Australia scraps plan to 'filter' internet The idea was that the filter would bar access to material such as rape, drug use, bestiality and child sex abuse. But web giants such as Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft slammed the initiative as setting a precedent for censorship, while cyber-activists likened it to firewalls operating in China and Iran. The plan, which had also drawn concern from the US State Department, was put on hold pending a content review in July 2010 as national elections loomed. Under the new agreement, Australia's major internet service providers (ISPs), accounting for some 90 per cent of internet users, will block child abuse websites on Interpol's "worst of" child abuse list. Australian Federal Police will make contact with the remaining ISPs to help them meet their obligation under the new plan, which is similar to the approach adopted in Britain, Canada and Scandinavian countries, said Conroy. The internet Industry Association chief Peter Lee welcomed the initiative. "Blocking the Interpol 'worst of' list is a positive step in preventing Australian internet users from committing the offence of accessing child abuse material," he said. Online rights campaigners also welcomed the decision as "a win for common sense," but said most child abuse material was not readily available on the open web. The Australian Christian Lobby told the ABC a filter was needed to protect children from pornography and other unwholesome material.