Mass Internet censorship to go live in the UK

[Chaos Warp]

Not sure where that site is based. I just know they do a lot of spoof/comedy stuff like that.

Ah, okay. 

[iDEATH]

I wonder what this means for sites or stores like iTunes,or YouTube or even Netflix. I mean those things already have age censors.

 

 

Exactly, or what about sites like Facebook or Youtube that could possibly have things not suitable for children? What about news sites with images of war?

 

There's just so many what if scenarios in this that means it either can't possibly work or it'll just block half the internet.

[Detective Shadzter]

There's always the top shelf in your local newsagent

[KHCast]

Could this bleed into video game censorship? I mean with things like Steam and gaming beginning to rely on Internet more and more...

[Detective Shadzter]

What if Cameron censors stores like Ann Summers that sell lingerie and adult toys/DVDs/etc? Imagine everything wrapped in black plastic or in a plain box with just an SEL (Shelf Edge Label) saying what it is. 

[Stacy]

Fuck it I am just going to tell them I want see BIG AMERIKAN TITTIES!

 

Seriously this Child Friendly Cock Block is some Edwardian horeshit and it won't stop Paedophilia and Child Abuse at all. While I am glad they trying to clamp down on Child Porn why does have to be at the expansive of Legal Internet Users?

 

They probably doing this after embarrassing aftermath that was the Jimmy Savile scandal. So they are putting on a tough image against Paedophilia, the Sun, Daily Mail and all those types of papers will eat this up.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if this a test bed for cracking down on Piracy and then stuff like Wiki Leaks.

[Stasis]

I know this is a stupid idea by DC, but it's not that big of a deal. Just get the filters turned off. I'm on Vodafone PAYG for my mobile, and to access anything considered 18+ material I just had to log online, enter a code and that was it. Everything was available straight away, no problems, no questions asked. Yes, it's an unnecessary filter that I didn't ask for and didn't want, but it took about one minute to ignore it for years. 

 

Video's or game related media already require age verification before being viewed or purchased so I can't see them being effected by this.

[PSI Wind]

The huge problem is that America will probably put this in effect as well.

[iDEATH]

I know this is a stupid idea by DC, but it's not that big of a deal. Just get the filters turned off. I'm on Vodafone PAYG for my mobile, and to access anything considered 18+ material I just had to log online, enter a code and that was it. Everything was available straight away, no problems, no questions asked. Yes, it's an unnecessary filter that I didn't ask for and didn't want, but it took about one minute to ignore it for years. 

 

Video's or game related media already require age verification before being viewed or purchased so I can't see them being effected by this.

 

It's not a big deal as long as you subscribe to the "If you've nothing to hide you've nothing to fear" mentality. It's not a worry we should have to have at all.

 

Though I'll admit, as long as it doesn't go any further than this simple, no porn, say you want porn, get porn system it's not the end of the world. But it's worrying that the government is starting to take baby steps to censor the internet, that's a huge fucking deal.

Edited July 22, 2013 by Jake Bird

[Milo]

"Protecting the children" has to be, bar none, the most convenient excuse ever to try suppressing something you find offensive.

 

Also, relevant since it was from the SOPA/PIPA thread from a year and a half ago.

 

Actually for those in the UK, according to the BBC, while the US is planning to tighten their laws and the UK is planning to relax theirs

 

Oh the fucking irony

 

"Oh the fucking irony," indeed.

 

Last, but not least:

 

They can take our lives, they can take our freedom, but they'll never take our POOOOOORRRRRRNNNNNN!!!!

 

Edited July 22, 2013 by Gabe the Grouch

[Boomer]

They don't seem to understand that there is a huge difference between people that watch porn and pedophiles. It is the weakest correlation I can think of.

I also find it humourous how they are "cracking down" on this yet they don't give a flying fuck about them playing CoD for example. It reminds me of them covering up cigarettes in supermarkets as "the colours will attract kids into smoking" yet they have aisles upon aisles of alcohol (they even promote it during wine festivals for example.)

tl;dr Shit goverment are shit

[Milo]

They don't seem to understand that there is a huge difference between people that watch porn and pedophiles. It is the weakest correlation I can think of.

