Google and Yahoo! working together against Australian Government’s mandatory ISP level filtering
Posted on February 16, 2010 by by valerirojas
How often do you hear of Google and Yahoo working together for the same cause? I can’t remember when was the last time but I am sure it wasn’t very long ago, right now however Google Australia and Yahoo Australia have joined the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) and the Inspire Foundation in proposing some core principles for a Safer Internet in Australia.
Basically the search engine giants are also a little worry about the proposed Australian Government mandatory ISP level filtering and have submitted their views about it.
- It would block some important content. The scope of content to be filtered (“Refused Classification” or “RC”) is very wide. The report Untangling The Net: The Scope of Content Caught By Mandatory Internet Filtering has found that a wide scope of content could be prohibited including not just child pornography but also socially and politically controversial material. This raises genuine questions about restrictions on access to information, which is vital in a democracy.
- It removes choices. The Government’s proposal removes choices for parents as to what they and their children can access online. Moreover a filter may give a false sense of security and create a climate of complacency that someone else is managing your (or your children’s) online experience.
- It isn’t effective in protecting kids. A large proportion of child sexual abuse content is not found on public websites, but in chat-rooms or peer-to-peer networks. The proposed filtering regime will not effectively protect children from this objectionable material.
Google’s view is that online safety should focus on user education, individual user empowerment through technology tools (such as SafeSearch Lock, Safety Mode on YouTube), and cooperation between law enforcement and industry partners. We’re partnering with some tremendous organisations in Australia towards this goal, Google said.
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2 Comments to “Google and Yahoo! working together against Australian Government’s mandatory ISP level filtering”
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Your writing is appalling and tells us nothing.
You can’t remember the last time Google and Yahoo! worked together, but you’re sure it wasn’t (meaning was not) that long ago … what’s with that, do you have alzheimers?
Also, “the search engine giants are a little worry about … “. There are two giants, shouldn’t they be worried?
All you have reported are the purported views of Google and Yahoo! with the sum total of your analysis being that they are worried about the Australian Government’s proposal. This is one of the biggest issues of internet regulation in a generation, and this is all you can say. Disgraceful.
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grammar_police said: This is one of the biggest issues of internet regulation in a generation, and this is all you can say. Disgraceful.
Thanks for your feedback grammar_police, all I was sharing was what Google and Yahoo had to say about the Australian Government’s mandatory ISP level filtering, I thought it was clear by the title.
grammar_police, feel free to share your thoughts with a post but. Cheers and thanks for your feedback again.
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