BT implements porn blocking by default for all new customers

[RavenXXX2]

British Telecom (BT) has announced that it will automatically block all adult content for new customers with immediate effect. The new policy is said to be for protecting children from seedy content on all devices connected to BT internet in your home. Previously BT's parental controls was a service aimed desktop/laptop PCs.

BT Parental Controls, a network-based filter, will be activated by default and it will require new customers to untick pre-selected blocking behaviour in order to see any blocked content. Users will be able to switch between different levels of 'moral intensity' applied to the block; choosing between light, moderate and strict filtering. Filters can be configured to be time sensitive and specific blocked sites are customisable. The account holder will be required to provide credentials in order to set up or change any of the settings.

Censorship gone mad. Are parents not capable of turning on their own porn filters? Here we have big daddy doing it for everyone by default, pathetic.

http://hexus.net/business/news/telcos/63769-bt-implements-porn-blocking-default-new-customers/

 

[kindai]

MY PORN NOOOOOOOOOOOO

Nevermind im an existing customer.

 

[Cosimo]

Big deal. You can turn the porn on if you want to.

 

[plasmahal]

Read you own info OP, you can opt out and edit the level of blocking, have time sensitive settings and open up sites as you choose.......

Stop being a drama queen....

 

[Rroff]

Big deal. You can turn the porn on if you want to.

The problem is its seen as a porn filter but often blocks a lot of content that might be completely unrelated to porn or adult but also not porn, which can cause some awkwardness in regard to getting it unblocked.

 

[Something Else]

Beginning of mass censorship and eventual ban.

 

[McBain]

BT sucks.

 

[tibbsey]

Read your own info OP, you can opt out and edit the level of blocking, have time sensitive settings and open up sites as you choose.......

I think he's well aware that you can opt out. His point was that you shouldn't have to, anything like this should be opt in.

I agree with the OP, it seems completely backwards to me.

 

[Antony101]

It's not their job to sensor the internet. If you don't want your kids viewing things online do it yourself. Parents are becoming lazy, irresponsible, entitled *****.

The fact I'd have to turn it off now when I eventually get BT Infinity is an annoyance, I'm not to bothered though.

The annoying thing is how much responsibility they are taking away from parents. Eventually being a parent is going to be such a menial task that EVERYONE will just be having them. People will become less responsible and start blaming everyone else for their children's issues.

"Oh no, my child watched some awful video on Facebook that had boobies in it."

192.168.0.1, Enter Password > Go to your routers built in security and start blocking stuff.

This isn't anything about it making us opt out. This is annoying because it's making parents dumb.

 

[Rroff]

Further good parenting starts at home IMO :S and scarily many kids over the age of about 6 seem to know how to work around content filtering these days :| (due to its use at school and you only need one half clued up kid to show a few others and before long they all can work around it).


EDIT: Looking at the filtering options it goes far beyond porn - even OcUK would be blocked on "light" settings and is apparently "abnormal" internet use.

 

[MooMoo444]

It'll probably block a lot of unintentional things.

As long as people can turn it off, it's fine. Let them have their own choice.

It's when the blocking becomes mandatory that people should be concerned.

 

[Cosimo]

The problem is its seen as a porn filter but often blocks a lot of content that might be completely unrelated to porn or adult but also not porn, which can cause some awkwardness in regard to getting it unblocked.

You're only supposing that unrelated content might be blocked and if it is then they'll unblock it. The world won't come crashing down if that happens and your kids won't care. Why should you feel award if you're not going to be asking a real person to switch it on?

 

[BunnyKillBot]

Heh, will it also block the fashion mag and gutter press websites which are basically porn. The dailyfail website has about as much much shock and gore as some of the more notorious websites, will it suffer to? What is porn? Where is the line?

All these questions and more shall not be answered zomg think of the children!!!! VOTE FOR US at next election, YOUR NOT A COMMUNIST ARE Y??????

 

[Malevolence]

I wonder if it blocks twitchers from viewing images of blue ****?

 

[Rroff]

You're only supposing that unrelated content might be blocked and if it is then they'll unblock it. The world won't come crashing down if that happens and your kids won't care. Why should you feel award if you're not going to be asking a real person to switch it on?

As long as content filtering has been around its been plagued by false positives - also I suggest you look at the options before commenting too much about it - these kind of things are seen as "porn" filters but for instance the BT one even blocks sites that mention things like alcohol on the light level and even gaming sites, etc. on some of the higher levels.

As for awkward I'm talking more about the family side of it than the actual changing of settings. For instance recently my mum needed access to certain sites (completely unrelated to porn) that were being blocked on her netbook due to the mobile operators default "adult" filter (but pretty much presented as a porn filter) as my parents are practising christians that was quite awkward all around in dealing with it.

 

[asim18]

The beginning of the end.

This is absolutely stupid. What will happen is boys will be boys, go looking for a fap, get blocked on a legitimate porn site, go to an illegitimate porn site and have a fap. No problem except they've been forced to use illegitimate sources.

What an utterly stupid and pointless idea. Or masterfully clever if you realise no one can actually be this stupid and know this is precisely the aim.....

Option 1) Get it unblocked, you'll have a marker applied to your profile at GCHQ mainframes.
Option 2) Someone in your household inevitably succumbs to underground porn sources, and gets a marker applied to the whole family's profiles at GCHQ.

 

[crazy8s]

Could make for some funny moments if the missus asks why the filter has been disabled

 

[Edward78]

Here you go. Family Guy British Porn

 

[Rroff]

The beginning of the end.

This is absolutely stupid. What will happen is boys will be boys, go looking for a fap, get blocked on a legitimate porn site, go to an illegitimate porn site and have a fap. No problem except they've been forced to use illegitimate sources.

What an utterly stupid and pointless idea.

From my experience - most of my sister's kids and cousins, etc. pretty much know how to work around your average content filtering anyhow (was asked to enable it on the router when they were over at first but they blew right past it) - as they have it at school but you always get atleast one kid smart enough to work around it or have an older family member or friend who has shown them or whatever and then they go show their friends at school and so on and before long the content filter isn't that effective.

 

[RavenXXX2]

This all down to that muppet Cameron, the sooner it's out of government the better.