Original URL: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/10/12/isps_refute_pron_restriction_claims/
ISPs end PM's web smut block dream
It's just a bunch of guidelines
Posted in Law, 12th October 2011 07:29 GMT
Agentless Backup is Not a Myth
The big four ISPs – BT, Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media – have scoffed at suggestions [1] that Brit web surfers could be forced to 'opt in' to view online grumble flicks.
The proposed censorship, backed by Prime Minister David Cameron, was understood to be part of a government-supported effort to shelter children from pornography, but the ISPs say they have merely created a "code of practice".
Included in these measures is an "active choice" for customers to decide if they want to activate parental controls in the home, the four firms said in a jointly released statement.
"The ISPs have committed to improve the way they communicate to customers, enabling parents to make simple and well-informed choices about installing and activating parental controls and other measures to protect children online," the four added.
Rather than an all-out war the Tory leader appeared to launch yesterday against carnal filth, the ISPs will simply tell parents who sign up for net access to either activate child-friendly protections or choose to disable the filters.
The measures address proposals spelled out in the Bailey Report – written by Reg Bailey, CEO at Christian charity Mothers' Union and released in the summer [2] – in which Bailey asks firms to make it easier for parents to block adult and age-restricted material on the internet. ®