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The UK's Internet Porn Filter and Fighting Censorship Creep

Posted by Soulskill on from the won't-somebody-think-of-the-children dept.

An anonymous reader writes "The Guardian takes the UK government's internet porn filter to task by pointing out how absurd the opt-out process is: 'Picture the scene. You're pottering about on the internet, perhaps idly looking up cake recipes, or videos of puppies learning to howl. Then the phone rings. It's your internet service provider. Actually, it's a nice lady in a telesales warehouse somewhere, employed on behalf of your service provider; let's call her Linda. Linda is calling because, thanks to David Cameron's "porn filter", you now have an "unavoidable choice", as one of 20 million British households with a broadband connection, over whether to opt in to view certain content. Linda wants to know – do you want to be able to see hardcore pornography? How about information on illegal drugs? Or gay sex, or abortion? Your call may be recorded for training and monitoring purposes. How about obscene and tasteless material? Would you like to see that? Speak up, Linda can't hear you.' The article also points out how the filter is being used as a tool for private industry to protect their profits. 'The category of "obscene content", for instance, which is blocked even on the lowest setting of BT's opt-in filtering system, covers "sites with information about illegal manipulation of electronic devices [and] distribution of software" – in other words, filesharing and music downloads, debate over which has been going on in parliament for years.'"

39 of 234 comments (clear)

  1. This is why I like being old by boristdog · · Score: 5, Insightful

    As a 50 year-old man nearing retirement, I can emphatically say "Hell yes!" to all of those questions.

    And I'll let Linda know that I'll be wankin' it to much of that aforementioned content. While smoking weed.

    1. Re:This is why I like being old by i+kan+reed · · Score: 3, Informative

      Yeah, me too. I have a relationship that would stand up to a "porn's okay" conversation.

    2. Re:This is why I like being old by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Say that things are commonly misfiltered and that Google already filters for that so it's rather unlikely to show up, and if it does you'll report it to the authorities.

    3. Re:This is why I like being old by Savage-Rabbit · · Score: 4, Insightful

      As a 50 year-old man nearing retirement, I can emphatically say "Hell yes!" to all of those questions.

      And I'll let Linda know that I'll be wankin' it to much of that aforementioned content. While smoking weed.

      Making poor Linda suffer for the fact that this unfortunate job has been foisted upon her would not achieve anything. Statistically Linda is highly likely to be a single mom or one half of a low income family and I can't blame her for not being reluctant to take a stand over this and risk losing her job over it. David Cameron, the conservative party and UKIP (out of fear of whom the Tories are doing this and who really deserve your scorn) can, however, shove their entire censorship program where the sun does not shine along with all of the hypocritical spin about how censorship measures that are only rivalled by those used by communist China and Saudi Arabia are being introduced in a democratic country in the name of protecting 'freedom' and 'moral values'.

      --
      Only to idiots, are orders laws.
      -- Henning von Tresckow
    4. Re:This is why I like being old by carlos92 · · Score: 3, Informative

      ISP agent: The blocked content includes child pornography, madam.
      Linda: Thanks for reminding me that, I will make sure I block CP on my end. I just don't want you or the Government to block pictures of my grandchildren in the swimming pool or something like that.

      This reminds me of a project where my team worked from the client's office, and we had to ask the client to let view porn, because their f***ing content filter thought Java source files were porn because they had some comments marked with XXX (standard Java notation to indicate areas that are kluged up or need to be).

    5. Re:This is why I like being old by grahammm · · Score: 2

      And I'll let Linda know that I'll be wankin' it to much of that aforementioned content. While smoking weed.

      Linda: The blocked content includes child pornography sir.

      What will you do now?

      Reply, "so sign me up to the filter which ONLY blocks child pornography."

    6. Re:This is why I like being old by noh8rz10 · · Score: 3, Funny

      how the heck are you a 50 year old man nearing retirement? In US you'd be halfway through your working life.

    7. Re:This is why I like being old by BasilBrush · · Score: 5, Informative

      I'm sorry, but I have no sympathy for people who take jobs that largely consist of annoying people. And that includes all cold-calling. We should do nothing to make their job easier and everything to make their job harder.

