Please, sir, I want some porn
UK consumers of porn will have to ask their ISP to provide them with access to X-rated content. As the government continues its futile bid to sanitize the web, new customers signing up for internet access with Sky will find that an adult content filter is enabled by default.
This means that anyone wanting to view content that has been deemed 'adult' will have to contact Sky to lift the block. The decision to make the content filter opt-out rather than opt-in was taken after it transpired that a mere 3 percent of existing users had taken the step of switching it on in the first year since its introduction in 2013.
Android malware snaps secret pics of porn seekers
A new piece of Android malware appears to offer pornographic images but instead takes pictures of the user via the phone’s front facing camera, then locks up the device and demands a $500 ransom.
Called Adult Player it was discovered by researchers at Zscaler. Having checked that a camera is available and taken a picture, it sends details of the victim's device and operating system to the remote servers before displaying the user’s picture on a personalized ransom screen.
Google, Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft, Yahoo collaborate to fight child sex abuses images
The Internet Watch Foundation today announced that it is working with some of the biggest names in technology to stamp out child sex abuse images online. Part of the problem with stemming the flow of such images is that once they are removed from one site, it takes little time for them to reappear elsewhere.
Working in conjunction with Google, Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft, and Yahoo, the IWF says that it intends to share image hashes with a view to making illegal images faster to identify. Three different types of hash will be created -- the familiar MD5 and SHA-1, as well as Microsoft's PhotoDNA -- helping to improve rates of detection.
Pornhub Premium is like an all-you-can-eat buffet, but for porn
When you are hungry, and your wallet is a bit light, there is one place you should visit -- the all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet. For a small entrance fee, you can gain access to passable food, and eat until you are ready to explode. Typically, the food is neither healthy nor high quality, but it does fill you up.
This same business model is behind streaming services like Spotify and Netflix. You get to consume as much media as you'd like for a monthly fee. Have you ever dreamed of having something like this for x-rated adult videos? Well, you are in luck. Pornhub announces a new Premium service that will allow you to watch all the porn you want for a paltry $9.99 per month. This is not just video clips, but full-length high definition films too.
ISPs in India told to block access to 857 porn sites
Porn is big business online, but it's also at the center of many a debate surrounding decency, child protection, and censorship. The Indian government has ordered that ISPs in the country block access to more than 800 porn sites in a bid to stop children viewing unsuitable material.
Interestingly, while access to porn is being restricted, it is not being blocked outright. The aim is not to stop adults from viewing pornography but to "protect India's cultural fabric" in addition to protecting children.
TV and porn dominate piracy statistics
With the launch of Apple Music and a number of high-profile artists withdrawing their music from streaming services, piracy has been in the headlines of late.
But a new infographic from application security company Arxan reveals that piracy of music is only a small part of the overall problem.
Microsoft PhotoDNA helps websites weed out illegal child porn and abuse images
Microsoft has released its PhotoDNA tool to help tackle the problem of child abuse images online. The cloud-based tool has been used by law enforcement agencies for some time, and now it is being made available to website owners free of charge.
The spread of child porn images and sexual abuse photos online is prolific, with an estimated 720,000 illegal images uploaded each day. Rather than relying on a team of human workers to track down and remove such photos, PhotoDNA automates the process helping to protect site visitors, protecting website owners from hosting illegal content, and helping in the fight against the exploitation of children.
Smartphone porn consumption will explode
A wise man once said our phones started getting bigger when we realized we could watch porn on them. If you had the slightest doubt in your mind about these wise words, then the latest research from Juniper should put it to rest.
According to that research, each "each smartphone user (who access adult content) is expected to watch an average of 348 videos this year". That means, more than 136 billion porn videos will be watched this year alone. But don’t worry, it will grow. By 2020, estimates say that number will hit 193 billion, which is a growth of almost 55 percent.
Google to block revenge porn from search results
Google is to start honouring requests to remove links to revenge porn from its search results. In a move that has echoes of the Right to Be Forgotten in Europe, today's announcement indicates that the search giant is now willing to start censoring search results if people request that explicit personal images of them be removed.
This is not supposed to be carte blanche for people to request the removal of any image they are unhappy with -- it is a move designed to target images that might be posted to sexploitation websites with a view to bribing their subjects.
Leaked document shows Europe would fight UK plans to block porn
Before the UK elections earlier in the month, David Cameron spoke about his desire to clean up the internet. Pulling -- as he is wont to do -- on parental heartstrings, he suggested that access to porn on computers and mobiles should be blocked by default unless users specifically requested access to it. This opt-in system was mentioned again in the run-up to the election as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Sajid Javid assured peopled that the party "will age restrict online porn".
But it's not quite that simple. There is the small problem of Europe. A leaked EU Council document shows that plans are afoot to stop Cameron's plans in its tracks -- and with the UK on the verge of trying to debate a better deal for itself within Europe, the Prime Minister is not in a particularly strong position for negotiating on the issue.
Government should not control access to hardcore porn sites
Children's access to the internet can be a very emotive issue, particularly when subjects like pornography crop up. In the UK, the General Election is just around the corner and the current ruling party, the right wing Conservatives, are pledging to introduce legislation that enforces age restrictions on access to hardcore pornography sites.
The legislation would be dependent on the party retaining power after the May election, but Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Sajid Javid says the Conservatives "will age restrict online porn" offering "safety for children and peace of mind for parents". There are just two problems. Firstly, it is completely unworkable, and secondly it is not the government's place to restrict access to the internet using legislation.
UK porn sites may have to implement over 18 age verification
In a push for a more family-friendly Internet, the UK government is considering plans that could mean porn and adult websites will soon have to verify that visitors are over 18 years of age.
The legislation is being drawn up by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), and would initially only affect UK-based websites. Similar to the verification tools already in use by gambling websites, the plans would also affect the owners of domains that sell guns or any other kind of adult content.
Porn sites join forces with Reddit, Mozilla, and more in net neutrality protest
In one of the strangest joining of forces imaginable, Reddit (of recent Fappening censorship fame), Mozilla (the browser folks) and other well-known names are teaming up with porn sites. The net neutrality debacle is one that has been rumbling on for some time now as more and more ISPs reveal plans to provide faster internet access to those willing -- or able -- to pay more. This creation of a two-tier internet is something that has been met with disgust from many quarters, including lots of big online names.
Tomorrow, 10 September, the likes of Pornhub and Redtube will join Etsy, FourSquare, KickStarter and more in a day of protest.
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