David Cameron to introduce default pornography blocking for UK ISPs

Users required to opt-in to view censored pornographic content

Prime minister David Cameron is to make a speech today in which he will announce that pornography is to be filtered from UK internet connections by internet service providers (ISPs) unless users explicitly state they wish to receive it.

While details of which ISPs will take part are yet to emerge, the expectation is of a universal adoption, as Cameron has already consulted major ISPs - such as Sky, Virgin Media and BT - about the change.

The new measures will mean that pornography access will be in a "default off" state, with internet users being asked by ISPs before the end of the year to state firmly whether they wish access to pornography or to engage "family friendly filters". Those who don't respond will lose access to filtered websites.

The censorship will work by removing the ability for search engines to use certain keywords and search terms.

Cameron, who has stated that access to pornography is "corroding childhood", has also argued that some "horrific" internet search terms should be "blacklisted" entirely.

The prime minister has said he expects a "row" with service providers who may argue for "freedom of speech".

A database of banned child abuse images will also be maintained by the police and used to trace illegal content and those viewing it, the prime minister will announce.

Cameron plans to make material "depicting" rape illegal in the UK, and in his speech will also announce new laws on streaming video to place it under the same restrictions as that sold in shops.

Cameron will also say that search engine companies have a "moral duty" to block illegal content, and will announce that members of child protection groups Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre will be given greater powers to examine file-sharing networks.

As many of Cameron's proposals will rely on investigating networks from outside the UK, it is as yet unclear how the prime minister hopes to achieve his goals.

Some critics worry that the censorship debate that Cameron's proposals are bound to spark will take attention away from the need to put more resources into catching and prosecuting child abusers and helping victims.

"Where there are computers there will also be child abuse content," said Christian Berg, CEO of child pornography blocking software company NetClean.

"The internet is an extension of our communities and our society. We wouldn't merely 'block' or 'filter' this if it was happening in the next neighbourhood, so the degree of resignation and acceptance about content appearing online is unacceptable.

"More focus needs to be placed on the victim and for the victim it's not enough that you cannot find those images when you search for them, more proactive work must be done to find that victim and bring abusers to justice," said Berg.

Others argue that the proposals will take away the responsibility of parents to educate their children about morally responsible online behaviour.

"While we can expect a cleaner, more family-friendly internet there will be many questions left unanswered and it is right that people ask lots of questions," said Andrew Ferguson, site editor of ThinkBroadband.com.

He continued: "We hope that parents do not rely solely on the new filtering measures - no filtering system can be perfect, there will be cases of over-blocking and under-blocking and as parents it is our duty to install responsibility on our children and answer all those questions that usually start with a simple ‘Why?'

"Blocking pornography will not create a child-safe internet connection: there will still be masses of violence, gambling, drugs, alcohol and other content you may want to block. The reality is that a true child-safe internet connection is actually pretty limited."

But some groups have welcomed the plans. Bharti Patel, CEO of child protection group ECPAT, said: “We see this as a necessary but early step in protecting children online.”

Cameron is due to make the speech later today, which may clarify the range of new laws and policies required to address the issue.

However, what many people will be asking for is a detailed explanation of how the new system will work, who will control it and decide what should - and shouldn't - be censored, and how the lists of subscribers that have opted-in will be handled.