• Home
  • News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Internet of Things
  • Open Source
  • Hardware
  • Software
  • Security
  • Whitepapers
  • Industry Voice
  • Data Strategy Spotlight
  • Newsletters
  • Whitepapers
    • Inqlogo 120x194
      Five things you should look for in choosing a Testing provider

      Choosing a Testing Partner can be complex.  So what do you look for?  This guide offers insight into the qualities you must look for in choosing a Testing provider.  Download now to learn more.

      Download
      Inqlogo 120x194
      Your questions answered: How to protect your data in the cloud

      The number of successful cyberattacks per year per company has increased by 46% over the last four years. But what really needs to be considered when exploring a solution? What questions need to be asked? Download to find out...

      Download
      Find whitepapers
      Search by title or subject area
      View all whitepapers
  • Follow us
    • Twitter
    • Newsletters
    • Facebook
  • Newsletter
  • Industry Voice
  • Data Strategy Spotlight
The Inquirer
The Inquirer
  • Home
  • News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Internet of Things
  • Open Source
  • Hardware
  • Software
  • Security
  • Trending
  • General election
  • Huawei sues FCC
  • Xerox vs HP
  • Galaxy S11
  • McAfee 2020
The Inquirer
  • Controversy

Surprise! UK gov's unworkable porn block will be delayed indefinitely

Premature legislation

Surprise! UK gov's unworkable porn block will be delayed indefinitely
Probably need to add 'snap election' in there, too
  • Alan Martin
  • Alan Martin
  • @alan_p_martin
  • 20 June 2019
  • Tweet  
  • Facebook  
  •  
  •  
  • Send to  
0 Comments

Update: The official government position is that the porn block has been delayed a further six months. Given, the government may quite plausibly have collapsed by then, we're not holding our breath.

WELL, WHO COULD have seen this coming? After multiple delays, it looks like the government is set to throw in the towel in its long-running battle with pornography. Hopefully said towel will be thrown straight into a nice, hygienic 70-degree wash.

Dead? Not quite, but very much not alive either. Sky News reports on multiple sources saying that the porn block is "indefinitely delayed", but to us, that sounds like a delay in the same way the INQ team is delaying setting a world land-speed record: technically possible, but somewhat unlikely.

Sadly, this isn't a victory for common sense - have you met our current parliament? - but bureaucratic ineptitude. Apparently, the government failed to tell the European Commission about key details, "undermining the legal basis of age verification."

So it's nothing to do with the high likelihood of data leaks and blackmail, or the even higher chance of people adopting VPNs to avoid the embarrassment of purchasing a porn pass from their local Asda. No, it took an administrative error to "indefinitely delay" one of the worst thought out bits of policy ever devised.

Somebody should probably check whether we put stamps on our Article 50 notification.

Don't expect to stop reading about the porn block, though, even if it never seems to arrive. The British public are very strange, and are largely in favour of the policy, while also largely accepting it won't work. Doesn't that just sum up politics in 2019 for you?

Culture secretary Jeremy Wright will apparently inform the House of Commons of the news today, although who knows who'll be around to hear it? Parliament is currently going through its own 'last day of term' period while we wait for another Tory leader to muff up Brexit.

Still, at least we'll have mucky movies to take us all the way up to that 31 October deadline, and the highly probable autumn snap election. µ

Further reading

  • Controversy
UK gov's porn block is a privacy disaster waiting to happen, says new report
  • 14 Jun 2019
  • Controversy
UK gov's porn block could be delayed, again
  • 03 Jun 2019
  • Controversy
Tumblr has aroused the interest of Pornhub
  • 03 May 2019
  • Communications
UK gov's porn block will now come into force on 15 July
  • 17 Apr 2019
  • Tweet  
  • Facebook  
  •  
  •  
  • Send to  
  • Topics
  • Controversy
  • porn block
  • UK
  • government

INQ Latest

Opera 55 brings a customisable dark mode and Android 10 compatibility
Opera 55 brings a customisable dark mode and Android 10 compatibility

Dark App O Aria

  • Software
  • 06 December 2019
The 16in MacBook is having some teething problems
The 16in MacBook is having some teething problems

Not all it's Mac'd up to be

  • Hardware
  • 06 December 2019
Microsoft appears to be planning a version of Windows 10X for IoT devicesIOT
Microsoft appears to be planning a version of Windows 10X for IoT devices

X marks the smart home

  • Software
  • 06 December 2019
Qualcomm is working on AR glasses with Pokémon Go's developer
Qualcomm is working on AR glasses with Pokémon Go's developer

The lens said the better

  • Hardware
  • 06 December 2019
Back to Top

Most read

iPhone 12: Apple tipped to release four OLED iPhones in 2020
iPhone 12: Apple tipped to release four OLED iPhones in 2020
The 16in MacBook is having some teething problems
The 16in MacBook is having some teething problems
Microsoft appears to be planning a version of Windows 10X for IoT devicesIOT
Microsoft appears to be planning a version of Windows 10X for IoT devices
DeepMind co-founder Mustafa Suleyman is moving to Google
DeepMind co-founder Mustafa Suleyman is moving to Google
Opera 55 brings a customisable dark mode and Android 10 compatibility
Opera 55 brings a customisable dark mode and Android 10 compatibility
  • Contact
  • Marketing solutions
  • Enterprise IT Events
  • Incisive Media
  • Terms & conditions
  • Policies
  • Careers
  • Twitter
  • Newsletters
  • Facebook

© Incisive Business Media (IP) Limited, Published by Incisive Business Media Limited, New London House, 172 Drury Lane, London WC2B 5QR, registered in England and Wales with company registration numbers 09177174 & 09178013

Digital publisher of the year
Digital publisher of the year 2010, 2013, 2016 & 2017