J Goodall

Hi. I design internet filtering systems. If your children have used the Internet at school in the last five years, there's a better than even chance they've been filtered by software I've either designed or helped design. I can tell you unequivocally that categorically that such systems are 100% ineffective at preventing undesirables from sharing illicit material.

The level of technical knowledge and ability required to bypass centralised filters is minimal, and it would take less than a day to develop a foolproof how-to guide that anyone could use. I know this; the technical people that advise the Senator know this. I would be surprised if the Senator does not know this. Even more comically, business connections would not be filtered: so all your friendly neighbourhood pervert need do is register an ABN and away he goes. The effective level of protection offered by the so-called "clean feed" is minimal.

If the Senator were serious about protecting young Internet users, he'd sponsor a programme of subsidising software for parents to use on home computers. That's far, far more effective than central filtering, and comes without any of the howls of protest at the implied loss of civil liberties inevitable in any Government-run blacklist.