By Tim Shipman
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Stricter rules: The plans should make it far more difficult for children to access inappropriate websites on family computers
David Cameron is to toughen up controls on internet pornography to protect children.
In future, anyone buying a new computer or signing up with a new internet service provider will be asked whether they have children when they log on for the first time.
Those answering 'yes' will automatically be taken through the process of installing anti-pornography filters and a series of questions about how stringent they want restrictions to be.
That will allow parents to impose timed access limits on lewd material, or prevent children viewing social networking sites such as Facebook during certain hours of the day.
Ministers will also demand that internet service providers impose 'appropriate measures' to ensure that those setting the parental controls are over 18.
And they will be told to prompt existing customers to install porn blocking technology.
The proposals, due to be announced by the Government later this month, go much further than a blueprint drawn up by Reg Bailey, the head of the Mothers' Union, who was commissioned by the Government to suggest new curbs.
His plan would simply have seen parents given an 'active choice' to opt in or out of porn controls. But under the Prime Minister's plans, those with children will be automatically guided through the process of installing the filters.
The move marks a significant step forward for the Daily Mail's Block Online Porn campaign, which has called for the introduction of content filtering systems for internet accounts.
Mr Cameron has rejected calls for an automatic block on porn, which adults would have to actively opt out of, after experts advised that parents needed to play an 'active role' in installing filters so they are fully informed about the technology.
The Government plans to tell service providers that they must impose the new controls or face legislation.
Changes: Mr Cameron has rejected calls for an automatic block on porn, but new rules will focus on installing filters so parents are fully informed about the technology
His aides believe they will fall into line because they have already introduced Mr Bailey's 'active choice' proposals.
Children now start to use the web at the age of eight. As many as one in three under-tens have seen pornography on the web, while four out of five children aged 14 to 16 admit regularly accessing explicit images on their home computers.
Half of children say they use the internet alone in their bedroom, making it difficult for parents to effectively monitor their activity.
A senior No10 source said: 'We know lots of parents are concerned about the material their children are accessing on the internet and we want to do more to help. We've consulted on a variety of options on how we can make it safer for children online.
'Internet service providers have made great progress to date in implementing "active choice" controls, as recommended by Reg Bailey, where all users are asked if they want to switch on parental controls.
'After intervention from the Prime Minister, the Government is urging providers to go one step further and make sure their systems actively encourage parents, whether they are new or existing customers, to switch on parental controls.'
TalkTalk, which provides a HomeSafe porn blocker to its customers, welcomed the plans.
Chief executive Dido Harding said: 'We have been asking all our new customers if they want to turn on HomeSafe, the only parental control service that protects every device using the home internet connection, since the beginning of the year and our experience shows it really works.
'One in three new customers – roughly the proportion of households in the UK with dependent children in them – are choosing to turn parental controls on and 80 per cent think being asked is a good thing.'
And so Daft Dave staggers from one disaster to another...
- Just Dona , Metropolis, United Kingdom, 17/11/2012 16:38
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