Tell the UK Government We’re Not Children

The UK government proposing bringing in a ‘Great Firewall’ to block pornographic content – and according to some news reports 18-rated material other than pornography. Ostensibly this is supposed to be about preventing access to child porn, but child porn is not generally traded on the open internet. The government has conflated this genuinely worrying child porn issue with ‘extreme porn’ (consensual or otherwise, including BDSM, rape-play and other pornography) and pornography in general.

Opposition has been worryingly scarce, perhaps because speaking up in favour of erotic material and against ‘protecting the children’ is seen as political suicide.

That means it’s up to us:

You can find your MP’s email here:
http://www.parliament.uk/about/contacting/mp/

Many use forms etc now, rather than direct emails, so it can be a lot of work to contact several people.

office@greenparty.org.uk
https://www.libdems.org.uk/contact.aspx
https://email.number10.gov.uk/
http://www.labour.org.uk/contact
http://www.ukip.org/contact
http://www.votegeorgegalloway.com/2011/01/contact-george-and-respect.html
http://www.snp.org/contact

There is a parliamentary e-petition here:
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/51746

Hashtags to show support are:
#ViveLaKink
#PornOptInPlease

Below is a form letter that you’re welcome to use

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am sad to see the government supporting a blanket block of adult material online, requiring people to identify – and in effect shame themselves – by opting in to be able to see it. The lack of vocal opposition to this is also deeply worrying. It is the responsibility of a democracy to guarantee the rights of minority interests against mob rule, not to indulge or inflame the mob.

What is even more disturbing, is to see legal, consensual activity and erotic material conflated in the rhetoric with child pornography. This shames people with legal and consensual sexual proclivities and fantasies unnecessarily.

Content like child pornography is not being traded on the public internet but, rather, on the darknet. (File-sharing on closed, private networks or via hidden means). Censoring the public internet will do precisely nothing to tackle the problem and will only harm innocent users.

Problems like this are best tackled by funding and expertise, not by token gestures that directly harm free expression and law abiding, normal citizens of the country.

Please consider opposing this move vocally and publicly.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]