Filters

Filters are programs designed to limit access to certain types of content on the internet. Filters are not mandatory in Australia and users can choose whether or not to install them, and if and when to activate them. They are most commonly used by schools and parents to shelter children from pornographic or excessively violent material.

Filters operate in different ways, and different filters will be better suited to different operating environments and age groups. Filters can be set at different levels of explicitness or for different subject types.

A good firewall allows you to set filters and apply them to the whole network.

While internet service providers (ISPs) are not required to filter or monitor internet traffic, they are obliged to offer filters to their customers on request.