SINGAPORE — Internet Access Service Providers (IASPs) will soon have to get customers’ explicit decision on whether they want to subscribe to filters that block objectionable websites, under several new rules announced by the Media Development Authority (MDA) today (July 14) to raise awareness of and accessibility to these tools.

Content containing sexually explicit material, violence and gore will be blocked by default for those who opt for Internet parental controls.

IASPs will also have to provide a one-time free trial of such filters for six months or half of the contract term, whichever is shorter. The MDA said this would allow parents enough time to assess the usefulness of Internet parental controls. A subscriber’s consent is needed before the IASP can levy charges after the trial period.

The changes are expected to take effect by the end of next year. They came about after a public consultation, conducted from April to May last year, on an initial set of recommendations the MDA had come up with. 

Currently, all four IASPs in Singapore —SingNet, StarHub, M1 and MyRepublic — offer Internet parental controls to subscribers, albeit at different rates and with different implementations. It has been mandatory since 2012 for IASPs to inform and offer optional Internet parental control services to subscribers.

For example, StarHub offers SafeSurf Online, a network-level filtering across all devices and platforms, as a value-added service. The service is free until Aug 31. After that, subscribers will have to pay a monthly subscription of S$2.68.

M1 subscribers can choose from a mix of packages depending on their needs, including enforcing parental controls on up to three devices at a flat rate of S$5 per month.

The MDA’s surveys show that most children under the age of 14 access the Internet from their homes. The regulator said network-level controls offer a baseline level of protection for children and IASPs are free to offer device-level controls as an addition.

The MDA will also require IASPs to continue providing reasonable technical support to subscribers on filtering arrangements for the duration of their subscription period. In addition, IASPs must provide instruction guides on the use of their Internet parental controls.

“I don’t think the new regulations will have much impact on my sons,” said Mr Dan Yeo, who has two teenage sons in secondary school, on the new regulations. “I conduct regular spot checks on their online activities and have educated them over the years.

“However, I think it’ll be useful for parents with kids who have recently become tech-savvy,” the 51-year-old regional manager at an insurance company added.