Matthew Ford

I would like to register my opposition to mandatory ISP filtering as proposed by Senator Conroy. As someone involved in the technology industry, as a parent, and as a defender of free speech and wary of government intrusion into privacy, I find this whole proposal repugnant and an example of ignorant, distracting grandstanding for political points. In short: 1) This will not fix any social problems that can not be better solved by vigilant parents and teachers. 2) It creates a dangerous false sense of security in the very guardians who should be vigilant about what their kids see on the Internet. 3) It will not work, and allow the worst material to still get through, and the most persistent kids to get around the filter. 4) It will slow down Internet performance and slow growth, which in Australia are already abysmal, to the detriment of the Australian economy. 5) It puts far too much power into the hands of government over a private issue which should be left to individuals, including parents. 6) Though one can "opt out" of the filter, this is a classic example of a chilling effect by a government which wants to impose its moral view on the citizens. At the very least, both levels of this filter should be opt *in*, to give parents another tool to guide their kids. 7) The filter will block far more material than advertised, and innocent and legal material will get caught in the net. If there were a proposal for the government to open and examine all postal mail, to make sure it contained no objectionable or illegal material, would we accept it? Of course not. The Internet, in my view, is no different. Needless to say I think dangerous material should remain illegal and odious material deserves to be spoken out against. But it does not follow that we must pursue this solution of ISP filtering of any kind. This is exactly the kind of nanny-state position that makes me inclined to vote Liberal instead of Labor.