Porn Filters

If they want to warn parents of 'disturbing' images why don't they just use the red triangle that was used by channel 4 about 20 years ago.

That worked a treat for me

(21-11-2012 20:34 )Gaz "AV1" Aston Wrote:  As a parent i want it to be difficult ..no....impossible for my children to access porn on the internet...if that means that i have to answer a few questions from the powers that be when i buy a pc then so be it..

It will be no hardship for an adult to have to overcome a few minor obstacles in the form of installing a bit of software which will enable the RESPONSIBLE parent to access porn if they so wish whilst still ensuring that safety measures are in place for when there children do use the pc/laptop/tablet etc

I dont know how many people here are parents, but even if you aren't i cant understand the outrage at such a measure being made mandatory.

If you're a responsible parent then you install the software, if you're not a parent its really a non - issue anyway...Whats the problem?

I don't have a problem with porn filters on the internet, as there are fuc*ed up fetishes that even make me wince in disgust, but I think the people should have the option to have it on their computers or not. I don't think it should be mandatory.

If I understand the proposal correctly the filter won't be on the computer but will be at the ISP end.

The ISP will decide which product to use.

The ISP could retail filters it thinks "ought" to be there like extreme porn, terrorist and child porn.

Tough if the ISP gets it wrong and bans discussion about... or blocks all references to Scunthorpe.

(21-11-2012 20:34 )Gaz "AV1" Aston Wrote:  As a parent i want it to be difficult ..no....impossible for my children to access porn on the internet...if that means that i have to answer a few questions from the powers that be when i buy a pc then so be it..

It will be no hardship for an adult to have to overcome a few minor obstacles in the form of installing a bit of software which will enable the RESPONSIBLE parent to access porn if they so wish whilst still ensuring that safety measures are in place for when there children do use the pc/laptop/tablet etc

I dont know how many people here are parents, but even if you aren't i cant understand the outrage at such a measure being made mandatory.

If you're a responsible parent then you install the software, if you're not a parent its really a non - issue anyway...Whats the problem?

Gaz, aren't you being a bit hypocritical or, indeed, hysterical? When for instance did you first see a top shelf men's magazine with pictures of women showing off their lady bits? I think I was about 12 when I found a bag full of Mayfair and Fiesta someone had just dumped by a hedge. When I was about 16, and already having regular sex with my school sweetheart, she found her dad's stash of hardcore mags which we both enjoyed looking through.

I know for a fact that none of this pornography did anything nasty to me. Sex is such a normal and natural part of life itself that 'Mother Nature' or Natural Selection simply CANNOT, WOULD NOT and DOES NOT produce any creature (no matter how supposedly 'intelligent') that can be harmed/twisted/corrupted/perverted etc. etc. etc. by the knowledge, sight or sound of its own means of reproduction and, hence, the survival of the species.

Sure, those who believe in a load of religious, moralising claptrap can claim anything they want. The fact remains however that society is not improved by denial of our sexuality. There is substantial evidence from many decades of studies to show that denial of our sexuality, suppression of our sexual urges, believing that sex is 'dirty'/'sinful'/'harmful' and so forth, is what causes sexual deviance in both young and old.

I think a responsible parent would explain to their children what relationships and sex are like for most ordinary people. I think they would ensure their children understand that porn is all very unrealistic and pure fantasy, because one thing is certain, blocking porn on the internet will not prevent children being exposed to porn in every other form of media such as magazines and DVDs. Even if the Dozy Mail get their idiotic way, no block will be 100% effective so your dream of "impossible access" is in itself an impossibility. Moreover, when a young person feels ready and wants to know more about sex and porn they should have easy access to such knowledge. They should not be made to feel like they're doing something wrong or that they're 'sick' and 'perverted', because it is precisely this type of response that perpetuates the Great British obssession with porn that most of the rest of the liberated world got over when they legalised porn in the 1960s.

I'm sure most would agree that the last thing our children (and adults!) need is a bunch of religiously warped fuckwits dictating what they can and can't see.

Adults and kids alike have had unfettered access to porn via the Internet for almost 20 years. If there were any real evidence that this has been bad for people then WHERE IS IT? Those so-called concerned parents have had the ability to apply filters to what their children can access for almost as long as the Internet has existed. WHY does anyone think we need mandatory blocking now almost 20 years after the proverbial porn floodgates actually opened? This is actually UNNECESSARY GOVERNMENT INTERFERENCE FOR THE SAKE OF UNNECESSARY GOVERNMENT INTERFERENCE - and that's a Violation of our Fundamental Human Rights!

