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Year 12s: what will be the first way you research your future options? >>

Sky the first internet provider to block porn by default

Broadband provider Sky will block adult content by default, unless users opt out, it has revealed.

The decision was announced in a blog post and will be phased in over coming weeks.
In 2013 Prime Minister David Cameron put pressure on internet service provider [ISPs] to make online filtering mandatory, saying it was the best way to protect children.
His request caused controversy among politicians and the internet industry.
Since then most of the UK's ISPs have offered filtering software for parents concerned about what their children may be able to access online but few have offered this by default, opting instead to allow parents or other customers to turn the filters on if they want them.
Sky's Broadband Shield is designed to filter out content deemed to be unsuitable for children aged under 13. It has been offered as default to new customers for a year.
But now the firm has decided to also offer it to all its existing customers, some 5.3 million in total.
In her blog post, Lyssa McGowan, Sky's brand director, explained why it was changing its policy.
"What we're doing now is simply making sure that the automatic position of Sky Broadband Shield is the safest one for all - that's 'on', unless customers choose otherwise," she said.
CensorshipIn the next few weeks Sky customers who have not chosen to either activate or disable its Broadband Shield would be emailed "giving them the opportunity to make a decision one way or the other", she said.
Once activated, users will not be able to access a filtered site without altering their settings.
Jim Killock, executive director of the Open Rights Group (ORG), was dismayed by the news.
"Censorship should never be turned on by default," he said.
"ORG's Blocked project (www.blocked.org.uk) has shown that filters block all kinds of websites, including some that provide useful advice to children and young people. Customers need to understand the implications of filters before deciding whether or not they want them."
All the UK's big four ISPs - BT, Virgin Media, Sky and TalkTalk - offer filtering systems to help parents prevent their children viewing inappropriate material online although few have decided to oblige users to adopt the system.
They have said that they will make sure all customers are aware of the filters.
In October, BT started using interrupting browsing sessions for customers who had not set up the parental controls asking them whether they wished to activate them but not obliging them to.
Most of the systems used by ISPs work at a network level, which means that all devices that connect to a home router will be subject to the same filtering system.
Andrew Ferguson, founder of broadband news site ThinkBroadband, said that parents should not rely solely on filters to protect their children from online nasties.
"As ever the filters don't block all unsavoury material so are not a replacement for parenting and the embarrassing questions all parents have to face," he said.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-30896813

What do you think?

This happened like a year ago for me, also blocked all the streamingn sites a used, admittedly I went, found my parents password and changed the settings before they noticed.

OP

Original post by Penguinfarts

This happened like a year ago for me, also blocked all the streamingn sites a used, admittedly I went, found my parents password and changed the settings before they noticed.

Yeah, I think people would find a way around it(like you did). Quite a pointless thing for sky to do.

(edited 9 years ago)

College_Dropout

Original post by Penguinfarts

This happened like a year ago for me, also blocked all the streamingn sites a used, admittedly I went, found my parents password and changed the settings before they noticed.

How old are you?

Original post by College_Dropout

How old are you?

Well while penguins are Immortal and have eternal Youth, in Human years I am 18.

Well thats dumb; I'm assuming they're not literally blocking everything supposedly inappropriate to under 18s otherwise half of the shows on on demand sites would be blocked too.

Protect children from what exactly? Presumably "adult" issues that are too full on for them? Does this include banning people's heads being chopped off on Facebook, or will that go on, seeing as the kids need to be scared into obedience from a young age? It's the boobs that are naughty - fine, makes sense :indiff:

:indiff:

P.S.: Will Sky ask customers if they have children, or wish to enable this, or does it get forced upon everyone like experiment rats in a cage? How sadly retarded that any voter would look up to the PM for addressing such a pathetic issue, but I guess that's what being conservative entails (ironically): expecting to be told what to do (reminds me of those lunatic Fox News hosts literally telling people what to do).

P.P.S.: The marriage tax versus this porn ban; one wonders if the potential damage done by watching porn as a child (didn't we all?? We seem alright) is actually worse than the damage done by dysfunctional parents arguing constantly and creating a hostile family environment, due to the financial constraints reinforced by the marriage tax, as well as the spirit of conservatism i.e. seeking social acceptance by following imbecile propaganda about what's good for kids and what isn't.

The big boy tells you to be independent, work hard and enjoy your freedom, yet deems you far too incapable to deal with your own children's behaviour regarding porn. Too ****ing stupid to decide for yourself. Too stupid to actually bring up your children. Pass them to the gov't.

(edited 9 years ago)

AOL did this donkey's years ago.

username1221160

Online filtering is great. I put the child filters on in the house to reduce the frequency at which I had to listen to my lonely sexually frustrated housemate's bed springs bounce up and down at night. Although I'm not sure I agree with them being on by default.

I don't see what they aim to achieve here, the only thing this will lead to is plenty of awkward conversations. There are plenty of Sky customers who won't have any children under 13, why should they have this forced upon them?

Everyone knows how easy it is to bypass these things anyway. If this ''Broadband shield'' can simply be turned off by logging in to the Sky router then it won't have any effect what so ever. 95% of people just the default settings, which are displayed on the router. Then there are proxies, VPN's etc which everyone knows about.

At least the others aren't following suit, ''Virgin to block porn'' would be an interesting headline.

The_Mighty_Bush

People care about "protecting" children far too much. So much so that the rights and liberties of adults (and children) becomes an unnecessary distraction to them.

OP

Original post by sr90

I don't see what they aim to achieve here, the only thing this will lead to is plenty of awkward conversations. There are plenty of Sky customers who won't have any children under 13, why should they have this forced upon them?

Everyone knows how easy it is to bypass these things anyway. If this ''Broadband shield'' can simply be turned off by logging in to the Sky router then it won't have any effect what so ever. 95% of people just the default settings, which are displayed on the router. Then there are proxies, VPN's etc which everyone knows about.

At least the others aren't following suit, ''Virgin to block porn'' would be an interesting headline.

Indeed

:lol:

I don't approve.

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