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Porn in the United Kingdom to become opt-in
Not one to let the hyperconservative Australian government walk away with the censorship crown, the UK government plans to make the surfing of Internet porn opt-in. Next month, Communications Minister Ed Vaizey will meet with major UK ISPs to discuss a blanket block of porn. Rather than porn being available to all, UK surfers will have to contact their ISP to be allowed on a 'porn surfing whitelist.'In customary political masquerading style, this is being pushed through as a "think of the kids!!" measure. It recently emerged that as many as one-in-three children under 10 in the UK has seen pornography on the Internet, and the government, spearheaded by Conservative MP Claire Perry, wants to protect those kids at all costs. The irony is, it's not like 10-year-olds have their own computers and Internet connections -- they are either viewing porn at home, at a friend's house, or at school. If dad, or mom, opts into the porn whitelist, we're back at square one.
Of course, the other option is that mom and dad swear off the porn altogether, for the sake of the children. But is that really a fair system? Isn't that just censorship, dressed up as something else?
"Oh, yeah, we're making alcohol opt-in too. Most children are abused by drunken parents... and you don't want to abuse your kids, right?" While we're at it, how about a special ID card that lets you buy pornographic magazines and DVDs from shops? Why should the Internet be treated differently?
Seriously, the reasoning behind this program is that porn is damaging to children. As in, on a mental health level, children are being scarred by the early viewing of porn. Why porn, instead of violent imagery? Is porn really more perverse than the face-planting, gonad-thumping masochism readily available on YouTube? Will video games be next, and will you have to carry them in brown paper bags?
Comments
20
Subscribe to commentsDuffinDec 20th 2010 8:58AM
I find this really strange, actually. Usually the UK is the complete opposite where violence is considered worse than sexuality.
Sebastian AnthonyDec 20th 2010 8:59AM
@Duffin Yeah, England -- and most of Europe -- is usually like that. The whole anti-porn thing is very 'American' indeed. Europe quite famously has topless girls in our newspapers. America blurs out fingers, and cleavage, but is fine with roundhouse kicks and decapitation.
*shrugs*
IanDec 20th 2010 10:42AM
@Sebastian Anthony Could be that UK recently took many American habits?
insanelyappleDec 20th 2010 9:09AM
I really want to gratulate you for using The Sun as source...
Sebastian AnthonyDec 20th 2010 9:42AM
@insanelyapple It was that, or Mashable...
KorangulationDec 20th 2010 9:39AM
Sebastien, you're getting your arms up over nothing. This has been widely mis-reported and a tech site should do it's research better:
http://www.metro.co.uk/news/850896-new-porn-controls-for-children-on-internet-planned-by-government
From the article: "He hopes to introduce a system that would enable parents to ask internet service providers (ISPs) to block adult sites at source, rather than relying on parental controls that they need to set themselves. Adults using the internet connection would then have to specifically 'opt in' if they want to view pornography."
Basically, by default, ISPs won't filter anything. Adults can CHOOSE to block porn websites directly at the ISP level (instead of say, installing filters at home which are easily overcome and too technical for most people). If an adult CHOOSES to block the websites, they then have to opt-in to view them.
Sebastian AnthonyDec 20th 2010 9:42AM
@Korangulation Hey!
I think this comes down to interpretation. Quite a few sources have the blanket-block-requiring-opt-in story, including the Guardian:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/dec/19/broadband-sex-safeguard-children-vaizey
winecurmudgeonDec 20th 2010 9:49AM
The biggest question, of course, is what constitutes porn. Yes, some of it is obvious. But some of it isn't. Who will make that decision? That's the truly scary part, when the government -- and any government -- is allowed to make that decision.
Sebastian AnthonyDec 20th 2010 9:53AM
@winecurmudgeon yes INDEED! Good point.
The UK passed a law last year (or the year before) which outlawed more 'aberrated' types of porn. It basically defined anything as non-vaginal porn as 'bad'.
ragtagDec 20th 2010 1:28PM
@Sebastian Anthony
That's damn homophobic of them. Gay porn is all non-vaginal, and thus outlawed by that definition.
PonTelonDec 21st 2010 10:56AM
@Sebastian Anthony Not that I don't believe you, but can you post a link to the "Abarated" law? I want to link it to someone, but Lord Google is having difficulties finding it. :/
JonnyDec 20th 2010 10:17AM
Glad I don't live in the UK. Seems like a socialist / communist dictatorship. Oh wait, it is!
kojo87Dec 20th 2010 1:24PM
@Jonny
you seem to know a lot about it for not living there.
BiggusDiccusDec 21st 2010 10:36AM
@Jonny
You're dumb
Martin-TDec 20th 2010 12:09PM
When my kids were young, I tried several commercial products to filter their content. I found myself constantly entering my password to allow them to get onto legitimate websites. Is this problem going to exist with government 'filtering'?
ragtagDec 20th 2010 1:26PM
@Martin-T Yes.
JonnyDec 20th 2010 4:52PM
@kojo87 That's because I have to hear about it all the time from the Brits in my area who have essentially run for their lives. Interestingly enough, apparently English culture almost doesn't even exist anymore. The country has turned muslim.
Sebastian AnthonyDec 20th 2010 1:33PM
@ragtag Yep. It's a crazy law :)
I might not have all the details right though. It's something like... the porn can not depict anything 'harmful'.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/01/24/extreme_pron_law_live/ -- more info
Sebastian AnthonyDec 20th 2010 5:04PM
@Jonny http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demography_of_the_United_Kingdom#Religion
Sebastian AnthonyDec 21st 2010 11:02AM
@PonTelon Think it's this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Section_63_of_the_Criminal_Justice_and_Immigration_Act_2008