Porn filter bill passes preliminary vote
Inching ever closer to being passed into law, MK Shuli Mualem's bill, which would mandate that all internet providers offer an automatic filter for offensive material, passes the first vote unopposed; previous Knessets have unsuccessfully tried to pass similar bills.
In the proposal, the bill states, "It is easier for a child to consume inappropriate content on the internet than it is to buy a popsicle at the neighborhood kiosk." The proposal was approved unanimously and unopposed.
The bill stipulates that ISPs must provide effective filtering of inappropriate sites and content to all subscribers. For this screening service, the ISP may not charge a supplementary fee in addition to what it already charges subscribers for internet service.
The ISP is required to inform the subscriber, after proving they are not a minor, that they have the option of canceling the filtering service by one of the following methods:
1. Oral or written notification to the ISP at the time of the account’s activation.
2. Calling an ISP customer service phone line.
3. The ISP’s website.
The bill elaborated on the reason behind the proposed restrictions. “Over the last decade, the internet has become a global village that allows access to a great deal of diverse information. However, the internet also has many negative sides and facets, such as gambling, pornography, pedophilia and more, which can harm and hurt the public exposed to them, primarily children. Over the last few years, there has been a substantial increase in the number of reports of minors harmed by exposure to sexual and offensive content on the web.”
“Hundreds of research projects in Israel and abroad have been documenting and examining the various harms caused by exposure to such content, as well as their long-term effects. In discussions that took place on the matter, it was found that 60% of children 9–15 visit pornographic websites. Additionally, it was found that 47% of children in Israel have a private computer in their room connected to the internet, making the danger of them falling prey to a pedophile substantially higher without parental supervision.”
Currently, ISPs have been obligated to inform their clients of the possibility of internet filters via mail or their websites, yet many of their customers are unaware that this is an option. MKs therefore decided to change the default option and force ISPs to automatically provide their clients with an effective filter for harmful content and without extra cost.
Similar bills were also submitted during the last two Knessets but were not voted into law. The current bill is supported by a wide array of MKs from different factions, including Bezalel Smotrich (Bayit Yehudi), David Bitan (Likud), Nava Boker (Likud), Avraham Neguise (Likud), Ahmed Tibi (Joint List), Meirav Ben-Ari (Kulanu), Karin Elharar (Yesh Atid) and Elazar Stern (Yesh Atid).
