Internet sites could be given 'cinema-style age ratings'

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/technology/technologynews/3965051/Internet-sites-could-be-given-cinema-style-age-ratings-Culture-Secretary-says.html

Internet sites could be given 'cinema-style age ratings', Culture Secretary says
Internet sites could be given cinema-style age ratings as part of a Government crackdown on offensive and harmful online activity to be launched in the New Year, the Culture Secretary says.

By Robert Winnett, Deputy Political Editor
Last Updated: 10:05PM GMT 27 Dec 2008

Comments 193 | Comment on this article

Internet sites could be given 'cinema-style age ratings', Culture Secretary says Photo: MARTIN POPE
In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Andy Burnham says he believes that new standards of decency need to be applied to the web. He is planning to negotiate with Barack Obama’s incoming American administration to draw up new international rules for English language websites.

The Cabinet minister describes the internet as “quite a dangerous place” and says he wants internet-service providers (ISPs) to offer parents “child-safe” web services.

Giving film-style ratings to individual websites is one of the options being considered, he confirms. When asked directly whether age ratings could be introduced, Mr Burnham replies: “Yes, that would be an option. This is an area that is really now coming into full focus.”

ISPs, such as BT, Tiscali, AOL or Sky could also be forced to offer internet services where the only websites accessible are those deemed suitable for children.

Mr Burnham also uses the interview to indicate that he will allocate money raised from the BBC’s commercial activities to fund other public-service broadcasting such as Channel Four. He effectively rules out sharing the BBC licence fee between broadcasters as others have recommended.

His plans to rein in the internet, and censor some websites, are likely to trigger a major row with online advocates who ferociously guard the freedom of the world wide web.

However, Mr Burnham said: “If you look back at the people who created the internet they talked very deliberately about creating a space that Governments couldn’t reach. I think we are having to revisit that stuff seriously now. It’s true across the board in terms of content, harmful content, and copyright. Libel is [also] an emerging issue.

“There is content that should just not be available to be viewed. That is my view. Absolutely categorical. This is not a campaign against free speech, far from it; it is simply there is a wider public interest at stake when it involves harm to other people. We have got to get better at defining where the public interest lies and being clear about it.”

Mr Burnham reveals that he is currently considering a range of new safeguards. Initially, as with copyright violations, these could be policed by internet providers. However, new laws may be threatened if the initial approach is not successful.

“I think there is definitely a case for clearer standards online,” he said. “More ability for parents to understand if their child is on a site, what standards it is operating to. What are the protections that are in place?”

He points to the success of the 9pm television watershed at protecting children. The minister also backs a new age classification system on video games to stop children buying certain products.

Mr Burnham, himself a parent of three young children, says his goal is for internet providers to offer “child-safe” web services.

“It worries me - like anybody with children,” he says. “Leaving your child for two hours completely unregulated on the internet is not something you can do. This isn’t about turning the clock back. The internet has been empowering and democratising in many ways but we haven’t yet got the stakes in the ground to help people navigate their way safely around…what can be a very, very complex and quite dangerous world.”

Mr Burnham also wants new industry-wide “take down times”. This means that if websites such as YouTube or Facebook are alerted to offensive or harmful content they will have to remove it within a specified time once it is brought to their attention.

He also says that the Government is considering changing libel laws to give people access to cheap low-cost legal recourse if they are defamed online. The legal proposals are being drawn up by the Ministry of Justice.

Mr Burnham admits that his plans may be interpreted by some as “heavy-handed” but says the new standards drive is “utterly crucial”. Mr Burnham also believes that the inauguration of Barack Obama, the President-Elect, presents an opportunity to implement the major changes necessary for the web.

“The change of administration is a big moment. We have got a real opportunity to make common cause,” he says. “The more we seek international solutions to this stuff – the UK and the US working together – the more that an international norm will set an industry norm.”

The Culture Secretary is spending the Christmas holidays at his constituency in Lancashire but is planning to take major decisions on the future of public-service broadcasting in the New Year. Channel Four is facing a £150m shortfall in its finances and is calling for extra Government help. ITV is also growing increasingly alarmed about the financial implications of meeting the public-service commitments of its licenses.

Mr Burnham says that he is prepared to offer further public assistance to broadcasters other than the BBC. However, he indicates that he does not favour “top-slicing” the licence fee. Instead, he may share the profits of the BBC Worldwide, which sells the rights to programmes such as Strictly Come Dancing to foreign broadcasters.

“I feel it is important to sustain quality content beyond the BBC,” he said. “The real priorities I have got in my mind are regional news, quality children’s content and original British children’s content, current affairs documentaries – that’s important. The thing now is to be absolutely clear on what the public wants to see beyond the BBC.

“Top-slicing the licence fee is an option that is going to have to remain on the table. I have to say it is not the option that I instinctively reach for first. I think there are other avenues to be explored.”

