Telecom joins child porn filter

After some delay, Telecom has announced that it will join the Department of Internal Affairs’ Digital Child Exploitation Filtering System. The controversial system blocks access to websites that host child sexual abuse images, and has been available to New Zealand internet service providers since March this year.Craig Armitage, the Acting Deputy Secretary of Internal Affairs, says he welcomes the move by Telecom, saying that the filter will shield Telecom’s customers from inadvertently breaking the law and reduce demand for such material."This filter provides a service provider with the means to protect their customers from inadvertently accessing these illegal websites and to fight and raise awareness of the worldwide problem of child sexual abuse and exploitation. The filter is an important tool to reduce the demand for child abuse material currently available on the Internet,” Armitage said.Maxnet, Watchdog, Airnet and Xtreme are the other ISPs currently connected to the system. Another major ISP, TelstraClear, says it is joining "imminently”, while Orcon has declined to join the filter, saying it has concerns about its effectiveness and operation that have yet to be addressed.