Less than a month after the United Kingdom finally threw up its collective hands and scrapped its controversial and often-delayed attempt at blocking online porn sites, New Zealand is forging ahead with “sweeping” new changes to toughen current regulations that apply to adult content in the internet, according to a report by the country’s national talk radio network, NewsTalk ZB.
In September, New Zealand Chief Censor David Shanks said he has already considered terminating access to porn altogether in the country, as AVN.com reported.
In addition to an “age verification” system similar to the law ditched last month by the U.K. government, New Zealand, according to a NewsHub report, is now considering such measures as:
• Requiring all free WiFi providers, such as businesses, schools, and retail shops, to include “appropriate filtering” to keep out porn.
• A law that would force schools to make sure students do not access porn while on school networks, both by using blocking technology, as well as instituting stricter anti-porn policies.
• Assigning the government’s education department to take the lead in educating parents of underage kids on the “harms of pornography.”
"I think we need to get there urgently and make sure our censorship laws are up to speed to protect our children and young people,” said Internal Affairs Minister Tracey Martin, who is leading to effort to crack down on what she has called “an avalanche of porn” in New Zealand.
"Officials are now looking at policy options for preventing harm to children and young people from online pornography," Martin added. "It's a priority of mine and I really want to see legislation introduced this term."
New Zealand’s neighbor across the Tasman Sea, Australia, is also moving toward a nationwide “age verification” system for restricting online access to porn. One recent proposal there called for using the country’s facial recognition database to identify porn users and block access for those under 18 years old.
Photo By Hakirok / Wikimedia Commons
