Every household in the UK is to have pornography blocked by their internet provider unless they choose to receive it, David Cameron has announced.

In addition, the prime minister said possessing online pornography depicting rape would become illegal in England and Wales - in line with Scotland.

Mr Cameron warned in a speech that access to online pornography was "corroding childhood".

The new measures will apply to both existing and new customers.

Mr Cameron also called for some "horrific" internet search terms to be "blacklisted", meaning they would automatically bring up no results on websites such as Google or Bing.

He told the BBC he expected a "row" with service providers who, he said in his speech, were "not doing enough to take responsibility" despite having a "moral duty" to do so.

He also warned he could have to "force action" by changing the law and that, if there were "technical obstacles", firms should use their "greatest brains" to overcome them.

'Innocence'
In his speech, Mr Cameron said family-friendly filters would be automatically selected for all new customers by the end of the year - although they could choose to switch them off.

And millions of existing computer users would be contacted by their internet providers and told they must decide whether to use or not use "family-friendly filters" to restrict adult material.

The filters would apply to all devices linked to the affected home Wi-Fi network and across the public Wi-Fi network "wherever children are likely to be present".

Customers who do not click on either option - accepting or declining - will have filters activated by default, Tory MP Claire Perry, Mr Cameron's adviser on the sexualisation and commercialisation of childhood, told the BBC.

Other measures announced by the prime minister included:

New laws so videos streamed online in the UK will be subject to the same restrictions as those sold in shops
Search engines having until October to introduce further measures to block illegal content
Experts from the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre being given more powers to examine secretive file-sharing networks
A secure database of banned child porn images gathered by police across the country will be used to trace illegal content and the paedophiles viewing it
Mr Cameron also called for warning pages to pop up with helpline numbers when people try to search for illegal content.

He said: "I want to talk about the internet, the impact it is having on the innocence of our children, how online pornography is corroding childhood.

"And how, in the darkest corners of the internet, there are things going on that are a direct danger to our children, and that must be stamped out.


On Sunday, Mr Cameron called on internet companies to do more to block access to material depicting abuse
"I'm not making this speech because I want to moralise or scaremonger, but because I feel profoundly as a politician, and as a father, that the time for action has come. This is, quite simply, about how we protect our children and their innocence."

But former Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre boss Jim Gamble told BBC Radio 4's Today programme it was important to "get to the root cause" of illegal pornography, by catching those responsible for creating it.

He added: "You need a real deterrent, not a pop-up that paedophiles will laugh at."

But Ms Perry argued filters would make a difference, saying that the killers of schoolgirls April Jones and Tia Sharp had accessed legal pornography before moving on to images of child abuse.

She added: "It's impossible to buy this material in a sex shop... but it's possible to have it served up on a computer every day."

In his speech, Mr Cameron said possession of online pornography depicting rape would be made illegal.

Continue reading the main story
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Start Quote

The coalition government has pledged to prevent abuse of women and girls, so tackling a culture that glorifies abuse is critical for achieving this”

Holly Dustin
Director, End Violence Against Women Coalition
Existing legislation only covers publication of pornographic portrayals of rape, as opposed to possession.

"Possession of such material is already an offence in Scotland but because of a loophole in the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008, it is not an offence south of the border," Mr Cameron said.

"Well I can tell you today we are changing that. We are closing the loophole - making it a criminal offence to possess internet pornography that depicts rape."

The move has been welcomed by women's groups and academics who had campaigned to have "rape porn" banned.

Holly Dustin, director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, said the group was "delighted".

"The coalition government has pledged to prevent abuse of women and girls, so tackling a culture that glorifies abuse is critical for achieving this," she said.

"The next step is working with experts to ensure careful drafting of the law and proper resourcing to ensure the law is enforced fully."

'No safe place'
Mr Cameron, who has faced criticism from Labour over cuts to Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre's funding, insisted the centre's experts and police would be given the powers needed to keep pace with technological changes on the internet.


Claire Lilley, NSPCC: "In every single child abuse image there is a victim, a child who has been abused"
"Let me be clear to any offender who might think otherwise: there is no such thing as a safe place on the internet to access child abuse material," he said.

A spokesman for Google said: "We have a zero tolerance attitude to child sexual abuse imagery. Whenever we discover it, we respond quickly to remove and report it.

"We recently donated $5m (£3.3m) to help combat this problem and are committed to continuing the dialogue with the government on these issues."

According to some experts, "default on" can create a dangerous sense of complacency, says BBC technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones.

He says internet service providers would dispute Mr Cameron's interpretation of the new measures, insisting they did not want to be seen as censors.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23401076

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That was the first thing I thought of too.

"Censorship is telling a man that he can't have a stake because a baby can't chew it" - Mark Twain.

I see no issue with this. Its a good move and about time to see a country do something about this. If you want to watch it then you just ask your ISP to unblock it for you. If you too embarassed or ashamed to do that, then maybe you shouldnt be watching porn in the first place.

I see no issue with this. Its a good move and about time to see a country do something about this. If you want to watch it then you just ask your ISP to unblock it for you. If you too embarassed or ashamed to do that, then maybe you shouldnt be watching porn in the first place.

It's making it mandatory to have individuals discuss their PRIVATE business to companies.

Once you "opt-in" to porn, do you then go on a list of "porn consumers"? What happens to that list and who has access to it?

Opt-out filters, fine, but opt-in is an absolute overreach into the personal affairs of British citizens and should be outrageously offensive to any citizen in the world.

Typical of the Muslims taking over England.

Now every kid will grow up angry and start hacking heads of those who do watch porn.

Clearly if you too ashamed of your porn watching habits then you shouldn't be doing it.

I see the point you trying to make, i think opt out could work better. Its probably the government showing they want to take a stand against something.



Please tell me you are not serious, please for all that is good in this world, tell me you are not serious.????

Shame has nothing to do with it.

I'm an adult. I choose what type of media I consume, it's nobody else's business. Certainly not the governments.

Clearly if you too ashamed of your porn watching habits then you shouldn't be doing it.

I see the point you trying to make, i think opt out could work better. Its probably the government showing they want to take a stand against something.



Please tell me you are not serious, please for all that is good in this world, tell me you are not serious.????

I don't understand the point you're trying to make.

What if I am? ;)

I do think its wrong that it is censored.

People should be allowed to search what they like provided it doesn't harm anyone. The English should invest more of their time shutting that prick Choudary up, his hate preaching causes far more damage then a little porn.

I guess the point i'm trying to make is that pornography has been an issue for many years. Kids have far too much access to it and lobby groups have been pushing for change, but nothing is happening.

I just reread what i wrote and don't think i understand what i said either. I've been fasting the whole day, i think i'm tired. I guess the point i'm trying to make is that pornography has been an issue for many years. Kids have far too much access to it and lobby groups have been pushing for change, but nothing is happening. I don't think the government wants to come across as the type that are not concerned for the welfare of their youth.



I'm not sure how to read that wink. Putting this down to muslims is stupid and silly.

Whilst i agree with you on Choudary, would that not be denying him freedom of speech?

Shame has nothing to do with it.

I'm an adult. I choose what type of media I consume, it's nobody else's business. Certainly not the governments.

It's making it mandatory to have individuals discuss their PRIVATE business to companies.

Once you "opt-in" to porn, do you then go on a list of "porn consumers"? What happens to that list and who has access to it?

Opt-out filters, fine, but opt-in is an absolute overreach into the personal affairs of British citizens and should be outrageously offensive to any citizen in the world.

Spot on. And that's why Cameron has done this. Adults are able to make their own choice by simply making a phone call, and adults are able to make decisions for their family, like adults should.