    8. Re:This is why I like being old by lgw · · Score: 5, Funny

      You have a sexy voice Linda. What are you wearing? Obscene content you say? Describe it to me in detail, so that I can make an informed decision.

      --
      Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
    9. Re:This is why I like being old by the+eric+conspiracy · · Score: 2

      It isn't that hard if you reject consumerism and learn how to invest properly (see John Bogle).

      Speaking from personal experience.

    10. Re:This is why I like being old by ILongForDarkness · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Speaking of "porns okay" wouldn't it be nice if you could only opt into good porn. Yes I want adult material but only that which meets the following criteria. Think of the thousands of hours you could save if you didn't have to search :)

    11. Re:This is why I like being old by boristdog · · Score: 2

      How did I do it? Let's see:

      I live in a small house that I built myself on land I bought cheap outside town many years ago. I also bought more of that "cheap" land that is now worth 3x to 5x what I paid for it, so I can sell it later.

      Saving and investing about 1/3 of my income. Dumped as much as I could stand into the market after the 2008-2009 crash. Lost some, made far more.

      I'm building some alternative income streams now to keep the do-re-mi flowing.

      I still travel a lot and spend way too much money on my pets and various hobbies, but I should be able to retire in 5 years and continue my wanton ways. It helps that the wife and I both have good-paying tech jobs.

    12. Re:This is why I like being old by rueger · · Score: 2

      It isn't that hard if you reject consumerism and learn how to invest properly

      And are lucky,

      And don't suffer a major illness which takes you out of the workforce for several years. Or which, in the US, has to be paid for with your life savings or by selling your home.

      And don't invest is supposedly safe things that tank during a major economic recession. The things that supposedly highly trained investment advisors told you to buy. (or are you suggesting that every single person regardless of background, intelligence, and education should be expected to play the markets on their own??)

      And don't find your previously well-paying job shipped offshore, leaving you working at McDonalds.

      And of course, lets not forget that many millions of people were promised by both industry and government that if they worked hard in their jobs for the requisite 35+ years they would receive a decent pension at age 65 and would be allowed to relax and enjoy their so-called golden years.

      Those people have been shafted in the most a callous and despicable fashion, and with no plausible reason. The demographic age bubble has been rolling along for more than half a century, and everyone knew it. There's no reasonable excuse why the various pension schemes couldn't have been managed in a responsible way so that the promises made to these ordinary working people would be honored.

      It's time to stop blaming the victims that are struggling to live in retirement poverty, and start blaming the businesses and governments that are putting them there.

      --
      Three Squirrels
    13. Re:This is why I like being old by ultranova · · Score: 2

      Making poor Linda suffer for the fact that this unfortunate job has been foisted upon her would not achieve anything. Statistically Linda is highly likely to be a single mom or one half of a low income family and I can't blame her for not being reluctant to take a stand over this and risk losing her job over it.

      Unfortunately, this leads to a rather bleak conclusion about the future of our societies. After all, if Linda won't stand up to creeping tyranny, then who will? China?

      Perhaps it's time to admit you can't have a free society when people's income depends on other people's goodwill and institute guaranteed minimum income sufficient to live on. The alternative seems to be continued Finlandization of individuals in relation to corporations and political entities their livelihood depends on. As has been noted, you never know who might be posting pictures of you partying on your free time to Facebook, and how they might affect your future employment prospects. The world is becoming a panopticon; the only real question is: do you want the warden to have power over you?

      --

      Forget magic. Any technology distinguishable from divine power is insufficiently advanced.

    14. Re:This is why I like being old by AmiMoJo · · Score: 4, Insightful

      If you are unemployed and the local call centre is hiring then your choice is to take the job or lose your benefits.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    15. Re:This is why I like being old by TheGratefulNet · · Score: 3, Insightful

      wrong way to approach this.

      the right way is: "I don't search for CP, and so it won't be an issue."

      --

      --
      "It is now safe to switch off your computer."
  2. "Yes across the board." by grub · · Score: 5, Insightful


    I would hope Linda and others would have the fortitude to say "Yes across the board" and hang up. It's better to face the odd goatse than to have the government spoon feed you.

    --
    Trolling is a art,
  3. The answer is simple by TheNastyInThePasty · · Score: 5, Informative

    "I do not wish to have the government choose for me which content is appropriate for my viewing. Unblock all of it. If I am worried about what my children will get into, I will monitor them myself or purchase configurable child blocking software. Thank you. Have a nice day."

