CRY WITH US:
Measures to improve safety of the internet for families
The Australian Government today announced further details of its approach to improve safety on the internet for Australian families.
The Government’s approach to cyber-safety has been informed by the Government’s trial of internet filtering and extensive industry feedback about the most appropriate way to improve safety online.
The cyber-safety measures announced today include:
1. Introduction of mandatory ISP-level filtering of Refused Classification (RC) –rated content.
2. A grants program to encourage the introduction of optional filtering by Internet Service Providers, to block additional content as requested by households.
3. An expansion of the cyber-safety outreach program run by the Australian Communications and Media Authority and the Cyber-Safety Online Helpline – to improve education and awareness of online safety.
The Government is also introducing new transparency measures to ensure the public can have absolute confidence in the process for material being placed on the RC Content list.
The Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, released publicly the Enex Test Laboratory report into the pilot trial of Internet Service Provider (ISP)-level filtering.
“We welcome the constructive input of Australia’s four largest ISPs – Telstra, Optus, iiNet and Primus. These companies came forward to help inform the Government’s approach. Between them these ISPs account for more than 80% of internet users in Australia,” Senator Conroy said.
“The Government has always maintained there is no silver bullet solution to cyber-safety. That is why we have established a comprehensive range of cyber-safety measures, including funding for 91 additional online Australian Federal Police officers and education.”
“Through a combination of additional resources for education and awareness, mandatory internet filtering of RC-rated content, and optional ISP-level filtering, we have a package that balances safety for families and the benefits of the digital revolution.”
ISP-level filtering
The Government will introduce legislative amendments to the Broadcasting Services Act to require all ISPs to block RC-rated material hosted on overseas servers.
RC-rated material includes child sex abuse content, bestiality, sexual violence including rape, and the detailed instruction of crime or drug use. Under the National Classification Scheme and related enforcement legislation it is already illegal to distribute, sell or make available for hire RC-rated films, computer games and publications.
This material is currently subject to take-down notices by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) if it is hosted online in Australia. However, ACMA is unable to directly regulate content hosted overseas. This action is an additional measure to the existing take-down regime for Australia-hosted content.
“ISP filtering reduces the risk of Australians being inadvertently exposed to RC-rated material when they are online,” Senator Conroy said.
“The report into the pilot trial of ISP-level filtering demonstrates that blocking RC-rated material can be done with 100% accuracy and negligible impact on internet speed,” Senator Conroy said.
The RC Content list will be compiled through a public complaints mechanism.
The Government will also add the specific internet addresses (URLs) of known child abuse material through sharing lists with highly regarded international agencies after an assessment of the rigour and accountability of classification processes used by these agencies.
The Minister for Home Affairs yesterday announced a public consultation process into whether there should be an R18+ classification category for computer games. Until this process is complete, online computer games will be excluded from mandatory filtering of RC content.
The Government expects to introduce legislation during the Autumn 2010 parliamentary sittings. There will be a twelve months process of implementation after the passage of the legislation.
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