Top 6 (of many) reasons why the internet filter shouldn’t go ahead

It’s a classical example of the government thinking they know what is right, despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of Australians disagree with them.

Here are the top 6 (of many) reasons why I believe the internet filter to be a waste of time, money and resources.

It will slow down our internet speeds

The numbers vary wildly on how fast it will slow down the internet – I don’t care whether it’s a little, or a lot – It’s still slowing things down.

It won’t serve it’s purpose

Those who support the internet filter claim that it will reduce the supply of child pornography by eliminating a big chunk of it’s market. Child pornography rings aren’t just in Australia, they are worldwide. Filtering out the sites to Australians, still leaves billions of others without internet filtering.

It won’t prevent minors from accessing inappropriate content

The proposed “blacklisted” sites will not be wide enough to cover all the content deemed inappropriate to children.

It will give parents / educators false hope

Believing that the internet filter will be protecting their children online – Parents and educators will not monitor as actively their children’s online activities.

Who chooses the blacklisted sites?

There are already sites included in the proposed blacklist that it immoral to block – These include sites about euthanasia, controversial movies and games that are designed for people over 16 years of age.

One size doesn’t fit all

It’s naive to believe that content inappropriate for a child is the same content that would be inappropriate for an adult.

The proposed internet filter will be a huge setback for freedom of speech, expression and association in Australia. (Which is ranked highly as a “free” country)

It’s in the interest of all Australians that this filter does not proceed.