Internet porn clampdown “unworkable”
Internet porn consumers are to be spared a government crackdown after industry figures castigated the plans as “unworkable” and “difficult to implement”.
The measures had been tabled in an attempt to protect children from exposure to smut by instructing ISPs to block all pornography from home internet connections by default, unless an adult specifically requests to view it.
This would force homeowners to contact their ISP in person to either specify which adult sites they wish to view or to pick a censorship classification such as U, 12 or 18.
Current parental controls allow this but require an adult to set them up, a so called “opt out” system. The new plan would require an “opt in” before porn could be viewed.
Broadband providers including BT, Virgin Media and Talk Talk are being called to a meeting in January to discuss the idea, but it is expected to receive short shrift.
The companies complain that the plans haven’t been thought through and would require creation of a new quango to oversee.