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I just post the stories, for interest.. for everyone

Lord, what fools these mortals be!
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act III, Scene ii

Voltaire said: "Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities."

H.L.Mencken wrote:"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.”

Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. Albert Einstein

from comment.

I've even seen lions engaged in an act which is unspeakable and makes me blush on the BBC! I pay my licence fee and am rewarded with pornography. Lions! And they weren't even dressed. Are we to have naked animals on our screens now? I insist that from now on all animals wear decent trouserings in so called wildlife documentaries. Will no one think of the children?

and another

Yet again we must have our rights and freedoms infringed to 'protect the children'. Why can't the govt. just tell parents to be responsible? It is up to parents to supervise their children at home and teachers at school. Instead of spending wasted time and effort in crippling the internet, surely it would make more sense to develop and make available easy to use, but powerful home filtering software?

Unfortunately our govt. does not trust adults to 'do the right thing' and so we all must suffer to suit the perceived 'needs' of society, - as interpreted by ministers. We already have an unsupervised 'blacklist' of sites chosen by a minister behind closed doors, which are blocked by ISPs, what's next internet police in every home?
Gareth Roberts

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I just post the stories, for interest.. for everyone

Lord, what fools these mortals be!
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act III, Scene ii

Voltaire said: "Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities."

H.L.Mencken wrote:"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.”

Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. Albert Einstein

Mr Burnham, himself a parent of three young children, says his goal is for internet providers to offer “child-safe” web services.
“It worries me - like anybody with children,” he says. “Leaving your child for two hours completely unregulated on the internet is not something you can do. This isn’t about turning the clock back. The internet has been empowering and democratising in many ways but we haven’t yet got the stakes in the ground to help people navigate their way safely around…what can be a very, very complex and quite dangerous world.”




This small segment above from that article tells a lot. In just a few sentences he is able to mention twice that he has children himself, which as we all know makes him a self appointed expert on anything that can be remotely connected with children. Then he answers the question to the "problem" when he says that parents just can't leave their kyds unsupervised while on the internet. although he stresses the "unregulated" internet. Does EVERYTHING have to be regulated, supervised, monitored, and revised in order to make it "kid friendly"? Why can't the PARENTS supervise their OWN kyds about internet safety and monitor their computer use? Why can't they buy "Net Nanny", or Cyber Sitter" to filter out all of the "bad" stuff, rather than inconveniencing and punishing everyone else? It's an outright lie when he says that "people" can't navigate the internet "safely", WHICH people? I don't have any problems with net safety because if something looks suspicious or has a name like, "SkintheadsRus", I simply don't click on it. Yes, the net can be "complex and quite dangerous world", but it can't do a damned thing to their kyds if they supervise them appropriately or simply shut the damned thing off.

I have YET to hear of the world wide web just up and turning itself on and calling out to a kyd to click on a pedophile trolling website, it just doesn't happen. Even when he mentions libel, like in the case of that moomie bitch who contributed to the depression where that young girl killed herself, she was UNDERAGE to be on that site, her mother KNEW she was on there anyway, and did NOTHING about it. That wasn't the WWW's fault, that was her MOM'S fault and the fault of that other MOM who tricked her and did such a cruel thing to her. This is a PARENTAL issue, NOT a governmental issue or anyone else's problem, for that matter.

That article just reeks of ignorance of the history of the internet and a complete rufusal to acknowledge what is already available to moomies and duhs. There are already sites which will rate other sites and give them an access rating, which is shared with programs like Netnanny and Cybersitter. And, what about COPA (Child Online Protection Act)? I guess parents just allow their kids to take part in whatever as long as they aren't bothering them.

What is needed is a program that will only allow kids to only visit "approved" sites and limit the amount of time they can spend online. Maybe the program can scan incomming emails and automatically delete offensive content and emails. Hey, we can also bundle this with an operating system so that video games can be censored as well based on their ratings. Let's call this new software Windows Vista.

The ole government statement comes to light once again: "If it aint broke, fix it till it is".

This ridiculous proposal reveals that the supporters have a poor grasp of what the Internet is.

There's no conceivable way you could get a handle on the billions of pages out there. Even if the nannies branded a certain site as "X," the site owner could shift his site's content to an entirely new site in mere minutes, thus eluding the nannies, ad infinitum.

I hate it when ANYONE censors or filters anything I might choose to see or read. The arrogance inherent in their assumption that they know better than I or have better "morals" is infuriating. The richness of the net should not be dumbed down to whatever pap they deem appropriate to kids. Kids aren't as smart as adults--it's a question of brain development and life experience; it's just a reality. Not as smart by a LONG shot. I don't want my content dumbed down to a standard appropriate to someone far less smart than I am.

Anyways, I think these nannies are living in a dream world. Whether it's the Playboys under a friend's Dad's mattress in the 50s or some stupid porn site today, the kids will find it. And will survive.

