Access Restricted

And, speaking of the internet and the ability of people to gather information, Reader Fluffy emailed asking if I knew anything about the new UK internet restrictions on pornographic material. The article, dated March 19, 2019, "Why the UK's porn block is one of the worst ideas ever," from Wired provides a lot of information on what and how the UK government believes it will be able to do in the way putting a lid on access to adult sites.

What really isn't clear is exactly what will constitute "porn." Ostensibly, it means any adult site which contains an age restriction - which could mean a blog like this one. Or not.

"WHAT IS GOING TO BE BLOCKED?

The government has said websites operating on a commercial basis will have to comply with the law. This is where things get sticky. The Online Pornography (Commercial Basis) Regulations 2018 sets out a few stipulations around what counts as commercial pornographic content and there are a few different stipulations that will catch a lot of websites. Something can be classed as commercial porn under the law if it has to be paid for or if the person making it will be paid or receive some kind of benefit. Websites that have more than one-third of their content falling into previous categories will need to have an age verification system in place."

The article is very much worth the read, because as campaigner Myles Jackman put it, “Pornography is the canary in the coal mine of free speech: it is the first freedom to die. If this assault on liberty is allowed to go unchallenged, other freedoms will fall as a consequence.”

The author of the article, Rowland Manthorpe, points out, "It’s not too late to stop it, but based on the government’s attitude it doesn’t seem likely. So where does this leave us?"

Good question.