Inspecting the Despicable, Assessing the Unacceptable: Prohibited Packets and the Great Firewall of Canberra

Abstract

At first glance the Australian Government’s 2008 proposal to install a two-layered mandatory Internet ‘content filtering’ regime at ISP level - rather than the current opt-in filtering at the user’s personal computer - appears relatively straightforward, with a clear mandate, solid unobjectionable aims, little change from existing legal principles and governance frameworks, and challenging but achievable technical goals. Closer inspection does not sustain this appearance; each of these conclusions is shaky; and there are as many interpretations of what is really at stake as there are observers. This paper explores some of the issues that complicate policy development and technical assessment.

Keywords: Internet, content filtering