Government net filter trials joined by Optus

The second phase of the highly controversial internet filtering trial by the Federal Government is to see Optus joining the existing ISPs, and non customer-facing technical test of the filtering technology are to be carried out by Telstra.

During the first phase of the trials Optus were excluded by Senator Conroy and six other Internet Service Providers were used instead, making this latest news a complete turn-around of the Senators original decision.

Prior to this the technology pilot considered the largest participating ISP as Primus so this latest addition adds considerable weight to the testing.

Senator Conroy said “The participation of Optus will help ensure the Government obtains robust results from the pilot which will inform the evidence-based development of our ISP filtering policy. Optus is an active participant in the cyber-safety space, with a range of initiatives to help Australian families enjoy a safer internet experience. I am pleased to announce its participation in the pilot.”

It was also revealed by Senator Conroy that the Government “is also working constructively with Telstra on the technical testing of ISP filtering technologies,” which will be shocking news for a great many people.

Conroy said “These tests do not involve actual customers and therefore are not being conducted as part of the pilot, however it is hoped that the results will feed into the Government’s policy considerations.”

Due to a previous undisclosed “customer management issues”, which to many was thought to be the concern that users would blame any perceived drop in internet speed on the trials and use up all the already limited support resources, Telstra BigPond had said that it would not take part in the trials back in December.

It was also announced recently that Nelson Bay Online, a small ISP, would also be taking part in the trials. Highway 1, Webshield, TECH 2U, OMNIConnect and Primus Telecommunications are also currently participant in the filtering trials.

Conroy added “Consultations continue with a number of other ISPs that have applied to take part in the filtering pilot.”

Although it was opposed to any form of mandatory filtering Optus had always said that it would take part in the trials.

On its FAQ at the end of last year the carrier said “Willingness to participate in the trial does not necessarily indicate support of mandatory filtering. Optus would rather work with Government to legitimately understand the implications of this type of filtering process than have it mandated.”

Source – ITNews.com.au