The Australian Government is trying to push forward with plans to install a mandatory internet filter at ISP level for all Australian internet users. Though I have no doubt their intentions are good, the proposed model is a ridiculous overstep that will infringe on the freedom of speech rights of all Australians. Senator Stephen Conroy, the Communications Minister and the one co-ordinating the development of the filter doesn’t see it that way.

The “Clean Feed” will be installed at ISP level, meaning a substantial slow down in speed. Initial tests showed that speeds dropped anywhere between 20 and 80%. Not a glowing endorsement for a government that is supposedly pushing for a faster broadband network in Australia.

Aside from the speed hampering that will be implicit in the clean feed, the proposed technical implementation of the filter has already been shown to be trivial to work around. Anyone with a modicum of knowledge about the internet will be able to circumvent it.

The whole project is technically unfeasible from any point of view useful to users, and is doomed to fail miserably. In tests, the filter blocked 1 in 10 legal sites [false positives] and missed 1 in 30 illegal sites [false negatives].

In addition to the technical problems that abound, the government hasn’t been very upfront about what, exactly, will be filtered. The proposal is actually for two separate filters — the first a catch-all, compulsory filter to stop “illegal material” [that is so far unspecified, but if Family First get their way, will include hardcore pornography and overseas online casinos] and a second, opt-in filter targeted at protecting children online.

There will be no way to opt-out of the first feed.

There will be no way to opt-out of a feed that may block perfectly legal content that has been deemed inappropriate by the Government. There will be no way to opt-out of a feed that may be subject to the whims of special interest groups that wish to push their agenda on the general public — there’s already talk of websites about euthanasia and anorexia being blocked. There’ll be now ay of opting-out of a feed that slows your internet connection down by a minimum of 20%, and up to 80%.

There’ll be no way to opt-out of a feed that blocks freedom of speech in this country.

No Clean Feed is the official website of the campaign to stop the filter going ahead. It’s been put together by Electronic Frontiers Australia, the online freedoms organisation. It contains a lot of information about the feed, both from a technical and ethical standpoint. They are also running a blog with the most up-to-date news. The site also has some tips on how individuals and groups around Australia can get involved in the campaign.