Crackdown on porn

The Government’s latest attempt to run a nanny state-like interference over the lives of responsible citizens comes in the form of a ‘‘crackdown on porn’’ that could include a New Zealand-wide R18 porn filter, where residents will have to provide age ID to have access to websites.

This is yet another damp squib from this act-before-we-think administration.

I understand that porn is widespread in this internet age; and, rather than being ‘‘bombarded’’ by porn, I believe kids are naturally seeking it out. These are several reasons why porn sites are fully RTA (Restricted to Adults) compliant; and parents have the option of implementing a plethora of tools already available in modern operating systems and devices.

What I see lacking from this plan is a consideration of the source of site content. Many adults who access and use porn sites also contribute their own amateur material via their personal profile, so should this so-called crackdown from the Government go ahead, some users will find themselves in the absurd position of having to provide age ID to have access to their own material online.

Raymond Shepherd, Strowan