Media Releases
Australians Say No To Child Porn
A new survey has revealed that Australians believe that Internet Service Providers (ISPs) should block child pornography at the servers. This ground breaking research commissioned by Child Wise, Australias leading international child protection agency was conducted by AC Nielson and surveyed 1497 Australian internet users over the age of 18.
The key outcomes of the survey are that:
- 83% believe that ISPs should block all child pornography regardless of customer choice
- 78% believe that ISPs should offer customers the choice of blocking all pornography
- 84% would prefer an ISP who blocked child pornography
- 76% would change to an ISP that blocked child pornography
- 62% believed its the governments responsibility to prevent access to child pornography
- 64% are not confident that home based internet filters are effective
Bernadette McMenamin CEO of Child Wise believes that these results confirm that Australians strongly oppose the availability of child pornography on the Internet and that Australian ISPs should be doing more to protect children from this hideous violation by blocking these sites.
The global criminal child pornography industry generates millions of dollars through the rape of children. These sites are largely hosted off shore in countries such as USA and Soviet Union. ISPs and the Federal Government in Australia are dragging their heels on the matter of ISP filtering when ISPs in other countries such as Sweden, UK and (now being trialled in) New Zealand are already voluntarily, effectively blocking child pornography sites.
The results of our survey clearly demonstrate that Australians expect ISPs to block access to child pornography and consider home based filters ineffective. The survey participants also indicated they would switch to a child friendly, socially responsible ISP that blocks these illegal sites. We must prevent these criminals from making money from the rape of children. One of the main ways is to block access to consumers who purchase child pornography as this demand creates supply. Child Wise urges Australian ISPs to install child pornography filters and recommends that the Australian Government immediately take a strong stance on this issue
For more information, comments and or interview contact Bernadette McMenamin, CEO Child Wise