(22-11-2012 02:09 )IanG Wrote:  

(21-11-2012 20:34 )Gaz "AV1" Aston Wrote:  As a parent i want it to be difficult ..no....impossible for my children to access porn on the internet...if that means that i have to answer a few questions from the powers that be when i buy a pc then so be it..

It will be no hardship for an adult to have to overcome a few minor obstacles in the form of installing a bit of software which will enable the RESPONSIBLE parent to access porn if they so wish whilst still ensuring that safety measures are in place for when there children do use the pc/laptop/tablet etc

I dont know how many people here are parents, but even if you aren't i cant understand the outrage at such a measure being made mandatory.

If you're a responsible parent then you install the software, if you're not a parent its really a non - issue anyway...Whats the problem?

Gaz, aren't you being a bit hypocritical or, indeed, hysterical?

Hysterical? How is what i've posted (my opinion on the matter of porn being accessible to children) being hysterical...certainly not in comparrison to some of the posts on this thread!

I havent said that Porn is a bad thing, or that my children would suddenly turn into sex offenders when they grew up merely cos they may have stumbled across some porn via the internet or the top shelf magazines etc...Yes its inevitable that at some point they will as when i was younger come across pornographic material, its almost a certainty...However that doesnt mean i want it to be readily available at the touch of a button either.

Yes if that time comes when they do stumble across such material then i'm ready for that time, i will not judge my kids as "they're doing something wrong or that they're 'sick' and 'perverted' .." at no point has that been my stand point on the issue! As a parent I will deal with that as/when/if the situation dictates but don't take my viewpoint on the matter as being a "religious" one and i'm certainly not in a any denial over my sexuality and wont cast aspersions on my children over theirs!

I agree that children should, if necessary be free to ask questions about sex, sexuality, pornography etc without fear of judgement etc but if you think that means if they have a question about porn then i'm simply going to let them loose on the PC to google it then think again!

However I will take issue with this particular part of your post

"I'm sure most would agree that the last thing our children (and adults!) need is a bunch of religiously warped fuckwits dictating what they can and can't see"

Actually as a parent I WILL dictate what my kids can and can't see wherever possible until they are old enough to make their own choices. Its my duty to raise them as i and my wife see fit!

I agree that kids should be protected from porn on the internet, however filters are not fit for purpose as they are very hit and miss. If you apply a filter, most will ban age 18 content this will mean that sites like the national lottery will be blocked as it is classed as gambling by the filter. If anybody has tried the Windows filter you will know that it will even ban the likes of Disney if a 9+ age restriction is set. So it is basically an all or virtually nothing rule.

I have heard that the new .xxx domains should make filtering porn easier but it is only a matter of time before the adult sites come up with a way to bypass filtering rules.

There is no easy fix for this problem, if such a problem really exists and I think this will still being discussed for many years to come.

I am told that one easy way round filtering is to ask Google to translate the porn site. That way the filter thinks you are looking at Google.

No filters are needed. All parents need to do is ban the kids from having PC's or TV's in their bedrooms. And instead of their smartphones, just get them one that costs a tenner from Tesco, 'if the little darlings need a phone'. There you go problem sorted.

Well, the porn filter idea has been scrapped, as a consultation period has found that not enough parents actually wanted it.
There was also concern raised about two issues, on the one hand, a block may be overly powerful, blocking potentially useful sites as well, and on the other, it may provide a false sense of security to parents who think that all 'harmful' content is blocked when it isn't.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-20738746

The four big ISP's BT, TalkTalk, Virgin Media and Sky, already have opt-in filters available anyhow, so this legislation was not really all that necessary, the options are there, it is up to parents to choose the right isp and activate the controls if they are concerned.

Trouble is so many kids are so clever with computers these days, more clever than we and their parents are, so whatever filters or parental controls are put onto their computers, iPads, iPhones etc, there're so often one step ahead of us all and easily manage to overide all everything using In Private browsing so their parents can't trace the sites they've visited that they should not have done!

And with some mobile phone 3G networks, you can't automatically visit porn sites anyway with some networks already having an opt in procedure with a small added charge.

But at the end of the day, whatever is or isn't put in place, many kids will always be one step ahead of everything!