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Cleanfeed was the name given to various privately administeredISP levelcontent filtering systems operating in theUnited Kingdom,Canada, andAustralia with a view to future mandatory implementation. These government-mandated programs originally attempted to block access tochild pornography and abuse content located outside of the nation operating the filtering system.
Cleanfeed is acontent blocking system technology implemented in the UK byBT, Britain's largest Internet provider as the first to block theInternet Watch Foundation'schild abuse image content list. It was created in 2003 and went live in June 2004.[1]
Cleanfeed in Canada is a voluntaryInternetURL filtering list maintained byCybertip.ca for use by participating ISPs.[2] Eight major providers, representing approximately 80% of Canada's Internet users, have been using the list since November 2006 to block foreign websites.[3][4][5]
Cleanfeed in Australia was a proposed mandatory ISP level content filtration system. It was proposed by theKim Beazley ledAustralian Labor Party opposition in a 2006 press release, with the intention of protecting children who were vulnerable to claimed parental computer illiteracy.[6] It was announced on 31 December 2007 as a policy to be implemented by theRudd ALP government, and initial tests inTasmania produced a report in 2008. Public opposition and criticism quickly emerged, led by theEFA and gaining irregular mainstream media attention, with a majority of Australians reportedly "strongly against" its implementation.[7] Criticisms included expense, inaccuracy (it will be impossible to ensure only illegal sites are blocked) and the fact that it will be compulsory. Cleanfeed was quietly abandoned as a policy after the 2010 election.