Australia on Friday abandoned plans to impose a government list of banned websites, five years after saying it was essential to protect children from pornography.
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said the government had instead agreed with internet service providers (ISPs) to block websites listed on international policing agency Interpol’s database.
“We’ve reached agreement with all of the telco service providers that they will block the worst of the worst — the child abuse pornography material that’s available on the public internet,” he said.
The previous plan would have made it a legal requirement for all ISPs to block their customers’ access to thousands of sites on a list compiled and updated by a government panel.
The sites were reportedly to include hardcore and child pornography, as well as terrorist websites, forums dealing with euthanasia and abortion, and others considered unsuitable.
