O2 changes porn filter after charity sites blocked

[Ripmax]

[QUOTE]
The telecoms company O2 has been forced to amend its so-called “porn filter” after it inadvertently blocked access to charity sites including ChildLine, the NSPCC and the Samaritans.

The filters have been introduced by major internet service providers (ISPs) in recent weeks after demands from David Cameron that telecoms companies act to stop children “stumbling across hardcore legal pornography”.

But the changes have led to internet users being denied access to a wide range of organisations including child protection charities, women’s charities and gay rights groups. Among institutions that have found themselves subject to the blocks are the British Library and the National Library of Scotland.

The opt-in filters also deny access to the Parliament and Government websites and the sites of politicians, including Claire Perry, the MP who has campaigned prominently for the introduction of filters.[/QUOTE]

[url]http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/o2-changes-porn-filterafter-charity-sites-blocked-9023209.html[/url]

The affected sites:

nspcc.org.uk National charity dedicated to preventing child abuse

childline.org.uk Online version of the NSPCC’s ChildLine helpline for kids in trouble, especially busy at Christmas

samaritans.org Highly regarded charity helpline is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year and also sees its greatest demand at Christmas

gov.uk Portal to a huge range of government websites

parliament.uk Democracy in action

bl.uk British Library, with details of events including latest exhibition, “Georgians Revealed”

claireperry.org.uk Devizes MP Claire Perry, campaigner for tighter controls on internet content

[Col. Buggernuts]

Surely even the most incompetent filter coder would realise a whitelist would be needed, and that simply filtering the phrases child porn and child abuse would exacerbate that need? I guess not.

[Elecbullet]

[QUOTE=Sgt Doom;43299952]Surely even the most incompetent filter coder would realise a whitelist would be needed, and that simply filtering the phrases child porn and child abuse would exacerbate that need? I guess not.[/QUOTE]

The censor is aimed at porn of all kinds, not just kiddie porn.

[Missing User]

what sort of cp website would even use those terms

"ooh yeah, we got your kiddie porn right here, that's right! CHILD PORN. (please don't tag us)"

It wouldn't last for more than a few minutes before it was hit by the party van.

[Provost]

Does it block Facepunch?

[Arid]

[QUOTE=katbug;43300799]what sort of cp website would even use those terms

"ooh yeah, we got your kiddie porn right here, that's right! CHILD PORN. (please don't tag us)"

It wouldn't last for more than a few minutes before it was hit by the party van.[/QUOTE]

Hell even 4chan referred to it as 'Cake' didn't they

[Elecbullet]

[QUOTE=Arid;43301167]Hell even 4chan referred to it as 'Cake' didn't they[/QUOTE]

I think that might be more a term for lolicon (drawn). "Cheese pizza" is child porn. And "hard candy" can be seen on deeper circles of the web.

[suzume]

This argument comes up every time, but since all those times weren't enough, I guess I'll bring it up again. Why the fuck do we allow so much brutal violence in our media and in our culture, but the moment a women shows her nipples suddenly it is sinful. I firmly believe that the act of making life is infinitely more pure than the act of taking life.

[Lebowski]

[QUOTE=suzume;43302605]This argument comes up every time, but since all those times weren't enough, I guess I'll bring it up again. Why the fuck do we allow so much brutal violence in our media and in our culture, but the moment a women shows her nipples suddenly it is sinful. I firmly believe that the act of making life is infinitely more pure than the act of taking life.[/QUOTE]
i agree tv should be a 24/7 fuckathon

[ROFLBURGER]

"hardcore legal pornography"
what a term

[cathal6606]

I dont understand how any man would call for a ban on pornography.

[WeekendWarrior]

[QUOTE=cathal6606;43303107]I dont understand how any man would call for a ban on pornography.[/QUOTE]

It's not so much banning pornography outright, more to do with "won't somebody think of the children!" (not that I agree with such measures).

[Marik Bentusi]

[QUOTE=WeekendWarrior;43303131]It's not so much banning pornography outright, more to do with "won't somebody think of the children!" (not that I agree with such measures).[/QUOTE]

Which is actually a pretty dangerous political move, because nobody wants to publicly disagree with that notion even if the core of their opinion is that blocking websites like this just opens the floodgates to China-style censorship of anything deemed inappropriate.

Especially not if it makes you look like porn is the kinda thing you value more than the well-being of the next generation.

In Germany we had a similar proposal under the guise of stopping child porn, but thankfully people were aware enough to argue it doesn't actually make the crime go away or stop distributors, it just puts a blanket over people's heads.
Can't exactly use that argument here tho.

[Riutet]

[QUOTE=Marik Bentusi;43303226]Especially not if it makes you look like porn is the kinda thing you value more than the well-being of the next generation.[/QUOTE]

Finally, my true calling.

Root for me my brothers.