Tuesday 5 December 2006

Copeland welcomes anti-porn provisions of spam Bill

United Future MP Gordon Copeland is pleased the Unsolicited Electronic Messages Bill has been amended to tackle the problem of gratuitous spam containing sexually orientated material.

“Spam email messages that contain links to pornographic sites are not covered by the Films, Videos and Publications Classification Act 1993 which is why I fully back the Select Committee’s recommendation to amend the bill so spam that contains sexually orientated material, whether or not it is commercial in nature, can be monitored and controlled,” said Mr Copeland.

“The original spam may not be selling anything but it may contain soft porn images and links to a pornographic website. At that point the transaction certainly becomes commercial!

“My concern is access to internet pornography by pre-adolescent and teenage children. The volume of pornography on the Internet is enormous, with many sites being extremely easy for a computer savvy child to access.

“The Australian Government has announced a $116 million comprehensive package or measures to crack down on the scourge of Internet pornography.

"The central part of that package is a national scheme which will provide some $93 million over three years to offer Australian families a free filter service for their home PCs.

“I strongly believe that government should put in place a similar system in New Zealand.

“The computer industry also needs to play its part. Internet service providers and others who take a close interest in the growth of the Internet could actively take steps to reduce the exposure of children to pornography," said Mr Copeland.

ENDS

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