| IIA Launches Family Friendly ISP Program |
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| Tuesday, 26 March 2002 10:00 |
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The Internet Industry Association, Australia's national body for the internet, today launched a nationwide scheme aimed at enhancing the ability of families to take better control over the kind of material their children can access online.
Internet Industry Association N E W S R E L E A S E Tuesday, 26 March 2002 For Immediate Release IIA Launches Family Friendly ISP Program The Internet Industry Association, Australia's national body for the internet, today launched a nationwide scheme aimed at enhancing the ability of families to take better control over the kind of material their children can access online. The "IIA Family Friendly ISP Program" is an important intiative, by which internet service providers can demonstrate in a readily identifiable way, their compliance with the IIA Codes of Practice and industry best practice standards for empowering end users. The scheme, which is the first of its kind in the world, has the support of the Australian Broadcasting Authority and the community advisory body, NetAlert. ISPs who are compliant with the industry Codes of Practice, which also covers access to online gambling services, will be entitled to display a special seal - the "Ladybird Logo". Australian families who are concerned about online content are encouraged to use an ISP who displays this trustmark on their websites. Under the IIA coregulatory scheme, ISPs are required to provide for use both information and tools ('filters') for those of their customers who need help and advice in how to best to protect their children online. The IIA supports the provision of filter under the legislation as they may assist some families in managing children's access to internet content. However, filters provided by IIA Code compliant ISPs are not intended to replace parental supervision. Major ISPs have moved quickly to welcome the scheme, along with many smaller ISPs who see this as a value added service to their customers. In embracing the scheme, OzEmail CEO Justin Milne said: "As the internet becomes essential to more and more families it is extremely important for them to be able to recognise ISPs and Internet businesses which conform to the high standards required by the IIA's family friendly badge." Martin Dalgleish, Managing Director, Optus Consumer and Multimedia, said 'Optus is a strong supporter of measures which allow consumers to enjoy all the benefits that the internet offers, while protecting themselves and their children against access to inappropriate material. The IIA's new scheme will help consumers in choosing an ISP which offers those protective measures.' General Manager, Business Management in Broadband and Online Services, Omar Khalifa, said "Telstra supports initiatives like this to help internet users have a positive online experience. We have been invovled in the development of the Codes of Practice and congratulate the IIA for pushing through with this inititive." Amanda Lacaze, CEO, AOL Australia, said: "At AOL, we are committed to building confidence and trust in the online medium. This is reflected in the services and tools we provide, such as AOL Parental Controls. The IIA's Family Friendly ISP' initiative will help Australian families determine, at a glance, which online service providers empower them to take control of their children's online experience." Gaynor Gravestock, Internet Services General Manager at UQconnect added "This is a great initiative that finally recognises the efforts of those ISPs who work hard to protect and support their clients, through compliance with the Internet Code of Practice. UQconnect will be proud to wear the 'IIA Family Friendly ISP' seal." Luke Mackinnon, Managing Director, Planet Netcom Pty. Ltd, said "As a regional provider, we understand the need for our users to have access to useful tools and information about internet content. We are delighted to support the "IIA Family Friendly ISP Program", as it will enable the ISP community to demonstrate its willingness to empower users with more choice over the kind of content accessible in the home." Internet users who click on the ladybird seal will be taken to an information page which explains how the scheme works and what they need to do to take advantage of the services offered by ISPs under the plan. More information about the scheme can be found at www.iia.net.au. Ends. -- For further comment contact: Mr Peter Coroneos PO Box 3986 MANUKA ACT |
| Last Updated on Friday, 03 February 2006 05:34 |