[LINK] EFA decries money wasted on Internet Filtering, launches NoCleanFeed.com
Michael Meloni
mike at somebodythinkofthechildren.com
Thu May 15 11:26:02 AEST 2008
EFA released this PR this morning:
EFA decries money wasted on Internet Filtering
http://www.efa.org.au/2008/05/15/efa-decries-money-wasted-on-internet-filtering/
Thu 15-May-2008
Electronic Frontiers Australia (EFA) today expressed its disappointment
at the Federal Government’s decision to fund its mandatory “clean-feed”
Internet in the 2008-09 federal budget.
“At a time when the Government is cutting services to fight inflation,
it’s bewildering that they would decide to spend tens of millions of
taxpayer dollars on a filter before feasibility trials are even
complete,” said EFA spokesman Colin Jacobs. “Given the manifest
impracticality of the clean-feed scheme, I’m sure this money could have
been put to much better use,” he added.
The 2008-09 budget allocates $24.3 million to the Government’s
“cyber-safety” initiative, with the number to rise to $51.4m in the
2009-10 financial year. A media release from the Communications
Minister, Senator Stephen Conroy, confirmed that the clean-feed remains
a budgetary priority for the Government. Some funding will come from the
Government’s now-defunct NetAlert filter scheme, which made PC-based
software filters available for free to all Australian homes. “Funding
will be redirected to support ISPs making available a filtered internet
service, or ‘clean feed’, to all homes, schools and public internet
points accessible to children,” said the Minister.
“Australians are very uncomfortable with the idea of having the
Government decide what’s appropriate for them and their families,” said
Jacobs. “In fact, in a survey of 18,000 Internet users, only 13% agreed
with the policy. That’s why we feel it is a shame, when the Government
has identified real needs for better education and policing, that their
approach to Internet policy is so skewed towards the filter initiative.
There are greater risks to Australian children online, and real steps
can be taken to mitigate these risks. That’s where the funding should be
going.”
The Minister’s announcement will undoubtedly rekindle concerns amongst
the Internet industry about the priority the national filter has been
given, and the effect this will have on data services in Australia. EFA
has launched a web site to highlight the concerns and educate Internet
users about the Government’s plans, at http://nocleanfeed.com.
– Ends –
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Michael Meloni
http://www.somebodythinkofthechildren.com
http://www.netalarmed.com
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