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Dj-Zero · 7th November 2005, 10:53 AM

I think this is a pretty important topic, and one that could affect some, maybe all of us, in the next few years.

A month or so back there was a lot of publicity about how the government was going to clamp down on ‘extreme pornographic images’ on the internet. What that actually meant was that they were asking for input and opinion from the public around a consultation paper that they had written.

It’s a bit much to go into detail now. However, what they seem to be saying is that there are some images on the internet that they can’t police (because they are outside their boundaries). They would not be publishable in this country, because they would be considered obscene (under the Obscene Publications Act). And they are so ‘abhorrent’ that all right-thinking people would like them banned.

So the government reckons it has to do something – and what it plans to do is to make it a criminal offence to POSSESS such images in future. From the net, certainly – but also in book or other form. If you possess any of the images that the government doesn’t like, you could end up in prison for three years and/or on the Sex Offenders’ Register.

Now I know that it is very tempting to say ‘jolly good’ – because I am sure that every one of us can think of images that they would find horrid to view and that maybe we would rather did not exist. But there are a number of problems with this proposal.

First, the government admits there is no evidence of harm at all from people watching these images – if anything, the evidence is the other way, with Japanese studies suggesting that people who look at a lot of porn often use it as a means to reduce their desires to DO things.

Second, it is about sex: the government is not proposing to ban ALL nasty images or nasty news images or whatever. Only images ‘in a sexual context’. Which is pretty dumb: because if they REALLY thought that these images led people to commit crimes, they would want them ALL banned anyway.

But they are saying there will be exemptions for images taken from films already passed by the censor and for artistic works – and that it won’t be a crime if you download stuff ‘accidentally’.

Which really sounds like spin and lies. Because once this proposal is law, I can’t see the police being impressed by someone saying: this image of a rape taken from a 18 film was only for personal interest or was downloaded accidentally or just didn’t turn me on.

Once this law is law, they are going to go after any images that anyone possesses that the local police chief doesn’t like – and if you remember James Anderton, the ultra-Christian police chief, what chiefs don’t like can be pretty innocuous indeed.

Anyway, all this worries me. There is a group set up to fight the proposal – details are at

www.backlash-uk.org.uk

You can also find links to the government consultation paper there. And if these proposals worry you, too, then please, please write in to the consultation. You don’t have to be wity, academic or anything. You don’t even have to answer THEIR rather biased questions. Just write in and make your point.

And you have until 2 December to do it!!!!

7th November 2005, 10:53 AM	#1 (permalink)
Dj-Zero I am Sancho Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Scumdee Posts: 3,971	Violent Pornography I think this is a pretty important topic, and one that could affect some, maybe all of us, in the next few years. A month or so back there was a lot of publicity about how the government was going to clamp down on ‘extreme pornographic images’ on the internet. What that actually meant was that they were asking for input and opinion from the public around a consultation paper that they had written. It’s a bit much to go into detail now. However, what they seem to be saying is that there are some images on the internet that they can’t police (because they are outside their boundaries). They would not be publishable in this country, because they would be considered obscene (under the Obscene Publications Act). And they are so ‘abhorrent’ that all right-thinking people would like them banned. So the government reckons it has to do something – and what it plans to do is to make it a criminal offence to POSSESS such images in future. From the net, certainly – but also in book or other form. If you possess any of the images that the government doesn’t like, you could end up in prison for three years and/or on the Sex Offenders’ Register. Now I know that it is very tempting to say ‘jolly good’ – because I am sure that every one of us can think of images that they would find horrid to view and that maybe we would rather did not exist. But there are a number of problems with this proposal. First, the government admits there is no evidence of harm at all from people watching these images – if anything, the evidence is the other way, with Japanese studies suggesting that people who look at a lot of porn often use it as a means to reduce their desires to DO things. Second, it is about sex: the government is not proposing to ban ALL nasty images or nasty news images or whatever. Only images ‘in a sexual context’. Which is pretty dumb: because if they REALLY thought that these images led people to commit crimes, they would want them ALL banned anyway. But they are saying there will be exemptions for images taken from films already passed by the censor and for artistic works – and that it won’t be a crime if you download stuff ‘accidentally’. Which really sounds like spin and lies. Because once this proposal is law, I can’t see the police being impressed by someone saying: this image of a rape taken from a 18 film was only for personal interest or was downloaded accidentally or just didn’t turn me on. Once this law is law, they are going to go after any images that anyone possesses that the local police chief doesn’t like – and if you remember James Anderton, the ultra-Christian police chief, what chiefs don’t like can be pretty innocuous indeed. Anyway, all this worries me. There is a group set up to fight the proposal – details are at www.backlash-uk.org.uk You can also find links to the government consultation paper there. And if these proposals worry you, too, then please, please write in to the consultation. You don’t have to be wity, academic or anything. You don’t even have to answer THEIR rather biased questions. Just write in and make your point. And you have until 2 December to do it!!!!