GOVERNMENT PORN BLOCK PLANS ARE DROPPED

The controversial scheme to introduce age checks in order to protect minors from accessing pornography on the internet were shelved indefinitely after heavy criticisms were made over their effectiveness as well as the implications it would have on users privacy.

This has now been quietly dropped by Nicky Morgan, the secretary of state for digital after years of technical troubles and concerns from privacy campaigners.

https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2019-10-16/HCWS13/

Freedom campaigners feared it would mean that personal information could be breached and used for fraud and blackmail. They cited that there was a real posibility that information could be misused as it would mean that viewing habits would be linked to the ID.

Under the proposed new laws it would have meant that websites with a third of their content deemed to be adult, would have to make users prove they are over 18 in order to access them.

Failure to do so would have led to some sites being blocked in the UK as well as de-listed and de-monitised.

One option was to use a credit card to show proof of age but not everyone has one and so an alternative way suggested of providing the proof needed was to obtain a 'porn pass' costing £5 from a local newsagents, this was heavily critisised as it would have caused huge embarrassment. The pass would offer anonymity online but would have still meant that the person purchasing it would have had to show proof of identity to the shop keeper.

Additionally it would have meant that age verification websites would have held personal information on those purchasing the passes which could have implications for their security.

Not everyone was happy with the decision though as Tony Stower, head of child safety online and innovation for the NSPCC, said,

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"The delay in implementing curbs on porn viewing was disappointing.

"It is also imperative that the vehicle used to achieve protection for children from pornography is robust and effective.

"The Government cannot drag its feet on this."