Sunday, December 16, 2012
Government rejects default porn filtering for internet
The Independent reports that the Government has rejected calls for internet providers to be forced to automatically filter websites for online pornography.
They say that a joint report by the Home Office and the Department for Education concluded that a public consultation found "little appetite" for default filtering by internet service providers.
However, ministers will ask ISPs to configure their systems to "actively encourage" people to switch on parental controls if there are children in the household using the internet.
This is actually a victory for commonsense, not because I believe in a free-for-all but because it will hopefully put to an end to the view prevalent amongst some politicians, that the internet can be somehow controlled. It cannot.
The report itself underlines that, quoting expert advice that default filtering can create a false sense of security as not all harmful content is blocked, and it does not encourage parents to learn about keeping their children safe online.
The best protection for children is parental vigilance. Government and Internet companies should be focussing on educating adults how to keep their children safe instead of seeking technological solutions that provide a false sense of security.
They say that a joint report by the Home Office and the Department for Education concluded that a public consultation found "little appetite" for default filtering by internet service providers.
However, ministers will ask ISPs to configure their systems to "actively encourage" people to switch on parental controls if there are children in the household using the internet.
This is actually a victory for commonsense, not because I believe in a free-for-all but because it will hopefully put to an end to the view prevalent amongst some politicians, that the internet can be somehow controlled. It cannot.
The report itself underlines that, quoting expert advice that default filtering can create a false sense of security as not all harmful content is blocked, and it does not encourage parents to learn about keeping their children safe online.
The best protection for children is parental vigilance. Government and Internet companies should be focussing on educating adults how to keep their children safe instead of seeking technological solutions that provide a false sense of security.
