--- description: A bill working its way through parliament in the United Kingdom would ban internet users from viewing "non-conventional" pornography title: United Kingdom Bill Would Ban 'Non-Conventional' Online Pornography image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # United Kingdom Bill Would Ban 'Non-Conventional' Online Pornography  by [Katie Reilly](/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 23, 2016 9:42 PM CUT  by [Katie Reilly](/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 23, 2016 9:42 PM CUT A bill working its way through parliament in the U.K. would [ban internet users](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/nov/23/censor-non-conventional-sex-acts-online-internet-pornography "undefined") 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](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/nov/23/censor-non-conventional-sex-acts-online-internet-pornography "undefined"). 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](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/nov/23/censor-non-conventional-sex-acts-online-internet-pornography "undefined"). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4581800/united-kingdom-pornography-bill/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4581800/united-kingdom-pornography-bill/"},"headline":"United Kingdom Bill Would Ban 'Non-Conventional' Online Pornography","datePublished":"2016-11-23T21:42:23.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T01:59:11.832Z","description":"Critics argue that it's an invasion of privacy","url":"https://time.com/4581800/united-kingdom-pornography-bill/","keywords":["Internet","uk","United Kingdom"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Katie Reilly","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4581800/united-kingdom-pornography-bill/","name":"United Kingdom Bill Would Ban 'Non-Conventional' Online Pornography"}}]}] ```