Many ISP's in Britain have adopted a voluntary system of website blocking in the past few months. This was in response to suggestions from the government of David Cameron and his Conservative party. The purpose of the filters, ostensibly, is to protect minors from exposure to the darker side of the internet, including pornography, violence, and graphic imagery. But the filters put into place are turning out to be more intrusive, and are becoming a means of censorship and limiting free speech.
In this latest example, Sky Broadband, one of the largest internet service providers in Great Britain, has decided that a torrents news site called TorrentFreak must be included in the list of "harmful" sites. TorrentFreak is frequently cited by major news sites, and has been a public medium used by many organizations eager to share their views on copyright issues. Groups that have taken part in copyright discussions at TorrentFreak include the MPAA, RIAA, Brein, and other copyright watchdog organizations, as well as representatives from the other side of the issues.
But apparently even discussing such topics might be harmful to youngsters, and TorrentFreak has been blacklisted by this ISP. TorrentFreak hosts no filesharing software, nor does it have links to copyright protected material.
Of course, it is easy to assign blame to Sky for deliberate censorship, when it may simply be an unintended mistake caused by incompetence in setting up their filters. If that is the case, it should be an easy thing to correct. The Sky filters are in effect immediately for new subscribers, though they can opt out of them if they so choose. For those who already have service with Sky, the filters will be offered as part of the parental controls over the next few months.
Assuming you can actually reach the site, you can read more at TorrentFreak.
