Rory

I can understand the fact that some citizens of Australia may want the government to produce some method so that their children do not unintentionally stumble upon certain unwanted internet sites (of which I agree there is many). But frankly, this should not be levied at an ISP level, and hence at every internet user in Australia is not just technically stupid (to be frank with the departmental staffers reading this), but also the antithesis of democracy.

On the technical side, we all know it will slow the end user internet experience, in direct defiance of the millions (probably billions) to be spent on the NBN. I won't go so far to use the oft quoted 75% slow down figure but I would easily expect ~30% experience with other ISP filtering services.

Any internet savvy end user will be able to bypass the filter with ease with the use of proxies, and if the governent wish to block this than serious issue of privacy are too be raised as well. Which brings me to the filter's supposed potential for blocking illegal activites. If one normal everyday internet user can work around the filter, then any criminal using the internet for nefarious means will also be able to easily circumvent the filter.

From my understanding of the detestful trading of child pornograhpy (which I despise to the upmost degree) and the trading of bank details etc, most of it occurs on peer to peer networks, FTP servers and VPNs, to which a filter as proposed could do nothing to stop.

More important than this however is the blight this decision is putting on Australia's democracy. There is no need to censor the internet I view because (for simple purposes of example) 30% of Australia don't want to view a page. 30% of Australia may not want to move to the Northern Territory, but we don't simply censor the NT.If people want internet filtering provide them with a working, updated and strong end user internet filter.