Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Internet experts in New Zealand believe Australian moves to censor cyberspace are doomed to failure.

The Australian government plans to force Australian ISPs to filter out more than a thousand websites with content including child pornography, excessive violence, crime and drug information and promotion of terrorism.

The policy, dubbed the 'Great Aussie Firewall', has been met with a storm of criticism across the Tasman.

Internet New Zealand board member David Farrar said much of the banned content is traded over peer-to-peer networks which will not be caught by filters.

He says the filters will also cause a sharp fall in download speeds for Australian users.

Internet Service Providers Association of New Zealand president Jamie Baddeley said the policy is insane and unworkable.

But he said it is symptomatic of pressure on ISPs to do more to police the internet.

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