I also find it humourous how they are "cracking down" on this yet they don't give a flying fuck about them playing CoD for example. It reminds me of them covering up cigarettes in supermarkets as "the colours will attract kids into smoking" yet they have aisles upon aisles of alcohol (they even promote it during wine festivals for example.)

tl;dr Shit goverment are shit

 

I also find that rather interesting, considering that in Europe it's violent content that's frowned upon, whereas sexual content it's not frowned upon as much if not  given a pass entirely. Can't help but wonder if this bill is under American influences or had input from American corporations...

[Autosaver]

Kids don't 'accidentally' hop onto porn. All the horny UK teenagers are upset now.

 

But yeah, this is pretty stupid. Just make it so you can sign up for this program. Don't enable it on by default.

this is why murica is best country

[Mauro Fonseca]

I also find that rather interesting, considering that in Europe it's violent content that's frowned upon, whereas sexual content it's not frowned upon as much if not  given a pass entirely. Can't help but wonder if this bill is under American influences or had input from American corporations...

UK is not Europe, and Europe is not a collective entity. Different cultures. In this case, the bill is being passed by connection with anti-paedophilia. No need for conspiracies about the US, that's your explanation for all the support it's getting, the media spent a decade transforming paedophiles into such boogeymen that you had mobs attacking pediatricians.

[Autosaver]

Anyone else find it funny that this was done while everyone was focusing over the royal baby? Perfect timing.

[Stacy]

I do remember when I was 15 typing in Sonic The Hedgehog in Google Images and seeing a drawing of Tails and Sonic having 16 Inch Penises. I don't remember being scarred for life but I do remember saying "what the fuck is this shite?". 

Edited July 22, 2013 by BW199148

[Mollfie]

I would like to know what they consider porn and un-family-friendly because I imagine that their view and my view would differ. Also, what would this mean for hentai, furry art etc? It's still technically porn so I guess that's banned to? Is this just a ban on full blown depictions of sex, or also erotic art, or nudity in general? Where would they be drawing the line and who gets the decide this?

 

Honestly, I can only think of maybe one or two times in my entire online life that I accidentally found porn though searching for stuff online. Once was simply through a spelling mistake when looking for an innocent website. Clicked on the wrong one, page of naked ladies, boobs and vaginas.Click back and on to the correct website. No mental scarring here.  I learnt to be more careful plus Google sort of blocks a lot of stuff anyway, but my parents never blocked stuff on the computer because they didn't know how, I was just told to not look at porn because my mum thought it was degrading to women and my dad said it would fill the computer with viruses which would break it. I also wasn't all that interested really.

 

Also, in relation to this being more influenced by trying to crack down on paedophilia. I was always under the impression that it was really hard to find child porn unless you know where to look? Like there's a weird underground part of the internet for all the really awful stuff that normal search engines won't let you get to? I dunno how it works but I was always under that impression. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Edited July 22, 2013 by Mollfie

[Tara]

Kids don't 'accidentally' hop onto porn.

I would have to disagree with that entirely.  Not every search result gets past Google, for instance, and it goes without saying that the vast number of non-pornographic but nevertheless sexually explicit parodies of innocent children's characters making their way on YouTube really do leave parents with a lot to worry about.  Not that I'm trying to justify these measures or anything, but I do see where they're coming from.

 

Also, in relation to this being more influenced by trying to crack down on paedophilia. I was always under the impression that it was really hard to find child porn unless you know where to look? Like there's a weird underground part of the internet for all the really awful stuff that normal search engines won't let you get to? I dunno how it works but I was always under that impression. Correct me if I'm wrong.

I can't speak for the "porn community" if that's actually a thing, but the ToS of pretty much every website, to include FaceBook, YouTube, and every single web hosting service I've ever used, explicitly state that any material which exploits children in a provocative manner will instantly get you terminated from the server.  I've seen some servers that state that if you upgrade to a paid plan, they let you post adult material as long as it doesn't involve children.  Basically, if someone is hosting a site dedicated to that sort of content, the last thing they're going to want to do is to make it mainstream.  That's basically why these "protective" measures will ultimately fail.  It would be like outlawing the Saw movies to combat serial killers.  It wouldn't work.

