Conroy will be censoring people, not the internet

While fetish and politically subversive content may be considered upsetting, fringe or distasteful to some, censoring on the grounds of taste is a wildly subjective game. It presupposes the offensive content is easily and universally recognisable.

The reality is far more complex and, put simply, the government should not have the right to block information that can inform debate of controversial issues. This isn't China, and it's not Iran.

But according to technology writer Kathryn Small, the concern is not what will and will not be blocked, but who will and will not be able to get around it. "Conroy will not be censoring the internet. He'll be censoring people who do not know much about the internet."

Small says anyone with a vested interest who knows enough about software design will be able to circumvent the system. "The real problem is Conroy will create a two-tiered system [with] a massive disparity between the 'haves' and 'have nots' of computer literacy."

The irony is that it is children and young people who will be most likely to get around the blocks.

Children are more computer-savvy and literate than any other generation, precisely because they have grown up with computers. This was demonstrated in 2007 when a 16-year-old, Tom Wood, took just 30 minutes to crack the government's super-filter that cost a whopping $84 million to develop.

What a shame the government hasn't learnt from that embarrassing bungle.