Lazy parenting could result in mandatory porn blocks
Friday 04 May 2012 10:13:43 by Andrew Ferguson

The coverage of the Parliamentary Inquiry into Online Child Protection two weeks ago has as yet not died away, and it would seem the Prime Minister David Cameron has stepped into the fray, after a breakfast meeting with creative-industry figures, as reported in The Times.

It appears the Prime Minister is keen to get laws changed requiring broadband providers to block graphic images by default, with adults having to opt-in to viewing this graphic content. Press coverage of internet issues is always difficult to judge, and there was back pedaling earlier this year when lots of coverage ran with similar ideas, so either mis-information has resurfaced, or mandatory filtering has always been what those in power want. BBC coverage features more on this simply being a consultation phase.

The current situation is that broadband subscribers later in 2012 will be offered a choice to block or unblock at the point of sale, known as Active Choice. The latest proposals go much further, and with providers needing to verify the person requesting any unblocking as they do with mobile services, parents who enjoy perfectly legal content when the children are in bed, may have to jump through various hoops to turn the filters off and back on again. Of course these parents could always opt-in to the content viewing, and filter the content locally, but there is likely to be lots of pressure for parents to use the network level system.

Another problem with network level filtering, is that a household can often have children of varying ages, and the blunt level of blocking that network filtering offers means that a 17 year old might be able to watch a film like Black Swan at the cinema, but web sites about the film could be blocked as it has a 15 certificate and features sexual content. Another question is what constitutes an internet porn site, some filter systems are keyword based, and thus many sites may get blocked inadvertently due to to occasional use of the word sex.

The Active Choice system proposed by the internet industry is not perfect, but with adequate promotion and support from Government, via schools, health practitioners and local libraries could result in those parents concerned about their children viewing content inappropriate for their age finding out how to control access within their household.