Victory for the tabloids! Online porn to be filtered by default in UK


Recommended Posts

Victory for the tabloids! Online porn to be filtered by default in UK

New rules by PM David Cameron follow almost a year of porn-scare headlines.

Save the children! UK Prime Minister David Cameron wants porn filters to come on, by default, in any British houses that have children in them.

"A silent attack on innocence is underway in our country today, and I am determined that we fight it with all we've got," wrote Cameron in today's Daily Mail.

The system Cameron promises will be in the works by February, when British ISPs will have to present plans for how they will present the filter options. Every owner of a new computer will be asked when they log in through their Internet service provider if they have children in the house. If they answer yes, it will immediately prompt them to set up filters blocking content, individual sites, or restricting access at particular times of day, according to the Mail.

If those options just get clicked through rapidly, filters that keep out porn and "self-harm" sites will be "on" by default.

Cameron's pledge seems to be a response to a vocal campaign by the Daily Mail, a century-old British tabloid with a daily readership of more than four million. The newspaper has been pressuring British politicians to filter Internet porn for most of this year, with screaming headlines like "Children Grow Up Addicted to Online Porn Sites," "How Internet Porn Turned My Beautiful Boy Into A Hollow, Self-Hating Shell," and "Online Porn 'Is Turning Children Into Sex Attackers'."

A headline in the same newspaper earlier this week trumpeted a study allegedly showing that online porn "can make you lose your memory."

The newspaper is taking credit for the announcement as well. Today's Daily Mail accompanied Cameron's essay about the new "filter by default" policy with a headline crowing: "Victory for the Mail! Children WILL be protected..."

Cameron's promise to filter Internet traffic by default replaces an earlier suggestion in which, rather than prompt parents to set up filters, the filters were simply already turned on. "All the evidence suggests that wouldn't work very well in practice," said Cameron. He gave the example of one parent who tried to access things like TV stations on demand, but found they were blocked as well. These "blanket filters" will just get turned off, he said.

That automatic block was rejected by Cameron's ministers earlier this week. Opposition politicians accused the government of "bow[ing] to pressure from the Internet industry, which is opposed to restrictions on the lucrative porn sector," as reported in the Daily Mail. "The fight MUST go on: Furious charities hit out after ministers refuse to order an automatic block on Internet filth," read the headline.

Conservative Member of Parliament Claire Perry will take charge of making sure the system gets implemented. She said the age checks would probably involve using credit card numbers and electoral rolls to make sure kids can't get around the new system.

The UK proposal is reminiscent of the years-long effort to install porn filtering by default in Australia. That plan was finally abandoned in November.

"All this comes back to something really important. It?s not just about the Internet, or modern technology?it?s about childhood," Cameron concluded in his announcement today. "These should be distinct and precious years, full of security and love, untainted by the worries and complexities of adulthood."

Source: Ars Technica

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Every owner of a new computer will be asked when they log in through their Internet service provider if they have children in the house. If they answer yes, it will immediately prompt them to set up filters blocking content, individual sites, or restricting access at particular times of day, according to the Mail.

How would that even work? If people buy a new computer more often than not they're going to connect it to an existing internet connection. Is the filter going to be software based on new computers, or do they really mean for new internet connections/subscriptions?

Either way, it's not really a "victory" by the tabloids, they wanted porn filtered by default and require people to phone their ISP to disable it. Also, they're quoting the DailyFail so it's probably wrong anyway.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

LOL, look what happened when they blocked TPB, 100s of new ways to access the site appeared, now in the UK it is easier than before to reach TPB

Parents with any sense will have some sort of parental control filtering enabled anyway, personally if I had kids I wouldn't let them use the net unsupervised anyway

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh Lord, what a poor show on Cameron's part.

Way to disrespect a free internet.*

Glassed Silver:mac

*PS: Before people moan: I think filtering is bad, always, on all levels. Monitor your children, don't filter them.

However, I do believe regardless of that, filtering should ALWAYS be opt-in, never practically opt-out and certainly there shouldn't be laws of that kind as seen above.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

waiting for the politicians ISP roster to get leaked so we can see who has the porn turned on xD

also **** off cameron

does thsis count for scotland? I assume it will but sometimes/a lot of the time these laws and such are england and wales only. Glorious Mr Salmond makes better rules for us up here

like free education and free prescriptions.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

OH **** OFF!!

Orange had an "error" about a month ago which I am going to guess was related to this where a large number of people had "Adult Sites" blocked by default, so this included websites like Reddit

Sure Reddit contains adult imagery but only if you go to certain parts of it, blanket blocking the whole site was uncalled for.

You know that is exactly what is going to happen here, and it will just start out as pornography and then slowly creep to larger and larger areas

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It would be completely counter-productive. If a block is put up I'd think it'll actually encourage more kids to get round it just for the challenge. Self defeating. Plus in every school up and down the land all the nerdier kids will be giving out ways to get round it for the kudos.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please, just f*** off Cameron.

Ha ha, so right! These idiots in governments worry about bull**** instead of the real issues! Sex in any way, shape, or form has and ALWAYS will be part of the human condition!

Nanny state where the government decides everything for you :rolleyes:

Yes, the United Kingdom and Australia are probably the worst, with Dutch and USA very quickly getting there!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What about the bad guys who use it as an alternative to attacking women, can't access porn, where do they turn to next, real people ?

Not just that, but depending on how the filter works, it is highly likely it will block non adult sites due to something stupid like an advert for underwear, or an advert to a dating site

Unless it blocks adult ads too, any form of ad blocking would be ok :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So I take it this will only affect new PC users? Or eveyone?

I would assume once it goes live, the next time you connect / use the net, you`ll be met with the opt-in or opt-out terms of service

If you opt-in you are put on the sex offenders watch list :laugh:

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not just that, but depending on how the filter works, it is highly likely it will block non adult sites due to something stupid like an advert for underwear, or an advert to a dating site

This worries me the most too. Aside from the whole nanny state thing.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This worries me the most too. Aside from the whole nanny state thing.

I'm not fussed about internet filtering, its pointless and counter-productive, like I said earlier, block a site and people go to the ends of the earth to make it accessible again, generally making it easier than it was in the first place

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nanny state where the government decides everything for you :rolleyes:

to be fair the UK is a country where they cant control their drinking habits, wont look after them expect the health service too, wont look after their kids - social services do that!

ppl depend too much on the government to tell/force them to do stuff..........an entire generation that needs parents basically!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The only upside is that the Daily Mail should be on the filtered list - 75% of the "stories" on the right side of the site ("The Side Bar of Shame") are mostly naked celebrities.

So to whom can we report such filth? :shifty:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

to be fair the UK is a country where they cant control their drinking habits, wont look after them expect the health service too, wont look after their kids - social services do that!

ppl depend too much on the government to tell/force them to do stuff..........an entire generation that needs parents basically!

I was about to jump down your throat for that comment, then noticed you live in London :laugh:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was about to jump down your throat for that comment, then noticed you live in London :laugh:

i think this video explains it all, ignore the lyrics just watch the video :D london!!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i think this video explains it all, ignore the lyrics just watch the video :D london!!!!

lol yea I remember the London riots very well, I was checking sites that showed where the biggest riots were and trying to direct my brother home the safest route at 8 or 9pm and he had to go straight between two of the main riots using public transport

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This topic is now closed to further replies.