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"The government is to consult on tough new measures aimed at better protecting children from internet pornography.  According to PA, plans are being drawn up by Downing Street that would involve customers having to &amp;quot;opt in&amp;quot; to receive adult content online when they sign up for a broadband contract. Campaigners have claimed that children can too easily access explicit pornographic content on their computers, smartphones and connected devices.  Currently, parents can &amp;#039;opt out&amp;#039; of adult services when they sign up for broadband to ensure their children cannot access the material, but the new proposed arrangement would flip this. Under the proposals, internet service providers (ISPs) would be forced to ask customers to say that they wanted to access adult sites when they purchase a broadband package. Essentially, this would mean that adult sites would be automatically blocked unless the customer specifically asks for them to be unlocked.  Rights groups have expressed concern that this could allow the government to censor the internet through the back door.  Prime minister David Cameron is due to meet the UK&amp;#039;s biggest ISPs to discuss the proposed measures, although he is understood to be against introducing tougher controls on web porn.  Online adult entertainment is said to be worth around \u00A33 billion a year, but some MPs have accused ISPs of being complicit in children being exposed to pornography.  Tory backbencher Claire Perry said ISPs have been slow to introduce reform to the way explicit material is accessed online, while shadow culture secretary Harriet Harman said that keeping children safe online was a major concern for parents.  &amp;quot;We need to work closely with the industry to develop blocking technology, which is easy to use and effective so that parents have the control they need to protect their children,&amp;quot; said Harman. Nick Pickles, a director at campaign group Big Brother Watch, said that the consultation was a &amp;quot;positive step&amp;quot;, but warned the government not to try to censor the internet.  &amp;quot;Mass blocking of websites was rejected in the US for breaking internet security and in Holland because it doesn&amp;#039;t work and drives criminals underground,&amp;quot; he said.  &amp;quot;The government should make clear they will not consider a policy that will make it harder to catch child abusers and put consumers at risk when shopping online. &amp;quot;As recognised by Ofcom, it is trivial to get around an opt-in blocking system, so it would be totally wrong for this to be used as an excuse to spy on all our internet activity.&amp;quot; &amp;gt; The Pirate Bay UK blockade begins with Virgin Media &amp;gt; Internet providers to offer web porn block "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/tech/news/a380005/government-consults-on-protecting-children-from-internet-porn/>