Censorship?

An American colleague was messing around with my phone after he’d used it to make a call.

He went to an adult website with the initials PH. The website kept coming up with the error “The server has dropped the connection”

Long story short it appears that my service provider BT censors adult websites. I’ve no problem with that as I don’t go those sorts of sites BUT I am rather annoyed at the fact that I wasn’t made aware that BT were censoring sites I could visit. They also didn’t tell me they were doing this nor did they get my informed consent to do it. You have to be over 18 to sign a mobile phone contract and the adult website listed provides legal adult content.

What am I missing?
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Comments

  • Inner_Zone
    Inner_Zone Posts: 2,853 Forumite
    Most if not all mobile networks and MVNO's have an adult bar which you need to switch off if required, each has their own method of doing this.



    Well documented on BT's website.


    http://bt.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/49989/~/can-i-set-up-bt-mobile-parental-controls%3F
  • onomatopoeia99
    onomatopoeia99 Posts: 6,951
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    Since about 2014 almost everyone gets opted in to adult content filtering by default (it was a manifesto committment of the Conservative party in the 2010 general election and introduced voluntarily by ISPs around 2013), and you have to disable it if you want access to this adult content. Each ISP defines what "adult content" is differently, so some may block alcohol, some pornography, some mental health support services (yes this has happened), some astrology (etc etc etc)


    That's not the only block on your connection, but it's the only one you can control.
    Proud member of the wokerati, though I don't eat tofu.Home is where my books are.Solar PV 5.2kWp system, SE facing, >1% shading, installed March 2019.Mortgage free July 2023
  • EveryWhere
    EveryWhere Posts: 3,249 Forumite
    An American colleague was messing around with my phone after he’d used it to make a call.

    He went to an adult website with the initials PH. The website kept coming up with the error “The server has dropped the connection”

    Long story short it appears that my service provider BT censors adult websites. I’ve no problem with that as I don’t go those sorts of sites BUT I am rather annoyed at the fact that I wasn’t made aware that BT were censoring sites I could visit. They also didn’t tell me they were doing this nor did they get my informed consent to do it. You have to be over 18 to sign a mobile phone contract and the adult website listed provides legal adult content.

    What am I missing?


    I'm with BT and just went to visit the website that you mentioned and shockingly, it opened. Still explaining to my girlfriend that it was your fault.

    So perhaps you have parental controls switched on, as the website is not blocked by default and even if it was, it takes seconds to bypass it.

    Oh...missed that it was a mobile phone connection. Will still blame you anyway. ;)
  • Nasqueron
    Nasqueron Posts: 8,631
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    I'm fairly sure from the time I had an issue with the control being on, even though it was off, that the sites which should not be accessed, don't drop connection but rather show that the site is blocked
  • forgotmyname
    forgotmyname Posts: 32,517
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    Vodafone had content blocks years ago, but one of the blocks was this site and a couple of car forums, none of them actually adult content.

    This was back in the days of WAP.
    Censorship Reigns Supreme in Troll City...

  • Mr_Singleton
    Mr_Singleton Posts: 1,891 Forumite
    Thanks all.... it's somewhat odd that BT will block a site on my phone via 4g but not via a BT WiFi connection.

    I've got no issues with sites being blocked on legal grounds but what other sites are being censored with out my knowledge?
  • JamoLew
    JamoLew Posts: 1,800
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    If it's without your knowledge then you will never know so it's not a problem.
    It only affects you if it's a website you want to visit in which case you now know the probable cause and solution.
  • Nasqueron
    Nasqueron Posts: 8,631
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    Thanks all.... it's somewhat odd that BT will block a site on my phone via 4g but not via a BT WiFi connection.

    I've got no issues with sites being blocked on legal grounds but what other sites are being censored with out my knowledge?


    If you're signed in to normal BT wifi then it doesn't do anything with a blocker but if you are on the guest (say staying in a rental home) it will block adult sites (but that includes legitimate sites like betting etc)
  • dipsomaniac
    dipsomaniac Posts: 6,739
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    JamoLew wrote: »
    If it's without your knowledge then you will never know so it's not a problem.

    :eek::eek::eek:
    "The Holy Writ of Gloucester Rugby Club demands: first, that the forwards shall win the ball; second, that the forwards shall keep the ball; and third, the backs shall buy the beer." - Doug Ibbotson
  • dipsomaniac
    dipsomaniac Posts: 6,739
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    edited 1 June 2019 at 10:48AM
    isp's shouldn't be censoring anything without a top judges ruling.
    "The Holy Writ of Gloucester Rugby Club demands: first, that the forwards shall win the ball; second, that the forwards shall keep the ball; and third, the backs shall buy the beer." - Doug Ibbotson
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