Slashdot Mirror
Cameron Tells Pornography Websites To Block Access By Children Or Face Closure
An anonymous reader writes: Prime Minister David Cameron says that if online pornographers don't voluntarily install effective age-restricted controls on their websites he'll introduce legislation that will close them down altogether. A recent Childline poll found nearly 10% of 12-13-year-olds were worried they were addicted to pornography and 18% had seen shocking or upsetting images. The minister for internet safety and security, Joanna Shields, said: “As a result of our work with industry, more than 90% of UK consumers are offered the choice to easily configure their internet service through family-friendly filters – something we take great pride in having achieved. It’s a gold standard that surpasses those of other countries. “Whilst great progress has been made, we remain acutely aware of the risks and dangers that young people face online. This is why we are committed to taking action to protect children from harmful content. Companies delivering adult content in the UK must take steps to make sure these sites are behind age verification controls.”
Yes. Use CC verification.
It doesn't need to be perfect. A lot of adults do actually keep their credit cards safe. A lot of kids don't steal their parents' cards.
Wait, before saying it's not a technical problem, shouldn't we stop to think if it even is a problem?
Stop trying to be scientific about all this. Don't you know that if criminals view porn that viewing porn will automatically turn you into a criminal?
Heh. Bet Cameron kept a stash of girly magazines under his bed when he was 10. Because if he didn't, there'd be something wrong with him. Oh wait, he's a politician, never mind that. Although anyone whose moral fibre is weak enough to make him successful in politics probably already had subscriptions to porn when he was 10.
Instead of "Think of the Children" as consumers, maybe we should be spending more of that time, money, and effort on thinking of the children as victims in general. Being a producer isn't the same as being a consumer and the people who are exploited in making porn (as opposed to doing it willingly) aren't all children. Nor all all victims - children or otherwise - used for making porn.
A lot of what messes us up about sex isn't sex, it's the fact that we feel obligated to get messed up by sex. We can scar a person for life because of underage sexting, when the actual act and images could have been more of an "indiscretion of youth" and an embarrassment were it not for our Moral Guardians's need to come down so heavy on such things.