[LINK] DBCDE wouldn’t agree to blind filter trial: iiNet

[Bernard Robertson-Dunn]

DBCDE wouldn’t agree to blind filter trial: iiNet
By Ry Crozier
25 March 2009 05:30AM
iTnews
http://www.itnews.com.au/News/99484,dbcde-wouldn%E2%80%99t-agree-to-blind-filter-trial-iinet.aspx

iiNet wanted to run a ‘blind’ trial of the Government’s net filters in 
which customers weren’t told who was being filtered and weren’t given 
the option to get out - terms Senator Conroy wouldn’t agree to, it has 
emerged.

Speaking to iTnews, iiNet's chief regulatory officer, Steve Dalby, said 
the ISP had put forward in negotiations with the Department of 
Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (DBCDE) that if 
customers knew they were being filtered, they were more likely to 
attribute any problems they were having with their connections to the 
filters.

This would likely skew the results of the trials, Dalby said.

He cited examples of several customers calling into iiNet's call centre 
already to complain the filters were slowing their connection speeds, 
even though the ISP isn't part of the trials.

Dalby said that iiNet had proposed a trial model where 50 per cent of 
users acted as a control group and the other 50 per cent had the filters 
applied to their connections.

"The technical aspects of our potential participation were agreed 
immediately," Dalby said.

"It was down to how we handled it, whether or not we provided customers 
with the option to switch it on or off, and whether or not we made 
customers aware they were part of a trial.

"You either tell everyone on trial or tell nobody and that's what we 
preferred but the Government was insistent that if we participated in 
the trials and we didn't tell our customers, they would announce it [for 
us].

"We couldn't feel comfortable with that. It was a gap [of opinion] that 
was unlikely to be resolved," Dalby said.

Dalby said the costs of developing an opt-out for the filtering 
technology - and the requirement to do so - made iiNet's participation 
unfeasible.

"It's a pretty crazy notion that if the filter becomes law it's planned 
to be mandatory but for the trial the DBCDE is encouraging us to build 
functionality that encourage users to switch it off," Dalby said.

"Why would you do that? That was really thing we butted heads with the 
Department on.

"They wanted the trials to be optional. We said that would cost us 
money, and take three months to develop. If its got to be optional for a 
six week build it just didn't add up."

Last week's leak of what is purported to be the ACMA blacklist also 
reinforced iiNet's opinion that the scheme in its current iteration is 
flawed.

"We were right - it's a secret blacklist that you can't talk to anyone 
about," Dalby said.

"It's a process that concerns us - people working in secret, not 
accountable to anyone and able to cause havoc by putting stuff on 
blacklists that the whole ISP community will block.

"Our business generates more than half of all new business leads off our 
website. It would be terrifying to think our website accidentally got on 
that blacklist. It would have incalculable impact on our business.

"That poor dentist. If we filter on that list without it being known 
he's on there, all of a sudden that guy is not getting any business."

Dalby, however, praised Senator Conroy and the DBCDE for being willing 
to negotiate iiNet's inclusion knowing the ISP only wanted to find fault 
with the trials.

"They were quite willing for us to participate along those lines," he said.

He also said the process had provided good information for the industry 
on how to deal with the Government, and vice versa.

Dalby called on Senator Conroy to bring the Internet industry together 
at the conclusion of the trials for a full debrief, to provide clarity 
on some of the muddier issues, and to nut out a filtering plan that is 
technically feasible and will meet the Government's objectives.

"I think there's an opportunity to get the Government and industry into 
a room, share the debrief get some clarity around their objectives, and 
then say how are we going to move forward and do this," Dalby said.

-- 
 
Regards
brd

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