UN Criticized UK Intentions to Restrict Access to Porn
David Kaye, the UN’s free speech advocate, believes that the UK government plans to introduce age verification and some restrictions on adult websites may breach international human rights law and would constitute a tightening of control over the worldwide web.
It must be noted that the new law, which is going to regulate problems of the Internet and electronic records, also foresees measures aimed at boosting data sharing between government departments and protecting intellectual property.
Kaye is a special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression. He urged the UK government to review the digital economy bill, which currently facilitates state surveillance and lacks judicial oversight.
However, the most disputable part of the bill is measures to control porn. The fears are that the government can create a database of the users’ sexual proclivities and roll back the online censorship regime to pre-Internet times. Apparently, the bill will effectively outlaw the depiction online of legal-to-perform sex acts.
The objections of the UN’s free speech advocate emphasize that age verification requirements carry a certain degree of risk to users’ privacy. David Kaye believes that the proposed changes fall short of the standards of international human rights law, because the age verification provisions reveal the viewing habits and citizen data to the UK government. The problem is that according to the new law, the data could be shared across government and the private sector without consent, thus effectively eradicating anonymous expression, which is one of the most important advances facilitated by the Internet. Finally, Kaye voiced his concern about the role of the age verification regulator, which will be able to block websites for inadequate age checks.
