Proposals for a clean alternative to the public Internet - ‘CleanNet’ – have been launched this week by PacketExchange (PE). This is based on US/EU content providers coming together under the terms of a ‘content agreement’ to exchange information with each other over a private network hosted by PE:

The concept would seek to minimise the risk of children and other vulnerable sectors of society being exposed to violent or pornographic images.

Clean Net not only stands to be well received by parent and children’s groups but also by ISPs who, despite not being held legally accountable for material being hosted by third parties, when they are deemed not to be aware, are also keen to move further towards meeting a future Home Office standard where internet content meets similar standards to those which govern the film and publishing industries.

PacketExchange CEO, Kieron O’Brien has said : “We have shown in recent years that it is possible for some of the biggest names in the internet community to use private networks to exchange information with each other outside of the public internet. This has enabled them to successfully bypass growing delays as the internet has become more congested, and to bring content to Internet surfers more efficiently, the world over. Clean Net is a logical extension to this process using the same technology. The network needed is proven to work and the concept is ready to become a reality.”

On the one hand we like the concept, which would give schools and parents the ability to govern and restrict content appropriately.

On the other, if applied to the Internet as a whole, it could be an overly aggressive means of censorship causing segregation. Who decides what gets blocked and why?