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Users pay for censorship in ISP code
   By SIMON HAYES

   31aug99

   A NEW code of conduct for Internet service providers was unveiled yesterday,
forcing customers to
   pay for their own censorship. 

   The code, written by the Internet Industry Association (IIA), does not
require ISPs to block
   inappropriate content at the server end. 

   Instead, it supports client-side filters and the use of Net-nanny style
software for users. 

   IIA executive director Peter Coroneos predicted the software would cost only
$5 per customer when
   bulk discounts were applied. 

   "While that's a lot for a small ISP, it is insignificant for the user," he
said. 

   The code, launched in the aftermath of Federal Government legislation to
control the Internet,
   requires ISPs to obtain from users a guarantee they are using client-side
filtering. 

   Those without a filter must be provided with appropriate software, with the
cost passed on to the
   customer by the ISP. 

   The IIA will add a list of approved filters to the code after an independent
study. 

   "It's only the shonks and cowboys who will have a problem," IIA executive
director Peter Coroneos
   said. 

   "The code gives our membership a lot of confidence." 

   The draft code is open for comment until September 30, after which it must be
registered by the
   Australian Broadcasting Authority (ABA) before it can come into effect, along
with federal legislation,
   on January 1. 

   IT Minister Richard Alston had not seen the code and would not comment, his
office said. 

   The federal legislation requires that the Internet industry adopt a code of
conduct. 

   Censorship provisions in the code will have the force of law, once ratified
by the ABA. 

   ISPs that sign the code will be bound by other provisions, including rules on
privacy, dispute
   resolution and spamming. 

   The code relieves ISPs of any role in censorship apart from providing access
to the client-side
   software and reacting to ABA notices to pull down a site. 

   Mr Coroneos said rules governing content-hosting required the host to remove
content under their
   control when told to do so by the ABA. 

   The ISP must then warn the publisher they have breached the code and,
possibly, the law. 

   The Internet access of repeat offenders must be terminated. 

   Mr Coroneos said the burden on ISPs would be lightened as pornographic
content moved overseas. 

   "Because the Government has made it illegal to host prohibited content in
Australia, most will move
   offshore," he said. "There will be few calls to remove content." 

   Mr Coroneos said ISPs would ignore the code at their peril. 

   But many people in the Internet industry opposed regulation, he said. 

   Civil liberties group Electronic Frontiers Australia welcomed client-side
filtering, as outlined in the
   code. 

   "We still have concerns that some people will be intimidated into this," EFA
executive director Darce
   Cassidy said. 

   The code was "a whole lot less draconian" than expected, but still
objectionable, he said. 

   ISOC-AU (Internet Society of Australia) director Leni Mayo expressed concern
that costs would
   hurt smaller ISPs, but added the the code had attempted to address real
issues. 

   "We accept that there are concerns in the community, but we are basically
anti-censorship," he said. 

   OzEmail spokesman Michael Ward said the code gave both ISPs and customers
greater certainty. 

   He welcomed the censorship provisions. "We'll never support mandatory
filtering, but it's a good
   compromise," he said. It's a sensible path between rhetoric and reality." 
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