UK Bill Again Demands Web Pornography Ban 230
nk497 writes "A new bill presented to the House of Lords demands both ISPs and device makers filter adult content. The Online Safety Bill, raised in the Lords by Baroness Howe of Ildicote, asks for ISPs and mobile operators to 'provide a service that excludes pornographic images' and for device makers to include ways to filter content at the point of purchase. The Bill follows efforts by one MP to make users "opt in" to access pornography, and comes despite ISPs already agreeing to offer all customers parental control software. However, as a Private Members Bill, it doesn't have the backing of the Government, so is less likely to actually be passed."
Re:What is wrong with pornography? (Score:5, Interesting)
To be fair to the US and UK people, most of them probably don't want this bill to pass either and every other country in the world has prude powermaniacs in political office as well. You just read more about it because both countries speak the same language as this website.
Re:What is wrong with pornography? (Score:5, Interesting)
We had some fairly good posts on this in the 'Egypt pornography ban' story earlier today. The general consensus (I think) is that it is a threat to the kind of compulsory, loveless marriages that are common accomplices to conservative values. It's not anyone's fault; merely an unfortunate equilibrium that built up over time. Personally, I'm still waiting for the complementary ban on Harlequin Romance novels.
...and sarcastically: escapism is clearly an unacceptable coping mechanism for a bad relationship that you're duty-bound to maintain by a bundle of two-thousand-year-old fairy tales and comic books.
Conversely, have you seen some of the absurdities they get up to in hardcore porn these days? Catering to private fantasies is one thing, but the amount of violence contaminating the general pool of smut at this point is pretty unsettling. It's enough to make me think that a concerted effort to reduce violence in the media might help clean up how sexuality is perceived by the people currently trying to oppress it.
Re:Just vote her out next election . . . (Score:3, Interesting)
The whole point of the House of Lords is that they're not elected, and hence don't have to spend their time pandering to the electorate; they can make sensible decisions that no elected politician would be allowed to do. Opposition to the Lords comes primarily from those trying to push through unpopular legislation, not because they try to push through unpopular legislation; which they can't do unless the elected politicians support it.
There is absolutely no point in electing two different groups of politicians because you'll get roughly the same mix of parties in both. Switching from indirect to direct election of the Senate was one of the most disastrous decisions in the political history of America, for the same reason.
Re:What is wrong with pornography? (Score:5, Interesting)
US and UK are mostly protestant, right? So is the Netherlands. Do I need say more...it's about culture, no so much about religion. Though I certainly think that from all popular religions Christianity has it very wrong when it comes to sexuality....
Re:What is wrong with pornography? (Score:3, Interesting)
Yes, but unfortunately the pornographic industry is rather, well, scummy and sleazy. Oh sure they've got their rules and regulations and try to keep their performers clean, but it is known to be an industry which will take the young and pretty and squeeze the life out of them, progressively making them do worse and worse things if they want to continue being a part of the industry and, ultimately, finding themselves worn out and undesirable and with significant problems once they leave and try to get a real career.
Having said that, like most people I'm aware of this but am able to compartmentalize things, so it doesn't bother me enough to not look at porn.
Re:What is wrong with pornography? (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:What is wrong with pornography? (Score:4, Interesting)
At the same time, I'm amazed at just how many people are flat out opposed to anything they deem as pornographic in the US. The current class I'm taking on-line (some BS MS Office class my school requires) includes a weekly discussion about technology and the Internet.
The subject of internet regulation came up. Did we have a good discussion on things like net neutrality, IP, and other similar issues? No, every single response was a think of the children OMG porn is icky and wrong and should be banned and anything perverted and icky OMG.
The school I'm attending (actual regionally accredited public university) specializes in Adult Learning and distance education, the average age of people in the class is probably low 30's with a range of 19 - 50something. This class heavily weights participation in the final grade and I'm having a really hard time participating =/
Re:What is wrong with pornography? (Score:5, Interesting)
Even in the UK, we thought that was just amusing.
We don't quite have the liberal attitudes that Europeans do - we used to have a TV show that just showed foreign TV commercials so we could (amongst other things) gawp at the pretty Swedish ladies with their shirts off.
The American attitude seems so schizo though - they'll sexualize everything to the hilt, but no further. Lots of cleavage and skin, even on very young ladies, but heaven forbid you reveal anything that everyone sees every morning in the mirror...