More specifically, they are worried because pornography is being blocked, and some video games are being blocked as a result, reports MCV.
In the UK the current Conservative government has launched a pornography filter, with the goal being — obviously — to block pornography, but many other sites and services are being caught in the crossfire. ISPs in the UK were asked to provide a list of sites with ‘questionable’ content and ‘incredibly’ sites like Childline (a free counselling service for children) and Refuge (which provides aid to victims of domestic) are being blocked by certain service providers in an overzealous attempt to block information about safe sex. It is, in a word, disgusting.
Video games are being affected. Perhaps the most mainstream example was a League of Legends update that was reportedly blocked by certain providers because it featured the word sex in the file name. This has raised an issue — how will the digital games business be impacted by this filter?
“The games industry is always keen to make sure children are protected from harmful content,” said UKIE boss Dr. Jo Twist. “We are concerned, however, with the potential impact of web filters in blocking games content that is not harmful to children. We have been meeting with the main ISPs to have more clarity around how their filters are being applied.”
An internet filter for Australia has long been under discussion, with Stephen Conroy long advocating some sort of censorship filter for Australia. Talk of that has died down as of late, but Malcolm Turnbull raised the issue as late as September of last year, before quickly backing down, claiming he had long opposed the idea.
With the UK, we seem to be seeing first hand just how disastrous such a filter could have been.
Comments
14 responses to “UK Video Game Execs Are Really Worried About Pornography”
There’s a pill for that…
Bravo
eh, it was ok, not great
It has an 8.1 on metacritic, Rolling Stone called it an astute yet blunt comment, sure to delight.
Thank Christ Conroy is gone.
The new government thinks Internet censorship is awesome too, by the look of it. This time in the form of “e-safety for children”:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-01-31/wolf-internet-censorship/5229690
But he’s not really gone – he’s top spot on the Victorian senate ticket which means that he’s waiting dormant for his next opportunity to strike.
Until they do away with the ridiculous senate voting system where parties allocate the preferences then psychiatrically questionable representatives will continue to flourish do long as they obtain that top senate spot.
“With the UK, we seem to be seeing first hand just how disastrous such a filter could have been.”
Don’t be silly, a few news stories about how the internet is basically throwing digital penises at peoples children and the unknowing masses will think it was a raging success.
And as for protecting the children from safe sex info. The UK has a massively high teenage parent statistic, blocking info seems like a bad idea.
Am I correct in understanding that the UK filter is opt-out? Wouldn’t it make more sense to have it as opt-in, and not adversely affect anyone by accident?
Sense?
Haha, good one.
If a law is named after someone (Derp’s Law) or is “for the children”, these are signs that it’s probably a very, VERY bad law.
Aren’t there bigger things to worry about than a bunch of people doing what everyone’s parents have done at least once?