Nothing But Net

Nothing But Net
The Internet is part of our lives now. Even if you're just venturing out on to the Internet for the first time, you're here because you've heard about how much stuff there is online. 

So when you're at home, on your computer, connected to an Internet Service Provider and browsing the World Wide Web, you are also directly plugged in to the same infrastructure used by hackers and criminals around the world. 

The Internet itself is just the vehicle. It enables good and bad; like money and knowledge. (If we were to try and shut the Internet down, we may as well climb back into the trees and give up on the last 5 million years of progress!)

Right now, it's as though we had big pipes bringing water to our homes. Some of the water is for drinking and some is sewerage, and it's up to us to sort it out.

Most home users are not IT security experts, nor should we have to be.

Nothing But Net is an initiative to encourage Australian Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to deliver "clean pipe" to home broadband users. By clean pipe, we mean an Internet connection which has been cleansed of known malicious content, for example spam and viruses.

Why is clean pipe so important?
It is important that home users are safe in their online transactions. When home users are confident to do online transactions, and justified in their confidence, then they will do more transactions. More transactions stimulates Australia's online economy. Confident home users are also more likely to be innovative and entrepreneurial. This helps create jobs.

It's incredibly important for more Australians to get entrepreneurial online, because when an Aussie starts up a business they purchase local goods and services. This all goes to help employ other Aussies, and helps Australia compete strongly in the global online economy.

What is possible?
With the technology we have right now in the IT security industry, it is possible for the ISPs to scan and clean the Internet traffic flowing through the broadband connections they provide us. The pipe that brings us the Internet can be cleaned of the malicious software which no one needs or wants.

The ISPs can do this without breaching our privacy. We could have Internet traffic arriving in our homes which is free of known computer viruses, network worms, Trojans, and keyloggers.