New restrictions for online content announced

July 22, 2013

David Cameron is set to announce today that internet providers will block pornography for every household in the UK – unless they actively opt-in to receive it. The Prime Minister will state that access to pornography is “corroding childhood” and further steps must be taken to stop it. Furthermore, search engines will be given until October to introduce additional measures to block illegal content.

Interestingly, earlier this month, Twitter quietly updated its iOS and Android mobile app to hide “sensitive material”, including nudity, violence or medical procedures, behind a warning label. This means it will be harder for users to accidentally encounter potentially distressing content whilst using the platform. Twitter’s update is also based on an opt out system – users have to actively change their settings to “view media that may contain sensitive content without a warning”.

Does this suggest a pattern of blocking potentially harmful content online unless the user pro-actively opts out?

Let’s take a look at another major social media platform: Facebook. Last month Facebook, after a sustained online campaign, announced it would remove ads from pages which contained controversial content – a move which would prevent adverts appearing next to offensive material beyond the advertisers’ control. Although Facebook already removes Pages and Groups containing illegal content, there have been calls from activists to improve its process for identifying and removing pages with sensitive content, specifically ones that glorify violence against women. Although Facebook has stated it takes dealing with offensive content “really, really seriously” it also suggests that the goal of their new procedure “won’t be as much content policing as there will be advertising policing”. As such, it seems Facebook is not considering an “opt out” system. Rather, removing ads from controversial pages means that activist groups may find it harder to get advertisers, and the media, to listen to their concerns.

So will social media be subject to further restrictions? Is Britain moving towards a system where users must actively opt-in to view sensitive material? Join the debate: leave a comment or tweet us @iftweeter

Latest Posts

Truth on Fire, and Brands Are in the Line of It We’re all in the truth business now. At Somerset House, on a chilly evening in June, I joined a panel to unpack the uncomfortable realities of misinformation and disinformation, and what brands can do about it. The session was…

Yes, that is me being a bit obvious, but sometimes you need to be a bit blunt. Social is where buyers research, where conversion journeys begin, and where measurable business outcomes are shaped. And yet too often, it’s still seen as secondary to ‘real’ marketing. This newsletter edition…

Reddit may have been in the shadows of other social platforms for years – in fact, the debate is on as to whether it’s a social platform at all – but one thing is for sure, the B2B buyer and marketeer are finding it a safe haven for research and…