RYL Forums - View Single Post - Sites like RYL could be blocked by new government filter plans

Rhuben · 20-12-2012, 10:23 AM

Websites mentioning self harm will be banned by default under new government net censorship plans unless parents opt in to allow them

Quote:

Under the plans, anyone turning on a new computer for the first time will be asked whether there are children in the house.

If the answer is yes, parents will be automatically prompted to adapt their internet filters accordingly.

As parents will be able to choose what kind of restrictions they want their children to be subjected to, this could mean them restricting access to Facebook after a certain time or allowing older children to view more sites than their younger siblings, for example.

Filters against pornography and self-harm sites will automatically be left on if parents just click through the options quickly and select ok to every question, however.

Internet providers will also be required to verify the age of the person setting the controls.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technolog...orn-sites.html

More sources:
http://news.uk.msn.com/cameron-vows-...ine-porn-curbs
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012...?utm_hp_ref=uk

As is often the case with filters they're a blunt tool, a hammer to crack a nut and will lead to thousands of innocent sites being caught up and prohibited. Sites like RYL which repeatedly contain mentions of suicide, self-harm, alcohol, and drugs are likely to fall foul of them even though it's actually a support site. Indeed I just activated my ISPs filter (TalkTalk) and predictably RYL was prohibited as was the website for the well known self-harm support charity the National Self Harm Network.

Sites like RYL often have a wide age range of visitors anything from 13 upwards, I find it quite worrying that many teens going through severe emotional distress could have the support they so desperately need yanked out from under them. I am sure there are many who have found support forums like RYL invaluable in helping them deal with self-harm and issues surrounding mental illness in what is often a very lonely time plagued by stigma.

Peoples reactions to this?

20-12-2012, 10:23 AM	#1
Rhuben I call it dreaming... they call it madness. Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Cambridgeshire I am currently:	Sites like RYL could be blocked by new government filter plans Websites mentioning self harm will be banned by default under new government net censorship plans unless parents opt in to allow them Quote: Under the plans, anyone turning on a new computer for the first time will be asked whether there are children in the house. If the answer is yes, parents will be automatically prompted to adapt their internet filters accordingly. As parents will be able to choose what kind of restrictions they want their children to be subjected to, this could mean them restricting access to Facebook after a certain time or allowing older children to view more sites than their younger siblings, for example. Filters against pornography and self-harm sites will automatically be left on if parents just click through the options quickly and select ok to every question, however. Internet providers will also be required to verify the age of the person setting the controls. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technolog...orn-sites.html More sources: http://news.uk.msn.com/cameron-vows-...ine-porn-curbs http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012...?utm_hp_ref=uk As is often the case with filters they're a blunt tool, a hammer to crack a nut and will lead to thousands of innocent sites being caught up and prohibited. Sites like RYL which repeatedly contain mentions of suicide, self-harm, alcohol, and drugs are likely to fall foul of them even though it's actually a support site. Indeed I just activated my ISPs filter (TalkTalk) and predictably RYL was prohibited as was the website for the well known self-harm support charity the National Self Harm Network. Sites like RYL often have a wide age range of visitors anything from 13 upwards, I find it quite worrying that many teens going through severe emotional distress could have the support they so desperately need yanked out from under them. I am sure there are many who have found support forums like RYL invaluable in helping them deal with self-harm and issues surrounding mental illness in what is often a very lonely time plagued by stigma. Peoples reactions to this? Last edited by Rhuben : 20-12-2012 at 10:23 AM. Reason: typo
	Some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn. The Dark Knight