    --
    The best thing about UDP jokes is I don't care if you get them or not
    1. Re:The answer is simple by Seumas · · Score: 2

      "Sir, I'm sorry, but I'm obligated to receive individual confirmation of each item on the list. Can we continue, now, please?"

    2. Re:The answer is simple by Doghouse13 · · Score: 2

      Agreed. My response is more terse, along the lines of, "I object on principle to having my potential internet access censored."

  4. "Yeah baby" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    No big deal, I'll just make it equally creepy for Linda

  5. really? by lagomorpha2 · · Score: 4, Informative

    How hard is it to say, "Give me the total freedom package and piss off!"?

    1. Re:really? by bluefoxlucid · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The British have one thing over America: They know how to say "Piss off!" in every situation imaginable. Americans just get all hot and whimper and then bend over. Violence is bad here, it's taught as "not the solution", and all aggression is looked down upon; we've forgotten how to push back, to shout at people, and to react to someone trying to kill us by throwing a brick at them instead of crying and ducking under a chair.

      In America, it would be like, "ohgod, I uh, please don't call me, I don't want to talk about stuff like that it's uncomfortable!"

      --
      Support my political activism on Patreon.
    2. Re:really? by Antipater · · Score: 5, Funny

      Americans just get all hot and whimper and then bend over

      Just phrase it as "Obama is coming to take your porn!" That'll get 'em riled up good.

      --
      Everything is better with chainsaws.
    3. Re:really? by lagomorpha2 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Nah, over here it would be the other way around. Rumors would start about the government subsidizing adult content and the next thing you know the Right in the US would be screaming about protecting the children from Obamaporn.

    4. Re:really? by dirk · · Score: 2

      Americans just get all hot and whimper and then bend over.

      This post is now potentially blocked in the UK.

      --

      "Information wants to be expensive" - Stewart Brand, the same guy who said "Information wants to be free"
    5. Re:really? by Antipater · · Score: 2

      Sorry, but many of the statistics in your post are wildly incorrect.

      No employment has not gone up steadily throughout his term.

      CPS Table A-1 Historical Data: Employment bottomed in December 2009 at 138.025 million. Since then it has risen steadily (with a few hiccups here and there). As of November's data, employment is at 144.386 million. If you want to talk about job growth rather than employment, CES Table B-1 shows we've had steady positive jobs growth since the "double dip" scare in 2010. Every single month since September 2010 has had net jobs created.

      note how the U6 number has continued to climb up under his presidency

      U6 peaked at 17.1% in April 2010, and has been on a downward trend ever since. It is currently at 13.2%. Source

      while we're doing this, note that the labor participation rate continues to fall through the floor like a brick

      This is accurate, and "continues" is the proper word to use. Labor participation peaked in 2000 and has been trending downward since. It flattened out during the bubble years ('05-'07), steepened again during the recession, and is now back down to where it would have been had it never deviated from the '01-'04 trendline. Source (table A-1 again from above). While not a good thing, the aging of the baby boom generation cannot be attributed to economic policies of any president or any Congress. Economic policies don't stop people from getting old and retiring.

      --
      Everything is better with chainsaws.
  6. Definition. by nospam007 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I guess for the ruling party, the opposition would be 'obscene'.

    1. Re:Definition. by Trepidity · · Score: 2

      Will be interesting to see if it applies to their own. If an MP has a racist rant on their site, will the "extremist" filter flag it? Will Enoch Powell's speeches on YouTube get the axe? Guess: no.

      --
      10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
  7. Re:Please ... by MozeeToby · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Does "drugs" block sites such as those advocating an end to marijuana prohibition? Does "gay sex" block sites such as support sites for homosexual teens? I suspect yes and yes; if not intentionally every time then at least unintentionally some of the time. So no, you damn well won't censor any of my communications with the outside world.

