I find it extremely disconcerting that this issue has gone as far as it has. This plan is riddled with both ethical and technical dilemas.
If, as the government claims, the aim is to stop child pornography the plan has failed before it has even begun; the internet is designed to bypass such blockages - just ask the Chinese or Iranian government. There are already countless numbers of offshore proxy sites and VPNs in place which will make getting past this filter a trivial task. Instead of taking the more effective route of educating parents about the filtering options available to them via free software the government has decided to impose it’s draconian views on the entire public in such a way that will both slow down the internet while failing at everything it hopes to achieve. Frankly, I find it an insult to the intelligence of the Australian public that the government thinks that parents are not capable of supervising their own children and their own private internet activity if they were to be provided with the adequate knowledge and the tools. There are already dozens of free filters avaiable for parents on the internet, one is even provided by the government I believe. These filters are just as effective, if not moreso, than the proposal whilst letting the parents decide the content they and their children are open to. This assertion that the governments sense of “morality” overides an individuals opinion regarding subjects such as euthanasia and abortion is absolutely atrocious. Sen. Conroy has failed to listen to listen to reason from both the ISPs and the technical community whilst repeating the same soundbites to the camera in hopes of avoiding all the real issues at hand.
The fact that this proposal will cost hundreds of millions of tax payer dollars whilst utterly failing at it’s purpose is reason enough alone to stop this farce.
Faxed from:
http://www.getup.org.au/campaign/SaveTheNet&id=727?dc=843,496103,1
No, I don’t expect a reply :P.
