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Submitted by Sandy on Tue, 19/05/2009 - 7:22pm
From memory Howard announced in 2001 (and again in 2007) that his Government would introduce a free internet filter available (and voluntary) for all Australian families. Having done a quick search for the filter, I can't find it anywhere on the web. Was it ever actually released? Or has the current Government taken it down in pre-emption of a more comprehensive filter being put in place?
Seems like Conroy has kept the more extreme elements of the previous Howard policy but ditched the more sensible voluntary part.
Yes, the Coalition did provide a free filtering software package called NetAlert which had very little adoption. Funding for NetAlert was removed last year, which is why you can no longer find it on the ACMA website.
I'm also wondering what research the Howard government had undertaken to ensure their NetAlert program was the most suitable way to filter harmful content.
That's bizarre... so Conroy is pursuing the harsher compulsory policy even though the voluntary one had such a small take up. Like Chris I've gotta wonder if people are really that concerned if they didn't feel the need previously. Even more bizarre is the fact that Conroy has scrapped the Government's voluntary censorship program!
Conroy's assertion was that the small take up was because it was voluntary, and that people would participate in a censorship scheme more fully if it was mandatory - I suppose that's technically right; if you make people do something, more of them will do it.
Is the fact that there was little take up on NetAlert an indication of the fact that the general public does not feel very strongly regarding the need to filter their internet?
According to the Department website the filters were no longer being provided through Net Alert from the end of 08 and tech support will not be provided for those with filters past 30 June 2010.
http://www.dbcde.gov.au/communications_for_consumers/funding_programs__a...
The government kept track of the number of downloads, and concluded that about less than 1% actually downloaded the filter. This is probably because that most families did not have any children in their households.
>Is the fact that there was little take up on NetAlert an
>indication of the fact that the general public does not
>feel very strongly regarding the need to filter their
>internet?
Yes but also that some parents decided that computer software (whether running on the PC or in the ISP) is not a very good substitute for parental supervision or for educating the little treasures.