filtering technology.
While we wholly support measures that effectively prevent the distribution
of material refused classification under laws that properly respect free
speech, this proposed filter does not meet that aim.
The proposed filter fails to meet the test of an effective child protection
measure that respects the rights of children. Mandatory internet filtering
curtails our human rights without offering any effective protection for
children.
The proposed scheme will also block a range of material that it is perfectly
legal to view both online and offline. It will be shrouded in secrecy: there
will be no effective oversight of the secret blacklist of banned material.
The content to be blocked is currently sites that are 'refused
classification'; it could easily and covertly be expanded to include any
material that a Federal Government wishes to suppress.
Any limits on the rights and freedoms of Australians must be accompanied by
rigorous transparency and scrutiny; this proposed system does not allow for
either.
The filter will be easily circumvented by those with even a basic
understanding of information technology or the content providers. It will
also miss the vast majority of unwanted content, normally shared using email
or file-sharing networks - not through web traffic.
We argue that the tens of millions of dollars that such a scheme will cost
should instead be diverted to appropriate child protection authorities and
police to prevent the abuse of children, and towards effective
community-based education strategies that give children and parents the
skills to protect themselves.
Further, PC-level filtering software should be promoted to and provided to
parents that wish to protect their children from inappropriate internet
content.
No other Western democracy has mandatory ISP-level internet filtering.
Australians should not have to sacrifice their freedoms to make Australia a
world-leader in ineffective Internet censorship.
Australian Library and Information Association
Civil Liberties Australia
Dr Alex Byrne FALIA, University Librarian, UTS
GetUp!
Liberty Victoria
National Association for the Visual Arts
National Children's & Youth Law Centre
NSW Council for Civil Liberties
QLD Council for Civil Liberties
Save the Children
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Mark Perkins MLIS, MCLIP
www.markperkins.info
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