PORT MORESBY (THE NATIONAL) —Explicit sexual content, child pornography, homosexuality and lesbianism on the internet will be filtered out, according to Papua New Guinea Information and Communication Technology ministry.
Minister Timothy Masiu said in a statement that his department had identified 1,000 websites containing “unsuitable content” and the content filtering process, which began Monday, was to ensure a safe online environment for the country.
“These website encompasses materials such as pornography, bestiality, explicit sexual content, child pornography, and content related to homosexuality and lesbianism,” Masiu said.
“Following this identification process, the chief censor has recommended to the country’s ICT regulator Nicta (National Information and Communications Technology Authority) to instruct all internet service provider licences to block access to internet protocol (IP) addresses associated with these websites.”
Masiu said the internet filtering initiative would block 30,000 IP addresses containing unsuitable content. The list will be updated regularly.
Blocking access to these websites will become a regular activity, ensuring ongoing protection for internet users in the country, Masiu added.
Access to these IP addresses would be blocked as they had been identified to have content classified as “Refused Classification” under the PNG Censorship guidelines.
“The access restriction will not be lifted unless written advice is provided by the Office of Censorship so as to ensure strict adherence to censorship guidelines and standards in maintaining a safe online environment,” he said.
The directive to filter unsuitable content is in compliance with the National Executive Council decision 265/2023, the National Censorship Policy II 2021-25, the Government’s digital transformation policy, and the Nicta corporate plan 2021-25.
“Given the rapid evolution of technology, governments worldwide face challenges in safeguarding citizens from the negative impacts of such changes,” Masiu added.
The internet filtering services serves as a mechanism to ensure PNG users receive a clean feed from the internet, thereby fostering a conducive and healthy online environment by mitigating unsuitable content, he said…. PACNEWS