BT censors the Internet

p2pnet.net News: British Telecom has taken the unprecedented step of blocking all illegal child pornography websites in a crackdown on abuse online. The decision by Britain's largest high-speed internet provider will lead to the first mass censorship of the web attempted in a Western democratic country. Until now, the censorship of websites has been confined to countries such as Iran and China.

The project which is known as "Cleanfeed" has been developed in consultation with the Home Office after intense pressure from children's charities.

Now you can see the difference between censorship in Britain and censorship in Iran. BT is an ISP, they have been under pressure from established NGOs and charities, and as a company they have consulted the Home Office and then decided to take necessary measures against child pornography. Other ISPs may or may not follow this example. In contrast, in Iran a small and unknown group of people in the government make decisions, and then all ISPs are forced to follow them. People have no say in this process.

Read the full report in The Guardian.

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