NZ interloper to commercialise UK internet blocking

Arguments over just how successful government attempts have been in keeping child porn off the internet may be little more than a storm in a teacup – but such discussions highlight a shift in the way indecent material may be blocked in future. The story begins with a shocking claim from internet filtering company, Watchdog …

[Anonymous Coward]

Welcome to Australia

Since we're about to get a Tory government in the UK, we make as well be used to emotionally adolescant, bullying, patriarchal idiots deciding what you can see hear, and think, in the style of the frankly rather unpleasant Australian govt.

While I feel sorry for the poor Aussies for what they are landed with, I have no particular urge to show solidarity with them that way.

However, not to worry- media in the UK will be showing less that's going to upset or challenge the govt. in any case, when The People's Dave hands the whole shebang over to his lovely wife Rupert Murdoch.

Pass the soma, I'm all out of anger, drug-fuelled bliss sounds great- especially on a Monday morning..

[The Original Ash]

Why block?

Out of sight, out of mind eh? No point trying to catch anybody when nobody knows what's going on.

As long as it's not on *our* doorstep.

Pathetic.

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm puzzled

Why would anyone buy the NetClean stuff from the sheepshaggers when the system is made relatively locally in Sweden?

[Eponymous Cowherd]

Re:Welcome to Australia

***"Since we're about to get a Tory government in the UK, we make as well be used to emotionally adolescant, bullying, patriarchal idiots deciding what you can see hear, and think"***

Ah, irony.

Don't you just love it.

You *were* being ironic, weren't you?

Mine's the one with the No2ID badge on the lapel.

[Anonymous Coward]

Watchdog

The Watchdog organisation is run by Peter Mancer, a Christian Fundamentalist and Anti-Vaccination campaigner.

It would be nice to think that he was just in it for the money, but sadly, he is a true believer.

Get ready for the New Dark Ages.

[Anonymous Coward]

@The Original Ash

I totally agree!

While blocking is fair enough (if you can do it, why not?), it doesn't actually do anything to address the real problem. It's the same as the SPAM problem - A lot of this stuff is generated from countries where something COULD be done about it, but nothing ever is. It's not rocket science, for goodness sake - it should be possible to track where a server is in next to no time - they all have a unique IP address after all. I don't get it.

[Anonymous Coward]

The cheapest bestest filtering system evar?

Cut the connection entirely.

Personally I don't think filtering should be mandatory, or even that "looking at naughty pictures" should be forbidden, whatever their kind. Making them, if it involves lack of consent (and children cannot consent by very definition), lasting damage, that sort of thing, yes, sure. But focus on that and don't waste everyone's time and money with criminalizing people who end up with the stuff on their screens whether they wanted it, or not, as recently exemplified.

[Anonymous Coward]

"only kicks into action when a blocked URL is identified"

Doesn't this statement directly contradict itself? Or are they magic? Time travellers? Quantum state technology?

[Anonymous Coward]

@By Anonymous Coward 13:34

But its so much easier to penalize the user and not the pusher.

More convictions, looks better on the stats.

[Etherealmind]

Bah, it's not new or even clever

Having worked for a Service Provider in the UK that used the same concept with a bunch of scripts and proxy servers, there is nothing clever about this solution. In fact, the "NetBox so cleans it whitens thingie" design looks as if they took the idea that everyone is using and turned ti into a product.

My guess is that this company ahas a very high marketing spend and managed to get in front of the Reg hack who wrote this piece.