Read what the Minister has said, and is saying, about internet filtering. They are not necessarily the same. So, what he says now may also not be true…keep up the pressure on him and the Rudd Government to ‘GET OUT OF PEOPLE’S MINDS : LEAVE THE INTERNET ALONE’
What Conroy says:
1. PEOPLE CAN OPT-OUT…December 2007, ABC:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/12/31/2129471.htm
Senator Conroy says anyone wanting uncensored access to the internet will have to opt out of the service.
2. PEOPLE CAN NOT OPT-OUT…July 2008, media release:
http://www.minister.dbcde.gov.au/media/media_releases/2008/060
“The Australian Government is committed to ensuring all Australian families can utilise ISP filters that block prohibited content as identified by the Australian Communications and Media Authority. Families should also be able to access filters that can be customised to block more material if they choose. (emphases added)
“The results in the ACMA trial were based on illegal and inappropriate content. The tests included filtering over and above simple black-list filtering, and the trial did not specifically test the impact of black-list filtering on its own.
“Filtering specifically against a black-list of illegal content as well as the ability to filter additional material will be one part of the upcoming pilot trial,” Senator Conroy said.
The ACMA report Closed Environment Testing of ISP-Level Internet Content Filtering can be accessed via the ACMA website: www.acma.gov.au
The report found:
- 2 (of 6 tested) filter products degraded the network by “in excess of 75%”
- blocking was less than 95% successful: that is, 1 in 20 sites was NOT blocked.
- about 3% (about 1 in 33 sites) was ‘overblocked’: that is, content was blocked that SHOULD NOT have been blocked
- filters being tested can ALSO block instant messages (SMS) and peer-to-peer products