Australia Prime Minister Proposes Internet Filters

CANBERRA, Australia — Saying "No single measure is foolproof," Australian Prime Minister John Howard called for a $190 million program to regulate access to content on the Internet in a speech to the Australian Christian Lobby that was webcast to more than 800 churches across Australia.

Howard's proposals include negotiating with ISPs to create filters that household coulds tailor to block content and an additional $43 million to the Australian Federal Police to increase efforts in finding and apprehending online predators, including increased patrols of chatrooms and services like Facebook and MySpace, as well as discussions with legal authorities and the Internet industry about getting information about predators that might be protected by current privacy laws.

Public libraries with computers for customers also would be included in the program.

The prime minister and opposition Labor leader Kevin Rudd addressed the Christian group and took questions. Howard and Rudd appeared separately and did not debate each other.

The Australian Christian Lobby, which calls itself "a voice for values," has been encouraging members of Parliament to support restrictions on online material, particularly though mandatory ISP filtering.

Last year, Australia's Labor Party proposed a filtered "clean feed" Internet service for households, schools and public internet points accessible by children.

The clean feed system would block content that has been identified as prohibited by the Australian Communications and Media Authority, including child pornography, acts of extreme violence or cruelty and X-rated material. Under the proposal, clean feed would be the default, and adults who choose to opt out of the program would have to request it from their ISP.

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Texas Resumes AV Lawsuit Against Aylo Following SCOTUS Decision

A district court judge in Texas has unfrozen the state’s $1.6 million lawsuit against Aylo for allegedly failing to comply with age verification requirements, Bloomberg Law is reporting.

JuicyAds Wins Trademark Infringement Case Against Fraudulent Domain

JuicyAds has won its World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) case against a website using a similar domain to impersonate the company's site and defraud customers.

Anissa Kate, Jordan Starr Top AEBN for Q2 of 2025

AEBN has published its top-selling stars for the second quarter of 2025, with Anissa Kate landing atop the leaderboard for straight theaters and Jordan Starr heading up the gay rankings.

AEBN Reveals Eva Maxim as Top Trans Star for Q2 of 2025

AEBN has published its top trans stars list for the second quarter of 2025, with Eva Maxim landing atop the leaderboard.

France Reinstates Age Verification Rule for EU Sites

France’s highest court, the Council of State, on Tuesday reinstated age verification rules for EU-based sites under the country’s Security and Regulation of the Digital Space (SREN) law, ruling in favor of the French government and against Hammy Media.

Whisper Fans Joins Pineapple Support as Supporter-Level Sponsor

Whisper Fans has joined the ranks of over 70 adult businesses and organizations committing funds and resources to Pineapple Support.

Utherverse Launches 'Red Light Center' Virtual World

Virtual reality and metaverse technology company Utherverse has launched its new virtual world, RedLightCenter.io.

European Commission Approves AV Guidelines, Unveils Prototype App

The European Commission on Monday released its final, approved guidelines for protecting minors online under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) and made public a “white label” age verification app intended to help sites and platforms comply with age verification rules under the DSA.

Show More