I think the whole ISP regulated is a con because the moo cannot supervise the dawm kid properly web sites what sites they go to. I pay for my broadband for service and surf the net, not pay the ISP to censor sites because some moo don't like the site we go to. There will be no value for money anymore. These moo can buy software like Norton Internet Security, McAfee or those other Internet Security software so they can use parental control to filter out sites simple but because of they got a kid they cannot afford the Internet Security sofware. Example I got a friend that has a autistic daughter that drains his money skint every month so he cannot afford the Internet Security Software. Because I am a IT expert and ask me about how his autusic daughter go to some websites that he doesn't approve. I always tell him to get save your money the dawm Internet Security/AntiVirus (it only cost £30-40, on ebay it cost £20) so he can block sites that he doesn't approve.

Note to breeders: Fork out you money to get Internet Security or plug out your internet if you can't supervise your kids. It doesn't cost much. This whole Website Rating is just another Nanny state BS.

I agree Merc, they just want to ban websites because the moos cannot be bothered to supervise the kids. The parents can get Internet Security software but for some reason, they cannot afford £30-40 Antivirus software to protect their kids so they want the blame the whole country and enforce everyone. Again I have a friend that cannot fork out £30 software to protect his kid to filter/block sites.

Quote
mercurior
from comment.

Yet again we must have our rights and freedoms infringed to 'protect the children'. Why can't the govt. just tell parents to be responsible? It is up to parents to supervise their children at home and teachers at school. Instead of spending wasted time and effort in crippling the internet, surely it would make more sense to develop and make available easy to use, but powerful home filtering software?

Quote
kidlesskim
Why can't the PARENTS supervise their OWN kyds about internet safety and monitor their computer use? Why can't they buy "Net Nanny", or Cyber Sitter" to filter out all of the "bad" stuff, rather than inconveniencing and punishing everyone else?

Exactly, Kim! Lazy bastards.

Though I'm surprised the kyds are even able to use the internet at all, since their moos are on the famblee computer 24/7 posting on breeder boards and trolling CF sites.

This is BULLSHIT! If parents don't want to control their kids' accessing the Internet, why the HELL should everyone else have to suffer? Just shows more breeder selfishness and the breeder thought that the world should be made easy and pleasant. You have kids? Great, whatever. Just make damm sure YOU do the job of parenting and not expect EVERYONE ELSE to do it.

¬Lux Vestra--Let Your Light Shine¬

Fuck that fucking goddamned fucking shit. Mother fuckers can all get fucked in the eye. Lets hear it for a XXX rating!

I have to look REALLY HARD to find anything remotely inappropriate on the internet. I also have to say I'm over 18, and from what I've heard, for the REALLY GOOD STUFF you have to enter your credit card number. That's a lot of stuff one has to do to even come remotely close to seeing a penis, vag, or anything else naughty. Here's a simple solution for parents who are incapable for monitoring their own children...don't give them a computer to use in the privacy of their room. Nearly everyone who has bred at this point grew up perfectly fine (except for the breeding part) without having a computer in their room, and it's entirely possible that a child would grow up perfectly fine without a computer in their room too.

"It truly is the one commonality that every designation of humans you can think of has, there's at least one asshole."
--Me

lets ban all websites for the sake of the children..

theres a place in the UK called scunthorpe. and frequently its banned from use.. because of those 4 little letters.. he wants a government agency in control of all knowledge, appropriate information for the right people..

when you were 13 or 15 did you ever see a film you shouldnt.. an 18 cert.. its all about control, and banning a free mind

*********************************************************************************************************************************
I just post the stories, for interest.. for everyone

Lord, what fools these mortals be!
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act III, Scene ii

Voltaire said: "Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities."

H.L.Mencken wrote:"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.”

Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. Albert Einstein

I am sooo sick of parents who can't do their job, so they want to censor everything!

______________

- The human gene pool could use a little chlorine

If the parents can't afford the money, then all they have to do is go to google.com and type these three words into the search "free child internet".

you are giving them some sort of intelligence.. they woul rather see the system crash than look after their kids.. the net is a babysitter, i have seen kids copying whole articles from the net and putting them as essays they did..

i

*********************************************************************************************************************************
I just post the stories, for interest.. for everyone

Lord, what fools these mortals be!
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act III, Scene ii

Voltaire said: "Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities."

H.L.Mencken wrote:"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.”

Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. Albert Einstein

Quote
mercurior
you are giving them some sort of intelligence..

Oops, sorry. It's that habit of giving animals human emotional traits.

now you are insulting animals LOL.. joke..

*********************************************************************************************************************************
I just post the stories, for interest.. for everyone

Lord, what fools these mortals be!
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act III, Scene ii

Voltaire said: "Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities."

H.L.Mencken wrote:"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.”

Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. Albert Einstein