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UK plans age verification for porn websites from 2018

bbc.co.uk

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Re: UK plans age verification for porn websites from 2018

#111

Post by jonathanstrange »

flexie wrote: post #104
tici_88 wrote: post #48

This has probably very little to do with porn and is most likely the first step in the UK's government attempt to track more closely who is accessing what on the internet and even have the power to blacklist and make inaccessible areas of the internet they deem inappropriate or inconvenient. The enforceability of this is hugely questionable (they have heard of VPN right?) and the societal benefit of less porn is also…

These firewalls are traditionally viewed as censorship from a free speech perspective. And I don't disagree with that. But I have started to wonder whether the Great Chinese Firewall, the Turkish one, and what seriously looks like a budding British firewall shouldn't also be viewed as import regulation like any other: China wants to sell cars in the US: The US imposes import duties on the cars. The effect is that the…

It's not clear to me what you're trying to say here. The goal of this bill is certainly not a strengthening of the UK porn industry against perceived unfair foreign competition. If the bill had anything to do with import regulations, it would not concern UK porn sites. The opposite is the case.

Re: UK plans age verification for porn websites from 2018

#112

Post by Rjevski »

realusername wrote: post #21
laumars wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You still cannot effectively block every adult site even at an ISP level. There will always be smaller sites on the fringe that get missed. It's basically the same problem as preventing online piracy.

I confirm, their mobile blocking in the UK does not work very well, sometimes it also even blocks non-porn websites randomly.

Off topic but if you're using Three I suggest you use the "3internet" APN - it has no effect on billing but you bypass any filters and get a direct connection with your own IP address (no NAT) and no filtering proxy in between.

Re: UK plans age verification for porn websites from 2018

#113

Post by jonathanstrange »

ajeet_dhaliwal wrote: post #59

I understand this is unpopular on HN and I don't think this is the right approach either but what is the solution? Or do you think there's no problem at all? I think it is a potential problem where some young people don't realize that some fairly disgusting and extreme sex acts are not the norm and start dating thinking that is what you do instead of loving someone, that would cause them serious issues in developing…

I think there is no problem at all.

Re: UK plans age verification for porn websites from 2018

#114

Post by throw2016 »

Some parents will always find the appeal of the nanny state irresistible but it's an extraordinarily self serving desire the exists outside the concept of freedom and democracy and like all utopian solutions sound good in practice but doesn't work in the real world.

How many things is the state going to control? How many moles are you going to whack? Most networks are able to keep out pornography quite easily with consequences for those who seek to work around. This is an opportunity for those can can secure networks and provide products and services to parents.

The parent is in control to place constraints they see fit and parent, rather than seeking state intervention and empowering those who seek control and power. A nanny state built on 'saving children' is never about saving children but feeding on the vulnerable and self righteous sections of society to concentrate power.

There are always those in power who will latch on any excuse they can find and like always they remain the biggest threat to not just children but everyone in a free society.

Re: UK plans age verification for porn websites from 2018

#115

Post by salvar »

mherrmann wrote: post #68
ajeet_dhaliwal wrote: post #59

I understand this is unpopular on HN and I don't think this is the right approach either but what is the solution? Or do you think there's no problem at all? I think it is a potential problem where some young people don't realize that some fairly disgusting and extreme sex acts are not the norm and start dating thinking that is what you do instead of loving someone, that would cause them serious issues in developing…

I don't think anyone would confuse the sex acts in porn with love in the real world. You may be right about the expectations going into the first sexual relationships. But the youngsters find out soon enough that it's not normal what you see in porn when their spouses tell them they don't want to do these things. TL;DR: It's a non-problem

Is this conclusion based on your gut feeling or something more substantial?

Re: UK plans age verification for porn websites from 2018

#116

Post by DiThi »

Grustaf wrote: post #98
mattmanser wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It will be trivial for any horny teenager to circumvent it with a proxy.

They would be much more likely to use torrents, most people don't even know what a proxy is.

In the UK one has to use a proxy to access torrent sites, at least for many ISPs there, DNSs are all transparently proxied to block websites.

Re: UK plans age verification for porn websites from 2018

#117

Post by wvh »

ajeet_dhaliwal wrote: post #59

I understand this is unpopular on HN and I don't think this is the right approach either but what is the solution? Or do you think there's no problem at all? I think it is a potential problem where some young people don't realize that some fairly disgusting and extreme sex acts are not the norm and start dating thinking that is what you do instead of loving someone, that would cause them serious issues in developing…

I'm of that age that my first relationship experiences happened just before I had access the internet and pornography. I can guarantee you that as a horny teen I did not need the internet to come up with "fairly disgusting and extreme sex acts". Neither did I have the impression that girls would readily agree with sex, let alone kinkier acts – as an average teenage boy, you're well aware the answer is more often "no" than "yes". (I'm not a gamer, but I assume this debate has a lot in common with the debate about violent computer games.)

I understand different people have different views on censorship. In my opinion it is a lot more important to raise children – boys and girls – with a healthy and balanced view of sexuality, and teach especially girls to demand respect for their own sexual needs and not let horny guys waltz all over.

The other problem is that by letting governments regulate more and more of the internet, we are giving up the freedom the medium provides to all of us. Again, some might prefer to live in a curated bubble, but I prefer to see the world as-is with its raw edges and myriad of opinions, and it would be nice if teens would be raised to be strong and decide for themselves what is acceptable and when to close the browser window rather than letting the authorities decide what views are acceptable.

Re: UK plans age verification for porn websites from 2018

#118

Post by Rjevski »

revelation wrote: post #53

Where is all this anti porn stuff coming from in the UK? I thought as a civilization as a whole we were moving away from that medieval thinking.

I was curious about a law we have here where supermarkets have to be closed early on sundays. One of the reasons the supporters of this law quoted was "it would reduce church attendance otherwise".

Probably the anti-porn ideas come from this same cesspool.

Re: UK plans age verification for porn websites from 2018

#119

Post by jaimebuelta »

manmal wrote: post #71
ajeet_dhaliwal wrote: post #59

I understand this is unpopular on HN and I don't think this is the right approach either but what is the solution? Or do you think there's no problem at all? I think it is a potential problem where some young people don't realize that some fairly disgusting and extreme sex acts are not the norm and start dating thinking that is what you do instead of loving someone, that would cause them serious issues in developing…

My wife studied psychology recently, and yes, it's a huge problem. There really are teenagers who think that gang bangs are the norm, and that they have to participate. I thought she was joking when my wife told me some of the stories (case studies actually), but these things really happen if you get exposed to this when really young, and nobody bothers to correct your views.

I'm sure those cases exist, but most likely are not the norm. Almost everyone understands that action movies are not how things work in real life, though is true that influences us to a certain degree.

I think that the solution should be more acknowledge that fact (fiction is not real, and that's ok) and build from there. If we pretend people to have as only source of information the movies, we'll have a problem.

Re: UK plans age verification for porn websites from 2018

#120

Post by aloisdg »

manmal wrote: post #71
ajeet_dhaliwal wrote: post #59

I understand this is unpopular on HN and I don't think this is the right approach either but what is the solution? Or do you think there's no problem at all? I think it is a potential problem where some young people don't realize that some fairly disgusting and extreme sex acts are not the norm and start dating thinking that is what you do instead of loving someone, that would cause them serious issues in developing…

My wife studied psychology recently, and yes, it's a huge problem. There really are teenagers who think that gang bangs are the norm, and that they have to participate. I thought she was joking when my wife told me some of the stories (case studies actually), but these things really happen if you get exposed to this when really young, and nobody bothers to correct your views.

What they need is more/better sex education course.
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