Comment by falk | Hacker News Reader

Comment by falk | Hacker News Reader

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"Is the argument here that it will lead to blocking of more content in the future? If so this a slippery slope fallacy."

No it's not because U.K. ISPs have revealed that the filter will censor other content, as well.

"As well as pornography, users may automatically be opted in to blocks on "violent material", "extremist related content", "anorexia and eating disorder websites" and "suicide related websites", "alcohol" and "smoking". But the list doesn't stop there. It even extends to blocking "web forums" and "esoteric material", whatever that is. "Web blocking circumvention tools" is also included, of course." [1]

[1] http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-07/27/pornwall

The bottom line is that if you don't want your children to be exposed to content that may be questionable, don't let them get on the Internet. Set a password on your computer. Install a filtering program which don't require any technical expertise to install whatsoever. Hell, Windows has a web filter build in now a days. Don't force your preposterous views on to me. The government has no place restricting legal content. I'm tired of these bullshit "Think of the children!" arguments.

I'm not even convinced that blocking pornography somehow protects children anyway. Pornography on the modern internet largely needs to be sought out and if an adolescent kid is seeking it out I don't see that as a big deal.

I don't know what the culture is like in the UK, but if it's similar to the puritanical shame nonsense prevalent in the US surrounding sex - than filtering the internet seems like an extension of that rather than solving any real problem.

Then of course there's all the associated problems that complicate things when you start restricting speech on a communication medium.

I think this is a really bad idea.

I wasn't aware of that. Such broadly defined terms are a worry, I would agree. I live in China so I have an idea of how a government might use such tools for its own ends while presenting it in a way that sounds like they're helping the population.

I'm not worried about my children (although I don't have any yet). But I think in many household this will be for the good. As I said, it's not uncommon for children to know more about computing than their parents.

I seem to be alone here in thinking pornography is a bad thing. I find it strange that you would say such a view was "preposterous", though. It certainly isn't unusual, outside of the tech/geek world. I would be quite happy if pornography were illegal. That said, I realise the argument for government intervention in this way is a difficult one to make.

Tolerance is the word you need to look up. If this technical way to censure the internet is implemented in a society that boast to be free, this is just another way to control information. Which can very easily degenerate into intolerant views.

Just imagine that tomorrow the common view in the UK is that China and all its citizen are the spawn of the devil, and any message coming to contradict this is to be censored out of the british internet, because it goes against the official view .... Only the technical savy being able to see what are the views from of others outside the UK.

Imposing your view onto others is not the way forward.

All laws are, in effect, a form of imposing the views of some onto others. Tolerence is a word that is held in such esteem as to be almost untouchable in our generation. I understand its meaning but reject the idea that is the answer to everything. A sexual appetite for children, for example, should not be tolerated (I'd imagine we agree). We simply draw our own lines at different points.

I agree with the general sentiment that the government regularly over step their mark in terms of involvement in our lives and attempts to control our activity and freedom of expression. However, I am happy to see voices speaking up against pornography which I see as a plague on our society.

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