UK's David Cameron Leads Crackdown On Online Porn

Well, this should do wonders for the stereotype that Brits are prudes.

David Cameron is spearheading the largest-scale attack on Internet pornography to date. The UK Prime Minister has declared that it is his duty, "as a politician and as a father," to protect children by bringing the escalating porn industry to a halt. He'll be collaborating with Google to block access to child porn, filter out images that kids might stumble across, and restrict pornography by default — unless users specifically "opt-in."

Google's been hell-bent on defeating porn for awhile, partly as a response to criticism that the gargantuan corporation wasn't doing enough to stop its proliferation. Under Cameron's war on porn, the company will be required to submit a blacklist of the most—quote, unquote—"depraved and illegal" search terms. (The mind boggles.)

So, what kind of porn has been declared enemy territory? Child pornography is at the top of the list, along with violent pornography (like simulated rape). The initiative is twofold in its hope to protect children: First, it'll try to stop children from stumbling across porn to begin with, and secondly, it will attempt to prevent individuals trying to access "perverted" images from doing so.

As for regular kinds of porn, they've merely been declared un-family-friendly — but, under new Wi-Fi filters, UK citizens will have to specifically "opt-in" to be able to access them. (We're predicting a lot of awkward conversations when girlfriends come across that one.) The changes should come into effect as early as October, and wireless providers — both private and public, such as those on railways or in hotspots — will be in serious hot water with David Cameron if they don't turn on said "Family Friendly" filters.

The "Opt-In" option has immediately been met with criticism, with The Guardian calling it a desperate move to avoid "some frank and very un-British conversations." "The prime minister announces he has solved the problem," The Guardian continues, "when he's only pretending to have brushed it under the carpet."

As some women's rights groups shared their "delight" at the changes, others, including the Child Exploitation And Online Protection Center, were unruffled. "Let's create a real deterrent," said ex-chief Jim Gamble, suggesting the money go into child protection teams and victim support. "Not a pop-up that pedophiles will laugh at."