High-level British MP wants movie-like ratings system for the internet

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In a move guaranteed to attract well deserved controversy, Andy Burnham, Britain’s Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, has publicly stated that delegates from the British government hope to meet with members of the Obama administration to pitch the idea of creating a content-based rating system for all English-based websites. Essentially what Burnham is proposing is having the internet follow the same rules as British TV where it is against the law to air violent programs before 9pm. But since the internet is very different in nature from TV, Burnham suggested that a time-based filter be created in which websites must block “offensive” and “violent” material. For extra precaution, ISPs would be asked to offer rating-based “child-safe” packages in which it is only possible to access websites that are pre-approved as inoffensive and appropriate for those of a young age.

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14 Comments
  • directvrep

    Ooh yea…. like THAT is REALLY going to work.

  • Berryadict

    The rss with bizarre and retarded stories on Viigo has stuff coming out of the UK regularly, cause the Commies are rampant over there.
    The country’s been turned into a bankrupt 3rd world crime ridden sewer hole, and their culture and glory are gone forever thanks to socialist scum.

  • JustAGuy

    Wow… that’s not even a coherent rant! You should look up the difference between socialist, communist and liberal sometime…

  • Justin

    Yet another geezer that thinks the Internet is a “bunch of tubes.”

    If anyone needs censoring, it’s that idiot for his stupid ideas.

  • Galvatron

    ^^^^agreed hasn’t this Smeghead ever heard of net neutrality? the britisgoverment can’t control it the us fedgov can’t control it isp’s woul looks meny on it. they usesd to sell t-shirts at bookmans that said somthing that fit’s this perfectly. “cesorship is the destruction of an idea”

    also is a it a matter of national security so why should this guy care you can’t legislate human bhavoir california tried an failed miserably

    @ just another guy

    realy you ever read up on karl marx? who said socalisism this the first stem to comunism which is a classless scocity? BTW socalism an it’s extreme next level form cumunisim don’t work due to human nature
    the USSR found that out the hard way an collapse beacuse of it also socalism requires a hefy fianacial upkeep somthing the brits can’t afford righ now

    definalty woun’t fly over here

  • ddors

    Socialist aspects are needed in a democracy. I’m not talking about a socialist government, but some things need to be socialist. This includes Education and Healthcare. The only problem with socialism is that it can be abused, which in turn becomes communism. there is nothing wrong with socialism if used correctly.
    There is a huge difference between communism and socialism, While communism is first and foremost an economic system like socialism, it’s also a political ideology that rejects religion.
    There is a difference. I am a liberal who is against progressive tax and government bail outs. You’re generalizing.

    I do disagree with the MP though, most liberal/socialists would.

  • http://techvideoblog.com Charbax

    The idea is the same as the one that the Australian socialists are proposing.

    I think it will work.

    Basically you setup a filter on the ISPs main DNS servers with an open list of adult-only server IP addresses. That list is also generated by Google like algorithms that may analyse content and especially take in user submitted ratings. Cause what you need, is kind of like browser plugins, which could be built in cooperation with Google, which makes it possible for armies of thousands of registered voluntary adults, that basically make sure to report all the adult stuff they see, if they see that some adult stuff is not yet reported.

    Sure 1 or 2% might be left through, though usually not, and any company trying to trick the filter for profit could get all payments and funds blocked. Just like any bar or club that lets in minors, or just like any store that sells alchohol to any minors.

    Anyways, adult-only sites don’t make any money on kids, cause kids don’t have access to credit cards for online payments.

    Just basically, if you want a full unfiltered adult access to the Internet, just simply unlock your personal connection officially using your real adult ID on some government/ISP controlled online control panel, which also provides logs for the adult to view status and history of statuses of their connection.

    As well as if any illegal activity is detected, each adult should be reachable by the state through email or on that government/ISP controlled control panel. They are already seeing what most people do unencrypted, but there should be a way for them to warn users or to communicate with adults, for example to warn them someone might be using proxies or something from a connection, which could also alert parents to keep an eye on what their kids are doing.

    I am of course totally against any control on piracy of copyrighted material. I think piracy should get legalized by Obama, artists should get paid through taxes. $5 per month in average per person would pay for much better movies and music then what we have today.

    As for hiding ones online activity through tor, through proxies and stuff like that. Sure why not, it can be done. But don’t tell me every 14 year old knows how to use that. Again though, this should have nothing to do with copyrights, it’s about media influence on children’s mental health and about positive education.

  • http://www.quoteid.com Kevin

    Goodbye privacy, and hello Big Brother.

  • http://techvideoblog.com Charbax

    There doesn’t need to be privacy concerns if it’s done right. People use online banking and people buy stuff on Amazon without too many problems. What setting you have on your private Internet connection, as an adult, only concerns you. Nobody else needs to know. The whole system is automatic anyways.

    Monitoring online activity by the government does not change from what is already going on today. Today you have IP addresses going on certain websites, pinging certain servers and all kinds of stuff like that.

    The only new thing that happens is that a certain type of content is not accessible unless, as an adult, you apply very easily online using a basic control panel to unfilter your access. ISP’s already know which adults pay for which Internet connections.

  • http://www.k5live.com Likeabite

    ludicrous

  • flea

    exactly.

  • http://www.youtube.com/irishguy9221 Mackenzie

    That is extreme censorship and shouldn’t be allowed. Instead they should come up with a good universal rating system for websited like ESRB ratings or movie ratings. So that through ISP’s a parent could restrict content based on the website’s ratings or by banning the content that it has. The decision should fall down to the parents and the government should not intervene with how parents raise their children.

  • NuShrike

    I think it’s called AOL or something.

  • Gina

    we don’t have communists in britain dumbass

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