Survey suggests no mandate for Internet filter

Stephen Withers
Monday, 02 March 2009 08:42

Business IT - Networking

Given the nature of Whirlpool's survey, these figures cannot be reliably extrapolated to the community as a whole.

But they do suggest that there is a good reason for a statistically sound survey to gauge the true level of public support - or opposition - to the filtering proposal.

Furthermore, only 11.1 percent of respondents to the Whirlpool survey said they would use the optional level of filtering that would block a wider range of material than that on the ACMA blacklist.

With such a small proportion expressing any enthusiasm for the optional filter, it's hard to see many ISPs bothering to offer it.

Indeed, the major ISPs have shown little enthusiasm for either part of the proposals, with none of them taking part in the current field trial of filtering.

Will the Whirlpool survey do anything to change the government's mind? I suspect not.

But if the trial shows that filtering isn't practical, it would give Stephen Conroy - the minister responsible - an additional reason to quietly allow the proposal to wither and die.