| IIA condemns ACMA blacklist leak |
 |
 |
| Friday, 20 March 2009 10:34 |
|
IIA chief executive, Peter Coroneos said the Association did not condone the leaking of a list that purports to include links to many sites prohibited by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). "No reasonable person could countenance the publication of links which promote access to child abuse images, irrespective of their motivations - which in this case appear to be political." The IIA believes the leak will be unlikely to influence the Government to change its position on mandatory filtering. Whether or not the leaked list turns out to be the ACMA list, it is clear that list security will be a fundamental issue to be managed in the implementation of any future mandated policy. The Government is well aware of concerns in this regard. Currently, filters are available to internet users from ISPs under the ACMA-registered IIA industry Code of Practice. Users may choose to implement them according to their situation. This has been the case for the past 10 years since the commencement of the IIA Content Code of Practice. In that time there has not been a single instance of list leakage. While the IIA does not possess or control the ACMA list or its security, it does assess the effectiveness of filters for use by families under the "Family Friendly ISP Scheme" which forms a central part of the IIA Code. Filters are then recommended for certain age groups. Once accredited by the IIA, filter vendors apply to ACMA to access its list of prohibited sites under legally binding non-disclosure agreements. In support of the current Code scheme, ACMA's role and the protection of minors generally, the IIA will remind those filter vendors who are currently recipients of the ACMA list of their confidentiality obligations. |
| Last Updated on Friday, 20 March 2009 13:42 |
