BT Filter Blocks Cathedral Website, Too

LOS ANGELES—It's hardly news that the rollout of the government's vaunted program has not gone according to plan. (No, not Obamacare; the British government's mandatory porn filter.) But the latest faux pas for leading internet service provider BT, which recently turned its filter to the on position, is the report that it blocked access to the website for Glasgow's St. Mary's Cathedral, and also blocked the personal blog of its provost, the Very Rev Kelvin Holdsworth.

According to Liberal Democratic Voice's Caron Lindsay, "I read both sites regularly and, needless to say, I’ve never seen anything anybody should be protected from on either of them. I suspect the reason they were blocked was because Kelvin writes a lot about LGBT issues and is a passionate campaigner for equal marriage. The Cathedral, being an inclusive and welcoming place even to atheists like me has an LGBT Group."

BT, already under fire for the breadth of its default filtering, has since stated that the complaint about LGBT blocking was "in fact an accidental mis-description of the way our parental controls operate."

According to The Independent, "BT have now amended the description on its customer help website, replacing the reference to gay and lesbian lifestyle with the words 'sexual orientation'. The sex education blocking category remains."

BT further explained, "Some parents of very young children may wish to block sex education material. One of our optional filters does just that."

The explanation did not mollify Lindsay, who wrote, "It’s become very clear very quickly that these filters do exactly the sort of things that those opposing them (and who won the day) at Liberal Democrat conference last September predicted. This is the piece I wrote at the time. The motion was referred back to the Federal Policy Committee and we will presumably be debating a revised policy at a future conference.

"If our ministers’ strategy was to show how ridiculous Cameron’s porn filters are, well, that’s abundantly clear now," she added. "They need to now go back to work and continue to argue for the right things. It’s talk not tech that is best at combating the malign influences of much internet pornography."

The following list shows customers of BT "the different blocking categories you can select within Parental Controls and what types of websites they block":

Pornography:

This category will block sites that contain explicit sexual content. This includes adult products such as sex toys and videos, adult and escort services, strip clubs, erotic stories and descriptions of sexual acts.

Drugs:

This category will block sites that give information on illegal drugs or misue of prescription drugs.

Alcohol & Tobacco:

This category will block sites that promote or sell alcohol or tobacco related products or services.

Hate and Self-harm:

This category will block sites that promote or encourage self-harm or self-injury. The category also includes sites that encourage the oppression of people or groups based on their race, religion, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation or nationality.

Nudity:

This category will block sites that contain full or partial nudity. The content blocked will not be necessarily be of a sexual nature. This will include sites where the main purpose is to advertise or sell lingerie, intimate apparel, or swimwear.

Weapons and Violence:

This category will block sites that encourage suicide or depict, sell, review or describe guns and weapons. This could be for sport or sites that contain images or text depicting or advocating physical assault against humans, animals, or institutions. Sites where the content is of a particularly gruesome nature will be blocked as well as sites that contain profanity.

Gambling:

This category will block sites that offer or are related to online gambling, lottery, casinos and betting agencies involving chance.

Dating:

This category will block sites that promote networking for interpersonal relationships such as dating and marriage. This Includes sites used for match-making, online dating, spousal introduction and escort services.

Social Networking:

This category will block social networking sites used for friendship, dating, professional reasons and other various topics. It will also block sites used for online chat, like chat rooms and instant messenger sites.

File Sharing:

This category will block sites used to illegally distribute software or copyrighted materials such as movies, music, software cracks, illicit serial numbers, illegal license key generators and sites used as a direct exchange of files between users without dependence on a central server.

Games:

This category will block sites relating to computer games, online games or other games. This also includes sites that provide information about game producers, or how to obtain cheat codes. This will include blocking access to online multiplayer gaming servers and online app stores.

Media Streaming:

This category will block sites that deliver streaming content, such as Internet radio, Internet TV or music. It will also block sites that provide live or archived media downloads. Fan sites or an official site run by musicians, bands, or record labels will also be blocked.

Obscene and Tasteless:

This category will block sites that offer advice on how to commit illegal or criminal activities, or to avoid detection. These can include how to commit murder, build bombs, pick locks, etc. Sites with information about illegal manipulation of electronic devices, hacking, fraud and illegal distribution of software will be blocked along with content that may be offensive or tasteless such as bathroom humour, or gruesome or even frightening content such as shocking depictions of blood or wounds, or cruel animal treatment.

Fashion and Beauty:

This category will block sites that relate to the advertising and discussion of fashion, jewellery, glamour, beauty, modelling, cosmetics or related products or services. This will also include sites where the main content contains fashion and beauty product reviews, comparisons, and general consumer information.

Homework:

Homework time provides an additional layer of protection over and above your day-to-day filters. This can be set to turn off/on according to the times you specify. Homework time will block social networking, gaming and cheating sites in addition to your usual controls.

Search Engines and Portals:

Search Engines and Portals will block sites where the main purpose is to enable the searching of the web, newsgroups, images, directories and other online content. Includes portal and directory sites such as white/yellow pages.

Sex Education:

This category is intended to prevent very young children from being exposed to sites that have a significant focus on subjects that might come up in a sex education programme. Parents should carefully consider the possible adverse effects from denying children of an appropriate age access to information on these issues.