The Electronic Frontiers Australia Essay Example for Free

The Electronic Frontiers Australia Essay The Electronic Frontiers Australia, Inc. (EFA) has launched a campaign â€Å"Generation Z safely surfing the Internet†, in an attempt to revoke the Australian law of forcefully blocking inappropriate content from teenage children. EFA is a NGO dedicated to the cause of promoting Internet users rights. The Australian government had earlier passed a law in 2007 requiring all Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to implement Internet filtering; which the EFA opposes. Though the proposal was held in principle by the Rudd Labor government without any detailed subsequent information, its application was confirmed in January 2008 by Minister Conroy. The campaign by EFA aims to promote safe Internet usage of the Generation Z through media and communication. The education of parents on monitoring their children’s Internet usage is also emphasized. Forcefully blocking content is an infringement of civil liberties of the computer operators, which needs to be resisted. Apart from civil rights, such blockages deprive parents of the opportunity to guide their children towards safe surfing, through habit cultivation. EFA expects communities like Adolescent Family Counseling, Anglicare and Australian Camp Connect Association to extend support for its campaign. The EFA has pointed out to the results of a 2005 survey by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) that showed that most parents are against the filtering system. With only three out of ten parents using the system, most parents maintained that they trusted their children’s ability to judge right from wrong. Some parents felt that the software of the filtering system was ineffective and therefore the objectives of the system cannot be realized. Many parents also felt that the implementation of the filters drastically reduced Internet speed. The EFA questioned the technical feasibility of the system saying that both the filtering systems, content analysis and index filtering are not completely foolproof. There are several ways through which the black listed content can pass through the system. Also the harmful content identified by the Australian Communications Media Authority for black listing does not include content originating outside Australia. Elaborating on the costs to the government on account of the filtering system, EFA spokesman Colin Jacobs said that the $24. 3 million allocated for this in the current budget and the $51. 4 million anticipated for the next year can be put to better use. The government in its 2004 report, revealed that the expense of executing ISP-level Internet filtering systems would be $45 million towards initial installation, extra servers to run the software and ISP personnel to set up the system, and $33 million required subsequently each year. The government had maintained that it is unsafe for children to access the Internet without the controls. However children belonging to the Generation Z have high curiosity and needs, always wanting to seek and explore. This aspect of childhood trait should be not be chopped down by forcefully blocking content. Children need to be encouraged to explore; however they need to be guided by the parents. As part of its strategy, EFA banks on major media releases on the topic to gather support. With a media portfolio of three newspapers, five online media, two journals and airtime on two radios, EFA intends to put the issue in the lime light of public sphere. Social workshops to attract journalists and establishing of strategic partnerships with media groups and publications sharing EFA views, are also in the agenda. Holding community meetings, interviews with the focus group, delivering speeches, distributing pamphlets and publishing monthly newsletters are part of the campaign’s strategy.