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Proposals to force users to opt-in to access adult content would be "a mistake", Google has said.

Speaking during a debate in Hertfordshire, the company warned against allowing private companies to manage lists of inappropriate websites.

The government is currently consulting with ISPs to determine if such filters should be on by default.

Some ISPs, such as TalkTalk, have already provided an option to filter adult content at a network level.

If the government decides to introduce the blocks, it would mean web users would have to inform their ISPs if they want to view adult content.

Simple solutions

Sarah Hunter, Google's head of public policy, said the search giant was strongly in favour of education over technical measures.

"We believe that children shouldn't be seeing pornography online. We disagree on the mechanisms. It's not that easy," she said.

"There is a problem about the extent to which we deskill parents by giving them simple solutions.

"We should be making more effort than we've done in the past to make sure parents really do know the risks children face online."

ISPs have been criticised for not doing more to stop children from accessing pornography through the internet.

TalkTalk recently introduced an option for parents to turn on an adult content filter at a network level.

Rather than individual filters on devices – such as a family computer – network level filtering stops certain content from reaching the home.

 

 

Source: BBC

Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-18175590

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