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You can’t be surprised at developments like these when you elect a political party whose very name is Conservative , but it’s still rather sad to hear that the current UK government is putting pressure on ISPs to “protect children” by universally blocking access to porn websites. It’s not outright censorship, you’ll be able to “opt in” and restore your freedom to explore adult content (or anything else that’s been inadvertently blocked), though it’s all a rather misguided effort in our eyes. Claire Perry, one of the leading voices behind this push, cites stats noting that 60 percent of nine- to 19-year olds have found pornography online, yet she fails to elaborate on what’s been so traumatizing or debilitating about the experience — or why violent content is getting a free pass. We still think good parenting — say, by using the local controls built into your OS or search engine — is a much cheaper option than some complex censorship wall , but that won’t prevent the Conservatives from pursuing legislation over the next couple of years if broadband providers don’t figure out blocking mechanisms of their own. For shame, Britain. British government wants all porn filtered out of the web, all fun sucked out of life originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Dec 2010 04:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink