Families get porn filters
2006-06-21 11:33
Sydney - The Australian government announced on Wednesday that free filters to block pornography on the internet would be made available to every family.
The plan is part of a new A$120m government package called Protecting Australian Families, which aims to shield children from internet predators and pornography.
"This is the single biggest commitment to protecting families online in the history of the internet in Australia," said Communications Minister Helen Coonan.
The filters will not be compulsory for home users and will let parents set access limits based on what they think is appropriate.
They will be available through internet service providers (ISPs) and are expected to be taken up by at least 2.5 million families over the next few years.
All ISPs will be required to offer the filters free of charge to their customers, who will be able to choose from a broad range of software available for download from a dedicated website or sent to them on CD-ROM.
"This is not a one-size-fits-all approach to protecting Australian families and we are not dictating to every internet user what they should and shouldn't see," said Coonan.
"Protecting Australian Families Online is about educating parents about the dangers lurking on the internet and equipping them with the tools they need to make sure when their children venture into cyberspace, they do so safely."
The filters will also be provided to every public library, allowing them to set up "child-friendly" computers.