Ban the Internet...just bits of it!

[Rheghead]

OK I think I might have asked this before (I've forgot sorry) but how can certain countries like China are able to stop all their citizens getting access to a 'harmless' site like facebook when Britain's decency police can't stop access to paedo sites and videos of beheadings etc?

I once complained about a website to my MP (No it wasn't the Org and didna know who else to turn to) and he said he sympathised with my view but he said that there was nothing that police can technically do. Am I not understanding something here?

[Bobinovich]

I would imagine China will have one national ISP with orders to block these sites or, if they do have multiple ISPs, they'll all have such orders.

I'm sure the UK could do the same but that would be against free speech etc.

[golach]

Rheg, as you well know China is a totalitarian state, and the government there rules with a fist of iron. Luckily Britain is not that kind of a country, tho' some may say different.

[Metalattakk]

Much of the UK does already do similar: http://www.iwf.org.uk/

[Olin]

Another reason is that when companies and "decency police" are filtering out the sites they use things that filter the type of website and sometimes not the actual content.

Face book will be categorised as something like "Social Networking" where as the websites that contain beheading videos will be "News" or something.

Even youtube has potential to contain beheadings and pornographic images until someone acutally flags a video.

Its annoying how some sites are banned and filtered even though they aren't really bad.

I was looking for military costumes for halloween and it was banned at the college under the category as "Weapons"