Thursday, 11th March 2010

New Zealand: Government Internet Filter Now Being Used by Two ISP's

This is not happy news.

According to a story at Computerworld New Zealand, the government managed Internet filter is now being used by two ISP's, Maxnet and Watchdog.

Actually, the filter has been running since February 1st but was just announced by by the Department of Internal Affairs

Thomas Beagle, spokesperson for online freedom lobby Tech Liberty says he's "very disappointed that the filter is now running, it’s a sad day for the New Zealand internet”.,.Beagle says he's disappointed the launch was conducted in such a "stealthy mode".

The Department of Internal Affairs' Censorship Compliance Unit [quite a 1984-like name] feels differently. Steve O'Brien, manager of the unit, says that trials have been going on for two years and the media has been notified "for quite some time."

"The Independent Reference Group has met and the filter system processes were demonstrated as set out in the code of practice, that is that the website filtering system prevents access to known websites containing images of child sexual abuse," says O'Brien.

The article goes on to say that according to Tech Liberty several ISP's will use the filter while others will not.

[Snip]

O'Brien says there is no compulsion for ISPs to tell their customers their internet service is being filtered.

"It's a voluntary system and there's no legislation," he says, adding he understands the ISPs currently on the system have informed their customers.

[Snip]

Tech Liberty says it is also concerned about the expansion of government powers represented by the filter.

"It establishes the principle that the government can choose to arbitrarily set up a new censorship scheme and choose which material to block, with no reference to existing law," the group claims.

[Snip]

We anticipate all major ISPs will embrace this development as they have the many other filters they employ on the internet for a range of purpose, according to O'Brien.

Access the Complete Article

See Also: Much More About the NZ Filter at TechLiberty.org.nz Including a Twitter Feed of Comments

Sources: ComputerWorld NZ, Tech Liberty

See Also: Yesterday, on ResourceShelf We Posted an Item About a Proposal to Merge the National Library of New Zealand with the National Archives of New Zealand. Both organizations would become part of the Department of Internal Affairs. Yes, it's the same government department mentioned above since they run the Internet filtering program.

Category:

• Search News (ResourceShelf)

Views: 1205

FreePint

FreePint supports the value of information in the enterprise. Read more »

Latest FreePint Articles:

• Duedil - Making Company Data More Transparent
  Thursday, 23rd May 2013

  Penny Crossland reviews internet start-up Duedil - short for due diligence - and finds it a welcome addition to the numerous web-based providers of company data. Aggregating all UK and Irish company documents from the official registers, around 100 million at the last count, Duedil combines these with information from regulatory registers and presents the data via a visually attractive dashboard, with interactive features.

• Mini Review: Duedil
  Thursday, 23rd May 2013

  Duedil is an internet start-up with a mission to make open source official company data transparent. The database covers all UK and Irish corporate filings, 100 million in all, and with sophisticated visualisation tools and clever linking of social media has managed to produce a useful tool for company and due diligence researchers. This review analyses the service, highlights some of the finer points and points to aspects that still need improving.

• Reskilling for Survival in an Increasingly Information-Biased World
  Thursday, 23rd May 2013

  Info pro expert Sue Hill of Sue Hill Recruitment explains how it's essential that her organisation keep on top of big data development trends in order to best advise client companies and job seekers. She explains what info pros should do to position themselves at the centre of the big data opportunity.

• ... more ...

All Family Articles »
Family Articles by Category »

A FreePint Subscription delivers articles and reports that support your organisation's information practice, content and strategy.

Start the conversation about a subscription by
completing our online form: "How can FreePint help?"

FreePint Testimonials

"This report will be of great value to me as I meet with the managing partner in the near future to discuss the budget. It is one of the ..."

Read more testimonials and supply yours »