British wireless king Vodafone has begun barring customers from reaching adult Websites through their handsets, saying the move is aimed primarily at protecting children. Vodafone customers will have to prove now that they are over 18 before the restrictions are lifted.
"We have seen the popularity of mobile Internet to access things like chatrooms," said Vodafone chief of content services Al Russell, announcing the new policy, "and if we didn’t take action it was inevitable that minors would be exposed to adult services." An estimated 16.5 million out of 47.5 million British mobile phones have some kind of Internet access, according to several published reports.
The restrictions also cover gambling sites and Internet chatrooms that are unmonitored or otherwise deemed for adults, Vodafone said announcing the new policy. Other than proof of age, the wireless giant added, the blocks go on and stay on until a customer opts in and asks for the blocks to come off. If they want the blocks off, Vodafone said, they will have to provide credit card details for verification, online, on the phone, or at a Vodafone store.
Vodafone said it is using a filter to look for particular words and content to pick off adult Websites and block them. The company claims to be the first mobile operator around the world to do this, seven months after the British mobile industry agreed to take action to block porn sites.
