first they came for the porn-og-raphy

Our right wing bureaucracy hating freedom loving bad law repealing coagulation Government is planning to censor your internet service more than already happens. Any site deemed pornographic will be blocked from homes that have kids unless you, the customer, specifically asks for access. There are so many things wrong with this idea from Ed Vaizey that I don't know where to start.

How will they know which homes and have kids? Will you have to provide that information to your ISP when you sign up?

What exactly is pornography? Bill Hicks famously paraphrased in one of his routines that "pornography is anything without artistic merit that causes sexual thought, that's their definition, essentially." So what does our Government define as porn?

If this is proven to reduce the access of kids to porn then the next step will be to permanently ban internet porn which will lead to a rise in the number of pirated DVDs produced and sold. Yes, it will. Surely that can't be a desirable outcome?

Once this type of restriction is in place it will be easy to block other types of content. Want to read anti-government vitriol? Sorry madam you need to opt in to that (and then we can monitor your internet because you are clearly a threat to national security). Or alcohol related sites, tobacco related sites, fast food sites, video game sites .. .. .. the list of potential targets grows longer each day as the 'antis' get bolder.

I used to employ 6th form students taking PE and biology A-levels. Many times they'd moan because they couldn't access information they needed because the college filters blocked the sites deeming them to be pornographic. Is that really we've got to already? Biology classed as porn.

What happened to parental responsibility and common sense? This Government claims it wants a 'Big Society' where everyone can make their own choices. This move seems more in keeping with a 'Big Brother Society' where the Government controls what you see, hear and think. Wankers.


mummylonglegs has her take on the subject .. .. ..