UK Wants To Block All Internet Porn Unless Service Subscribers Ask To Disable Filters

It could become a lot more difficult to hop on the Internet and peruse whatever kind of adult content floats your boat in the United Kingdom: British Prime Minister Davide Cameron announced a plan today that would have Internet service providers block pornography by default. Anyone who wants to view adult content would need to ask for that filter to be removed.

Wireless and Internet providers seem to be on board with the filters and have agreed to put them in place on phones, public Wi-Fi networks and home computers in the next few months, reports CNN. Cameron adds that eventually that will be the default setting on any new broadband service at home.

“I’m not making this speech because I want to (moralize) or scare-monger, but because I feel profoundly as a politician, and as a father, that the time for action has come,” Cameron said. “This is, quite simply, about how we protect our children and their innocence.”

So what’s a responsible, porn-viewing adult to do? The filters can be deactivated by those who can prove they’re over 18 years old.

Opponents of the plan point to the ineffective nature of many such Web filters, saying that they could instead let through offensive material while accidentally blocking things that are actually “safe.”

UK wants to restrict access to online porn [CNN]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.