Future of online advertising

[James]

I know that users of some mobile internet networks are having trouble visiting my site because of politically motivated censorship.

Now this:

http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/world/all-internet-porn-will-be-blocked-to-protect-children-under-uk-government-plan/story-e6frfkui-1225973481287

THE UK Government is to combat the early sexualization of children by blocking internet pornography unless parents request it, it was revealed today.

The move is intended to ensure that children are not exposed to sex as a routine by-product of the internet. It follows warnings about the hidden damage being done to children by sex sites.

(...)

"In the past, internet porn was regarded as a moral issue or a matter of taste. Now it has become a mental health issue because we now know the damage it is causing. We are seeing perverse sexual behavior among children. Legislation is both justifiable and feasible."

As usual, the move is based on illiberal assumptions about people's ability to self-police, and the use of (pseudoscience about) children as some kind of absolute and sacred territory that shuts down virtually any debate.

(I have no doubt that sexual service advertisers will adapt).

[James]

The new initiative is in advance of the imminent convergence of the internet and television on one large screen in the living room.

They coined the words "Blueprint" and "Orwellian" for this kind of thing.

[Chris]

Customers on PAYG phones can't view adult content if they've not registered their phones. My network Orange does also have safeguard settings which are applied by default on contract phones and I had to call 150 to have it unrestricted. Every now and again I get a safeguard message when the Orange signal is weak and they don't get some sort of signal identifying me.

[JasperUK]

I a nut shell its up to internet hosting and hardware companies to set the parent locks to default on routers and computers . In turn this gives adults the freedoms if they want porn or not. It would be a lot cheaper than censoring porn on the net. ( something even in China cant really control either)

Its strange that the government did not consult the very industry concerned in this matter. Our industry has worked hard with AVS sites to minimize exposure to kids. The fact is , sites hosted in the US are the real issue with censorship and exposure and legality. besides it could be hosted else where and not in the uk is very difficult to verify. I am all verification on handsets but if a router is a parental piece of kit in the home, then it is the parent or guardians responsibility to filter exposure to violence and adult content. , Not the governments.

If kids can fin porn they will.