Verdict: The iPhone deservedly takes it. John Mahoney
Federal Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has announced that he will introduce legislation to force Internet Service Providers to block a secret blacklist of banned websites for all Australians. The announcement follows a government-commissioned trial that found that filtering a blacklist of banned sites is an appropriate measure that will not slow down the Internet. The legislation is expected to be introduced before the next election, probably in early 2010.
Enex Testlab, the company that conducted the trial, claims that the filtering process “can be done with 100 per cent accuracy and negligible impact on internet speed”. The test results can be viewed here. Senator Conroy adds “most Australians acknowledge that there is ome Internet material which is not acceptable in any civilised society”.
Senator Conroy did not elaborate on how the filter would work in spite of clear flaws during the trial and opposition from both the industry and public. In March this year, the secret blacklist was leaked and revealed that on top of objectionable sites that depict paedophilia, the list banned many legitimate sites about religion, online poker, euthanasia, run-of-the-mill straight and gay pornographic sites, various Youtube links and a Queensland dentist. Of principle concern here is whether or not the list is being used to broaden so-called anti-sedition and other ‘thought police’ on the Internet; and whether or not those who are wrongly added to the list have any avenue of appeal. That said, Senator Conroy is accepting public consultation with a view to releasing a discussion paper in future.JOIN THE POPSCI AU FACEBOOK GROUP
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