New Zealand Net Filter Partially Up And Running

[GhostShip]

Once again the child exploitation blacklist has raised its head, will this implementation fails as all the others have done in one form or the other ?

http://www.zeropaid.com/news/88401/kiwi-govt-internet-filter-up-and-running/

The New Zealand govt’s Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) has apparently already managed to push live its controversial Digital Child Exploitation Filtering System. Operated in partnership with the country’s ISPs, the system is intended to focus solely on websites “offering clearly objectionable images of child sexual abuse.”

Tech Liberty, a New Zealand-based group dedicated to “defending civil liberties in the digital age,” were surprised and dismayed to learn the filter was already up and running.
“We’ve made a number of Official Information Act requests to the Department of Internal Affairs and the answer has always been “in the next couple of months,” it says.
“We now have new information from the Department that says that the filter is already running and that both Watchdog (since Feb 1st) and Maxnet (since Feb 26th) are already using it.”

Worse still is that both ISPs have not informed their customers that they’re traffic is being diverted through a govt server. All of the problem really stems from the fact that the DIA hasn’t even been charged with filtering the Internet in the first place.“It is not appropriate for the Department of Internal Affairs to implement this without appropriate laws being passed in Parliament in accordance with the normal democratic process".

It seems this scheme is already doomed given that its being done illegally and without a warrant or legal authority granted by parliament, all the while child predators are still left to run amok amongst the online masses escaping detection and continuing their foul habits, when will someone resolve this problem of transparency and trust that seem to be the main roadblocks to a successful implementation of a child porn filter, better still catch those responsible for making it available in the first place.

[DaBees-Knees]

Although I can understand the reasons behind their actions, any government department that acts without a legal mandate needs watching with great care. If they get away with it once there's a risk it can become a habit.