UK to ban online porn involving ‘non-conventional’ sex acts
By Will Stroude
UK internet users may no longer be able to access websites that include what has been defined as “non-conventional sex acts,” The Guardian reports.
The proposal, which is currently going through parliament as part of the Digital Economy Bill, will force internet service providers to block content would otherwise fail to receive certification for commercial DVD sale from the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC).
There is no definitive list of sexual acts banned by the BBFC, but according to reports, it may include sex acts involving spanking or whipping that leaves a mark, urination, vaginal ejaculation, sex in public, and any form of sexual penetration into an orifice which exceeds the so-called ‘four-finger’ rule.
The crackdown comes amid reports that Britons may soon be forced to provide ID proving they are over the age of 18 before viewing pornographic material online.
Free speech campaigners have slammed the potential censorship, branding it a “prurient” invasion into people’s private lives.
“It should not be the business of government to regulate what kinds of consensual adult sex can be viewed by adults,” said Jodie Ginsberg, chief executive of Index on Censorship.
A spokeswoman for international porn site operator MindGeek, said the Government should allow for rules that “maintain the rights of adults to view adult content”.
“Many of the sexual activities prohibited from R18 [the BBFC’s most explicit certification] are normalised and accepted aspects of healthy sexuality, and are proudly celebrated by the feminist, queer and ethical porn movements internationally,” she added.
More stories:
Meeting the gay men who voted for Donald Trump
‘Grindr’ serial killer Stephen Port found guilty of multiple murders