 

Anyway, yeah, this is a classic case of the government trying to take the parents' job.  I understand the internet is a scary place and all, but the community as a whole should not be blamed just because parents are technologically impaired.  It's not that hard, guys.  If you don't understand how to keep your kids off of certain sites, then learn.  If you can't learn, then don't let them use the internet at all.  That's all there is to it.

 

Here's hoping this kind of censorship does not spread further.

[Covskin]

A co-worker once searched for the lyrics to "Girl From Ipanema". She clicked a link, immediately clicked back saying "Well, there was a girl, but I don't think she was from Ipanema..."

 

 

Also, in relation to this being more influenced by trying to crack down on paedophilia. I was always under the impression that it was really hard to find child porn unless you know where to look? Like there's a weird underground part of the internet for all the really awful stuff that normal search engines won't let you get to? I dunno how it works but I was always under that impression. Correct me if I'm wrong.

I always had the same impression (not that I'm going to test the theory). Google etc. already do block certain terms like that already, or at the very least typing blatent terms into a search engine gets picked up by cyber forces.

[Autosaver]

I would have to disagree with that entirely.

 

It was more of a joke to go along with the rest of the post - horny teenagers.

[Tara]

It was more of a joke to go along with the rest of the post - horny teenagers.

I've been having the problem of being unable to recognize obvious jokes a lot lately...

[iDEATH]

So apparently this has stemmed from a campaign the Daily Mail has been running for the past while? Their "War on Porn"?

 

So the government is now taking advice, and putting actual policy into practice based on the most idiotic, knuckledragging, homophobic, racist, bigoted piece of shit in print? Nice one Dave.

 

It may also interest you to know that today, the Mail ran an article claiming it had "won the war on porn" mere pages away from pictures of a 17 year old girl in a Bikini and an invitation to go online and ogle her some more?

 

Reminds me of a game Graeme Linehan used to say he'd play. On any day the daily mail runs a story about a peadophille, calling him/her scum and calling for castration, go on thier website and search for the term "She's all grown up".

You'll be greeted with countless articles about the nubile duaghters of celebs celebrating their sixteenth birthday.

"Look, *insert celeb's name here*'s daughter has turned sixteen, we can look at her tits! Everybody....look! Her tits!".

Edited July 22, 2013 by Jake Bird

[Katzii]

People are aware that something called "parental controls" have existed for years now, right? Believe me, if my Dad of all people was capable of setting up internet restrictions when I was a kid, then anybody should be able to do it.

 

Oh, there are definitely such things as parental controls...  Shame most parents are too negligent to actually try and look out for their kids.

 

The Internet has been around for decades now, and it's only at this point in time that they feel the need to start blocking it for us?  Ridiculous.

[Covskin]

It may also interest you to know that today, the Mail ran an article claiming it had "won the war on porn" mere pages away from pictures of a 17 year old girl in a Bikini and an invitation to go online and ogle her some more?

 

Reminds me of a game Graeme Linehan used to say he'd play. On any day the daily mail runs a story about a peadophille, calling him/her scum and calling for castration, go on thier website and search for the term "She's all grown up".

You'll be greeted with countless articles about the nubile duaghters of celebs celebrating their sixteenth birthday.

"Look, *insert celeb's name here*'s daughter has turned sixteen, we can look at her tits! Everybody....look! Her tits!".

The best ever example of this was their reaction to the Brass Eye peadophilia special. An amazing satire that went straight over their heads, their article complaining about it was next to a close-up photo of pre-teen princesses in bikinis. (second paragraph).

 

I would recommend watching that by the way, its on Youtube. Genius stuff.

Edited July 22, 2013 by Covskin

[Tara]

The Internet has been around for decades now, and it's only at this point in time that they feel the need to start blocking it for us?  Ridiculous.

To be fair, it's only been a relatively short time since it's become prominent.  Beforehand, it was so slow that doing anything over the internet for longer than you had to was more burdenous than entertaining.  There was no reason to block it when only a few people had that kind of dedication.  The fact that the internet has become as important to us as it has sort of by default makes it an area of concern.

 

Which is why it baffles me that we live in an age where parents know of the dangers of the internet, but refuse to restrict their access by themselves.  It's like, "Oh, I don't want little Timmy browsing smut, but I don't want to take away his computer either!  Whatever shall I do?!"

Edited July 22, 2013 by Akito