Internet Porn Filter: Automatic Block Rejected - Sky News

Plans to automatically block internet pornography have been rejected by Government ministers.

Campaigners had called for an "opt in" process, requiring users to contact their internet service provider (ISP) in order to gain access to adult content.

They argued it is too easy for children to access explicit material online.

However, a joint report by the Home Office and the Department for Education found there was "little appetite" for such an automatic filter, although it was supported by around a third of parents who took part in a 10-week consultation.

Instead, the report said ISPs should "actively encourage" their customers to switch on parental controls to prevent children accessing pornographic images and videos.

Alan Wardle, head of corporate affairs at the NSPCC, said the Government's response was a "step in the right direction", although he said the charity was "concerned" that parents' views had not been heard.

"The best option to protect children is for adult content to be automatically blocked by ISPs," he said.

"Any web filtering system needs to be simple for parents to use and effective at stopping children seeing unsuitable adult content.

"Hardcore pornographic videos are just a few clicks away and a quarter of children have been sent unsolicited sexual material online.

"We must help parents to protect their children from the dangers of the internet."

The report said ministers had been guided by expert advice that default filtering could create a false sense of security.

"There are content filtering solutions that can help manage risk on the internet but on their own they are insufficient," it said.

"Typically, they work to filter out certain kinds of internet content, but they do not prevent the problems caused by other people's behaviour, such as online bullying, sharing personal sexual content using technology or online grooming."

Nick Pickles, director of Big Brother Watch, one of the groups that campaigned against default filtering, said: "This is a positive step that strikes the right balance between child safety and parental responsibility without infringing on civil liberties and freedom of speech.

"The policy recognises it is parents, not Government, who are responsible for controlling what their children see online and rightly avoids any kind of state-mandated blocking of legal content."