  8. Here's what I'd say, and what YOU should say: by kheldan · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "Internet censorship, in any way, shape, or form, is wrong, and I for one do not support it nor will I endure it, because while ostensibly it is to 'protect the children!', it is inevitably mis-used as a tool by politicians to further their own political and social agendas, and by proxy it is further mis-used by big business to increase their profits by silencing their competition. Lastly it has been proven time and time again that using blacklists to censor the internet simply does not work, and it inevitably will block perfectly 'acceptable' content while sometimes allowing 'unacceptable' content through. Therefore I do not wish to have anything to do with anything having to do with any form of censorship, please do not include me in it, and please do not bother me about this subject again."

    --
    Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
    1. Re:Here's what I'd say, and what YOU should say: by kheldan · · Score: 2

      I think you need to differentiate between "censorship" and "illegal content". I am not in any way, shape or form going to say that, for instance, child pornography should be allowed to exist, as the people who create and traffic in such material are predators, plain and simple, and need to be dealt with as the criminals they are. However the hue and cry to 'Protect the children!' is usually disingenuous at best, used merely as an emotional ploy to further someone's agenda.

      On the other hand you may well be one of those people who truly believe that you know better what's best for all other people and for society in general, and thus your sense of moral superiority in turn makes you believe that anything you do is right and justified, regardless of the rights of others you are trampling on. If you're That Guy, then you are the one who needs to be censored, not the Internet.

      --
      Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
  9. The Nanny State by vikingpower · · Score: 5, Insightful

    is now being turned, all nice and easy, into Nanny State 2.0: a Surveillance State. Police State will be Nanny State 3.0. Rejoice, o Britons !

    --
    Religous speak to God. Insane are spoken to by God. When all shut up, one can finally hear Shostakovich in peace
    1. Re:The Nanny State by vikingpower · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Do agree. I am originally from the Netherlands, and my father once told me a story about police being respected, in the 1930s. In a pub, there was a brawl, and some knives were being drawn. Someone still sober called the police from the nearby police station. A constable arrived, opened the door, stepped inside, looked around and said: "Well, it's about time to stop this nonsense, I guess." The rest of the evening was quiet.

      --
      Religous speak to God. Insane are spoken to by God. When all shut up, one can finally hear Shostakovich in peace
  10. Re:Please ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Even if you're not interested in ever taking drugs, the experience reports on Erowid make for some damn interesting reads!

  11. Re:Please ... by Jason+Levine · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Personally, I'd respond "give me all of it" even though I have no desire to visit gay sex or drugs websites. First of all, should I decide to visit such sites in the future, I don't want to ask for permission to see them. Secondly, I don't want the government deciding what constitutes "gay sex" or "drugs" websites.

    Who is determining this and who is preventing them from abusing their position? (i.e. "You oppose me so your site is suddenly an 'undesirable' site and blocked by default.") Government shouldn't be in the business of blocking websites. If the government feels the need to do anything, they can recommend a few of the many free or pay web blocking programs and provide information on how to install/configure them on your local computers. This should appease the "think of the children" crowd without forcing the rest of us to abide by their definition of "right and wrong."

    --
    My sci-fi novel, Ghost Thief, is now available from Amazon.com.
  12. Re:Please ... by Krneki · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I guess Game of Thrones is on your block list.

    --
    Love many, trust a few, do harm to none.
  13. Re:The UK is just a fascist regime by WOOFYGOOFY · · Score: 2

    Yeah, WTF are you talking about? Do you even know? I am talking about the UK govt. classifying people like David Miranda and the papers like the Guardian as "terrorists" and you're talking about chemtrails. Then your buddys' are jumping in talking about chemtrails. What is this, a UK sponsored hijacking of my point?

    Go fucking fuck your fucking selves. The word "terrorist" can't be used to describe "anyone who pisses us off on matters of national security or business " or it will lose all meaning and take the faith of the population in government with it.

    The government has to protect it's reputation and deal with complex situations honestly if it's going to be respected.

    Those parts of the security apparatus who think they can rule nations and their people by fear and intimidation instead of representing their legitimate interests are dangerous to any nation that permits them to have access to power.

  14. And you're an asshole by Any+Web+Loco · · Score: 3, Informative

    In a perfect world we'd all be able to have jobs that didn't piss you off. Sadly, we don't live in that world and there are some people who have to take the only job that's available to them, and in some cases, that jobs going to be a job that consists of annoying you. When the alternative's starvation, any job's a good one. You're an asshole because you're advocating making life even shittier for people who may have no choice in doing the job they do.