ISP filters could be harming UK users’ love lives
Content filters are supposed to protect you from bad stuff, but they can have unexpected side effects and block things you want to access.
As we approach Valentine's Day a new survey by UK broadband comparison site Broadband Genie has discovered that filters may be preventing Brits from finding love by blocking online dating sites.
As part of prime minister David Cameron's bid to protect children from adult content, ISPs are now required to have 'family-friendly' web filters automatically enabled. The filters can block a wide array of sites, from online dating to pornography, but there is skepticism about their effectiveness and concerns about how sites are classified.
The company revealed last year that 46 percent of users may have their filters activated, meaning many could struggle to access online dating services. But these latest results show that 73 percent of people surveyed wouldn't know how to access online dating websites if they'd been blocked by their ISP's content filter.
"Not only are there questions on the effectiveness of the filters, but the sheer amount of confusion they're causing is very worrying indeed," says Rob Hilborn, Head of Strategy at Broadband Genie. "The opt out nature of the filters means ISPs now have a much bigger responsibility to provide users with accessible information and simple processes to make a decision on opting out if they should want to".
Respondents to the survey are divided on whether dating sites should be blocked. A majority (60 percent) say online dating websites shouldn't be blocked by default, however, 29 percent think dating sites don't do enough to stop children from accessing them, and 54 percent believe dating sites pose a threat to children.
Hilborn concludes, "It's incredibly important we put the correct measures in place to protect children online, whether that's through web blocking tools or better education. However, we shouldn't be damaging legitimate businesses through poorly executed and confusing blanket filters which ignore how people actually use the internet".
You can read more on the report's findings on the Broadband Genie blog.
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