Crisis averted! The UK porn block is no more

Part of 2017’s Digital Economy Act, the UK Government has been unsuccessfully trying to impose an over-18s limit on online pornography. Commonly referred to as the “porn block” the measure was delayed three times before (thank the lord!) officially being dropped yesterday. 

It originally emerged from the moral panic provoked by the easy access adolescents have to pornographic material and the possible negative effects this could have on their attitudes towards sex and relationships as they mature. However, in light of laws such as FOSTA-SESTA and the Tumblr crackdown on NSFW content, the UK porn block would have formed part of a much wider digital purge on sexual content online. 

The porn block would have legally obliged pornography providers and aggregation sites to install age verification software. From a logistical point of view, the measure ended up stalling due to a) the existence of VPNs (duh), and b) a loophole that exempted social media like Twitter, the natural home of the sex gif. The government even floated the rather dystopian idea of having the British porn-viewing population purchase a £5 “porn pass” in order to verify their age. 

Releasing a statement on the botched measure, Digital Secretary Nicky Morgan said: “The government has concluded that this objective of coherence will be best achieved through our wider online harms proposals. As a consequence, will not be commencing Part 3 of the Digital Economy Act 2017 concerning age verification for online pornography. The Digital Economy Act objectives will, therefore, be delivered through our proposed online harms regulatory regime. This course of action will give the regulator discretion on the most effective means for companies to meet their duty of care.”

From a more ethical point of view, there were concerns about the privacy implications of entrusting RedTube with your personal information: especially in an age of ever-increasing data hacks. From within the independent porn community, there was widespread outrage on the grounds that smaller sites might not have had the financial means to integrate the required software — forcing them to take their sites offline for UK audiences. One concerned professional was independent porn director Vex Ashley, who said in conversation with SLEEK: “If this legislation is passed, I would potentially be responsible for the details of everyone visiting my site. I don’t feel comfortable with that. I as a visitor wouldn’t feel comfortable with that either — it’s an invasion of people’s privacy.”

This is not the first time the UK Government has attempted to regulate digital pornography. In 2014, the UK Department of Culture, Media and Sport banned depictions of breath play, female ejaculation and whipping from pay-per-view adult content online. Similarly to the porn block, the measures were instigated on the grounds that such acts were “harmful to minors.” With acts associated with BDSM and queer subcultures being targeted, the move was conceptualised as a form of censorship discriminating against alternative sexualities.

…With all of this in mind, all we can say is good riddance to bad rubbish!