Petition Demands ISPs in Britain Block Access to Porn Sites

A nationwide survey carried out in Britain has seen more than 110,000 sign a petition demanding that internet service providers in the country change the default protection setting to block hardcore pornography sites in order to prevent children from accessing such sites. The Safetynet petition, which has been handed over to the British Government, has the signatures of peers, MPs and church figures, demanding internet service providers (ISPs) be made to compulsorily block access to pornography on computers, mobile phones and tablets, organiser Premier Christian Media (PCM) confirmed.

"This simple measure would in no way restrict adults from accessing such websites by specific application but would help to protect generations of young people from online pornographers," the Daily Star quoted Peter Kerridge, the Chief Executive of PCM, as saying.

The petition, written as a letter to Jeremy Hunt, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, claims one in three 10-year-olds has "stumbled upon pornography online" and that youths aged 12 to 17 are the largest consumers of internet porn, the paper said.

Parents are being asked for their views on three possible systems, including one where users have to "opt in" to see adult sites, and one in which customers are presented with an unavoidable choice about whether they want filters and blocks installed, it added.

PCM organisers said that the petition will be handed in to 10 Downing Street by Safetynet representatives and a cross-party group of MPs, with a second copy being sent to the Department for Education (DfE).

Source-ANI