– UK Porn Filter: Censorship Extends Beyond Pornography, But One ISP Is Fighting Back (International Business Times, July 26, 2013):
U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron announced Monday that British Internet service providers (ISPs) must install porn filters and require customers to opt-in for adult content. Cameron said the policy is aimed at combating child porn and the “corroding influences” of sexual content in the U.K., but several people are unhappy with the plan. Reports have linked the filters to controversial Chinese company Huawei, and others have found that the filters will block much more than just porn. Some ISPs have publicly refused to force the filters on their users.
The Open Rights Group spoke with several ISPs and found that in addition to pornography, users will also be required to opt in for any content tagged as violent, extremist, terrorist, anorexia and eating disorders, suicide, alcohol, smoking, web forums, esoteric material and web-blocking circumvention tools. These will all be filtered by default, and the majority of users never change default settings with online services.
One U.K. ISP, TalkTalk, already has “The HomeSafe System,” which was singled out for praise by David Cameron when announcing the new policy. It gives another good idea of the kind of Internet censorship the British government is looking to implement.
The HomeSafe filters may give an idea of what David Cameron wants to be mandatory for all UK ISPs. TorrentFreak
More troubling is the revelation that HomeSafe is actually operated by Huawei, a Chinese company that both the U.K. and the U.S. accused of having close ties with the Chinese government. Huawei’s founder, Ren Zhengfei, is a former officer of China’s People’s Liberation Army, and a recent report by the Intelligence and Security Committee said, “the alleged links between Huawei and the Chinese State are concerning, as they generate suspicion as to whether Huawei’s intentions are strictly commercial or are more political.” The U.S. has branded Huawei a threat to national security.
Huawei denies any connection, and says it is being unfairly scrutinized for being Chinese. The testing center used to operate HomeSafe is based in the U.K., which Huawei says is operated with security and integrity.
ISPs will be able to use whatever filter system they like, so many may not choose to be associated with Huawei. Others are refusing to take place in the filters at all.
“Sorry, for a censored Internet you will have to pick a different ISP or move to North Korea,” Andrews & Arnold, a U.K. ISP, said in a statement. “It is not our role to try and censor what you do with the Internet.”
“It is your responsibility to stick to the laws that apply to you. We have no intention of putting in place any censorship systems or using censored transit feeds.”
The company argued that porn filters will not solve the problem of child pornography and will only create new problems. The ISP said filters will slow down connections and incentivize underground networks and encryptions that make it even harder to track criminals. The company also noted the idea of a slippery slope toward censoring non-pornographic material.
But if HomeSafe and the ORG report are any indication, Cameron censoring non-pornographic material that offends more conservative members of society is already a part of the plan.