BT and Virgin urge “education” to beat online porn
Two of Britain’s biggest internet service providers have spoken out against the government’s plans to censor web pornography by arguing that education will prove more effective.
Ed Vaizey, the government’s communications minister, wishes to tackle X-rated content by instructing ISPs to block all such content unless users specifically request to view it.
Contributing to an online debate in The Telegraph both BT and Virgin expressed concern that the plans hadn’t been thought through, observing that defining the boundaries of adult content, attributing responsibility for the censorship and a litany of practical and legal issues have not been addressed.
Tim O’Sullivan, BT’s public affairs director, said: “BT offers parental controls and we believe such controls and education are the best way to approach he issue.”
These views were echoed by Virgin’s head of Broadband, Duncan Higgins, who concurred that the government ought to: “focus on parental engagement and education.”