Richard Henderson says:

Labor’s Pedophile ‘Honeypot’: Mandatory Internet filtering guarantees disaster for our children. We are all aware that the filtering technology is flawed, easily circumvented and not a ‘silver bullet’, as Mr Conroy put it. Until today, I had not heard anyone allude to ‘honeypots’ as this forum poster does: “With ISP l…evel filtering, all one need do is use any sort of proxy (i.e. Tor or web-based proxies) to access the blocked material, which is not only a very trivial thing to do but the technique is already common knowledge amongst teens who want to circumvent school network blocks on Facebook, MySpace, etc. Worse, many (if not most) of the free ‘MySpace’ proxies you can find through a simple Google search are ‘honeypots.’ Unscrupulous free proxy operators harvest usernames and passwords that are run through the system and exploit them to take over the Facebook, MySpace, Gmail or even internet banking accounts which are accessed through them. Free proxy sites also can serve up malware, installing trojans, keyloggers and other nasties on machines which access the proxy site, exploiting kids’ general ignorance of these hidden technical threats. As such, ISP level filtering both will give parents a false sense of security that children are actually limited from accessing age-inappropriate material and through honeypot and malware exploits, cause more problems than they solve.”

The immutable fact is that kids & teens WILL use these ‘proxies’ if Mr Rudd and Labor tries to censor the Internet. It is folly to suggest that this will not occur – and youngsters will swap proxies like we used to exchange bubblegum cards or marbles as children.

Mr Rudd’s solution is akin to the finger in the dyke before a tsunami hits – and the tsunami is millions of typically ‘rebellious’ youngsters who can already bypass filters with their eyes closed. It would be perilous to ignore the fact that many ‘honeypots’ are fronts for crime gangs, pedophile networks and indeed predators who set up virtual servers to lure their prey.

As if it is not bad enough that the filter has proven itself wholly ineffective against perverts, instead of tightening the net on pedophiles, we’re creating millions of additional trapdoors where ‘spiders’ patiently lay in wait for our kids. Allowing this mandatory Internet filtering legislation means we – well-intentioned people – are literally helping to push them toward the holes.

Ask yourself why groups such as ‘Save the Children’, ‘National Children’s Youth Law Centre’, ‘The Australian Library & Information Association’ and ‘Civil Liberties Australia’ are vehemently opposing mandatory Internet censorship. It’s not too late to voice your opposition to anything other than voluntary ‘opt-in’ filtering. The legislation is to be tabled this week.

Please write to Senator Julie Bishop today – [email protected] or Independent Senator Nick Xenephon [email protected]. Remember, if you’re not part of the solution … you are part of the problem.them to take over the Facebook, MySpace, Gmail or even internet banking accounts which are accessed through them. Free proxy sites also can serve up malware, installing trojans, keyloggers and other nasties on machines which access the proxy site, exploiting kids’ general ignorance of these hidden technical threats. As such, ISP level filtering both will give parents a false sense of security that children are actually limited from accessing age-inappropriate material and through honeypot and malware exploits, cause more problems than they solve.”

The immutable fact is that kids & teens WILL use these ‘proxies’ if Mr Rudd and Labor tries to censor the Internet. It is folly to suggest that this will not occur – and youngsters will swap proxies like we used to exchange bubblegum cards or marbles as children.

Mr Rudd’s solution is akin to the finger in the dyke before a tsunami hits – and the tsunami is millions of typically ‘rebellious’ youngsters who can already bypass filters with their eyes closed. It would be perilous to ignore the fact that many ‘honeypots’ are fronts for crime gangs, pedophile networks and indeed predators who set up virtual servers to lure their prey.

As if it is not bad enough that the filter has proven itself wholly ineffective against perverts, instead of tightening the net on pedophiles, we’re creating millions of additional trapdoors where ‘spiders’ patiently lay in wait for our kids. Allowing this mandatory Internet filtering legislation means we – well-intentioned people – are literally helping to push them toward the holes.

Ask yourself why groups such as ‘Save the Children’, ‘National Children’s Youth Law Centre’, ‘The Australian Library & Information Association’ and ‘Civil Liberties Australia’ are vehemently opposing mandatory Internet censorship. It’s not too late to voice your opposition to anything other than voluntary ‘opt-in’ filtering. The legislation is to be tabled this week.

Please write to Senator Julie Bishop today – [email protected] or Independent Senator Nick Xenephon [email protected]. Remember, if you’re not part of the solution … you are part of the problem.