A bill working its way through parliament in the U.K. would ban internet users from viewing pornography depicting “non-conventional” sex acts, even if they are legal for consenting adults.
The law would require internet providers to block any sites with content that would not be approved for commercial DVD sale by the British Board of Film Classification, the Guardian reported. Such content includes urination, female ejaculation, menstruation, sex in public, and spanking, whipping or caning that leaves marks.
The bill also aims to enforce age verification checks to prevent children from viewing adult content.
While proponents of the bill say it will make the internet safer for children, critics have argued that it amounts to censorship and an invasion of people’s personal lives. Others have argued that lawmakers should, instead, focus on cracking down on content that depicts illegal activity, including child sexual abuse and sexual violence, the Guardian reported.
- Inside Mississippi's Last Abortion Clinic—and the Biggest Fight for Abortion Rights in a Generation
- Do Current COVID-19 Tests Still Detect Omicron?
- The First U.S. Offshore Wind Farm Could Be a Lifeline for Struggling New England Cities
- Welcome to TV's Era of Peak Redundancy
- The Key Role a Local Newspaper Played in the Trial Over Ahmaud Arbery's Murder
- TIME's Top 100 Photos of 2021
- 2021: The Year the Grift Kept Giving
