Child porn blocking software debated

InternetNZ has hit out at moves by Internal Affairs to introduce software that blocks child pornography websites, claiming that the software is misleading and largely ineffective.

Internal Affairs bought the filtering software, which blocks more than 7000 objectionable websites, for $150,000 last year and has made it available to internet service providers (ISPs).

TelstraClear and Vodafone have joined the voluntary scheme after taking part in a trial last year. Telecom is reviewing the software, before deciding whether to join.

The software could give parents a false sense of security about the level of protection provided, said InternetNZ policy director Jordan Carter in a paper on the scheme.

Website filtering was effective only once objectionable material had been discovered and filtered, and most child-pornography content was traded on peer-to-peer networks or in chatrooms, which are not covered by the filter, he said.

It could be disabled or evaded by any person with a reasonable degree of technical skill, he said.

"The filter would help only at the margin, and child-abuse material would still be available on the internet."

The accidental viewing of online child pornography was not a major source of harm for the population, because the incidence was low.

"Given these caveats, it is apparent that the benefit accruing from the filter is very narrow."

There was also a risk that the filter's scope could be extended to legitimate websites, and filtering could degrade internet performance.

InternetNZ believed ISPs should provide or offer advice on desktop and hosted filtering solutions.

Internal Affairs acting deputy secretary Peter Burke says the department has acknowledged the filter can be thwarted and is only partially effective in the battle against child-abuse material.

Parental supervision is the best way to keep children safe online. "The website filtering system is a measured response to a problem. An entirely effective system, if there is such a thing, would have a detrimental effect on the operation of the internet."

The department's investigators are active on peer-to-peer networks, tracking down New Zealanders involved in child sexual-abuse images, and have a history of successful prosecutions, he says.

Viewing child-abuse material online is a pathway for potential offenders.

"In the long term, if it is made more difficult for people with a sexual interest in children to access this material, the market will decline and fewer children will be exploited."

The department has clearly stated the purpose of the filter and an Independent Reference Group has been established to ensure that it does not widen in scope, Mr Burke says.

ISPs involved in the trial did not report any adverse impact on internet performance.

Experience in other countries has shown that consumers are poor at installing and maintaining software that protects their computers, and desktop and hosted filters use more resources and have an impact on internet performance, he says.

- © Fairfax NZ News