[LINK] Web filter debate descends into slanging match at Kickstart Forum 2009

[Bernard Robertson-Dunn]

Web filter debate descends into slanging match at Kickstart Forum 2009
By Chloe Lake, Technology Editor
NEWS.com.au
February 24, 2009 03:45pm
http://www.news.com.au/technology/story/0,28348,25100456-5014239,00.html

DELEGATES at a major technology conference were left slack-jawed and 
embarrassed after debate over the Government's proposed web filtering 
system descended into a public slanging match.

Discussion of the plan got personal when filtering advocate Bernadette 
McMenamin, chief executive officer of Child Wise, took part in a debate 
in front of a room full of technology journalists and professionals from 
Australia and New Zealand at the Kickstart Conference on the Gold Coast 
this week.

Ms McMenamin accused filtering opponents of spreading "hysteria" – a 
reaction that drew a hostile response from the room.

"Yes, there's been an awful lot of vitriol, there's been an awful lot of 
misinformation, and certainly I think there's been an awful lot of 
hysteria, and most of that hysteria is not coming from the child 
protection advocates, but it's coming from all these anonymous bloggers 
and people that write to you and just call you every name under the sun, 
and it's not helpful," she said.

"I certainly don't spend my day in, day out, lobbying and attacking the 
opponents of the filtering," she said.

"I think there's probably only a few hundred of you in this country, 
you're vigorous, you're loud, you're technologically smart, but I still 
believe that filtering is something we should trial and then leave it up 
to the public to make that decision."

An anti-filtering petition hosted by online advocacy group GetUp! titled 
"Save The Net" has been signed by almost 100,000 people.

"I don't know why people are so afraid of the trials if you think 
they're going to be completely ineffective," Ms McMenamin said.

Her comments were slammed by internet service provider (ISP) expert Mark 
Newton, who said the Government's current trial filtering system was 
vulnerable to circumvention, reverse-engineering and even blacklist leaks.

"I think we all agree it won't work, and the blacklist will become 
public once this thing goes into production, if not earlier," he said.

"If its contents are as bad as the Minister (of Communications) says, 
we'll have an anonymously-published official list of child pornography 
sites and no official means of preventing people from exploiting it.

"Does that sound like a good idea Bernadette, does that sound like 
something you want your name to be associated with?"

Under the Government's plan, all Australian internet providers will be 
forced to block a secret blacklist of websites maintained by the media 
watchdog.

A secondary filter will be created to block material inappropriate for 
children, but users will be allowed to opt-out of this tier.

One journalist got so upset he entered into a new debate with Ms McMenamin.

"(Senator Stephen) Conroy himself said that anyone who disagrees with 
this policy is a supporter of child molestation," he said. "That is so 
insulting to disregard everyone with a family who works in tech in this 
country. Why do you think we've all got our backs up? I've got a 
six-year-old son and he's the most important thing in my whole world. 
You say you're not a technical expert, you say you've got an open mind – 
maybe you should start listening to all the technical experts who are 
saying it won't work to the point of being stupid. Maybe you should 
start listening to them so you can have an open mind."

Ms McMenamin responded by saying she doesn't speak for Senator Conroy, 
and she was "disappointed that you think like that, because I didn't 
accuse you of being child molesters".

But both sides of the debate agreed an effective filter system – not 
necessarily the current one about to be tested – could help solve the 
issue of child pornography.

Ms McMenamin's argument relies heavily on evidence of Swedish and 
Norwegian filter trials.

A web filtering system in Sweden blocked 15,000 requests in its first 
few weeks of operating, Ms McMenamin wrote in The Australian recently.

Despite the personal arguments, Mr Newton said the acrimony needed to 
stop before any progress can be made.

"Proponents of the scheme need to stop treating opponents as if they're 
somehow disinterested in the welfare of children," he said. "We are not, 
it is ridiculous and frankly juvenile to suggest that political 
opponents have faulty morals or support child molesters."

Yet Ms McMenamin cried foul on similar name-calling from the filter 
critics. "I think it's really incredibly arrogant to call people and 
those who support internet filtering stupid and the scheme stupid, and 
it's a very simplistic approach to something that is in discussion by a 
lot of different people," she said, later adding that critics seemed to 
be focused on the business, not human, impact. In all the debates, 
you're not thinking about the children, you're thinking about the 
internet, you're thinking about the profits, you're thinking about the 
slowdown, you're thinking about technology – so, yes, it is up to some 
of us to think about the children."

Mr Newton said he supported a different form of filtering outlined in 
the SageAU proposal.

"I think providing government resources to enable the private sector to 
contribute to a solution that parents who think it's important can 
opt-in to is probably a good idea. And I don't think anybody would 
actually be against that, although people who are against the scheme are 
often portrayed as extremists. There's no suggestion that the opponents 
of the current scheme are actually opposed to optional filtering."

-- 
 
Regards
brd

Bernard Robertson-Dunn
Canberra Australia
brd at iimetro.com.au