Google and Yahoo have joined with Australian organisations to encourage a "rethink" of the Government's proposed mandatory internet filter which is intended to stop all 'refused classification' content.
The objection is based on the warning that the filter would not "effectively protect children", and would also cause extra loads on existing systems and create bottlenecks.
Sue Hutley, Executive Director of the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) said that this type of blanket banning has been "shown to trap legitimate information and adversely affect valid internet access and performance".
False sense of security
The ALIA cites a report from the Government acknowledging that sites like YouTube would be particularly vulnerable to coming under additional strain from the filter due to higher traffic demands than many web pages.
Hutley asserts that the net filter would give Australian internet users a "false sense of security", with the ALIA instead supporting "national cybersafety education and increased funding for policing".
This isn't the first time Google has spoken out about Australia's plans, and the search powerhouse has also had run ins with internet filtering technology in China recently.
While most groups object peacefully to Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy Stephen Conroy's plans, a group known as Anonymous has recently been hacking Government websites in protest at the plans.
Via BBC
