Internet Filtering: ORG's censorship monitoring project

Last week Virgin Media became the final big Internet Service Provider to install default website blocking. These filters will block a wide range of categories: hate speech, drugs, pornography and self-harm.

However, over-blocking is a serious and unavoidable effect of filtering. Internet Service Providers like BT and TalkTalk give website owners and customers minimal information on why and what is being blocked, or how to report problems.

They harm freedom of information online, for adults and young people alike as the filters could block websites including sexual health services, faith groups and charities. Now that the infrastructure is in place there is potential for them to be expanded to chill political content, as the Government push for an automatic filter on their broad category of 'extremism'.

This is why ORG's 'Blocked' project is building the tools to monitor and challenge filtering so that we know what is actually being blocked, how and why.

Join us to hear from Richard King who is managing ORG’s ‘Blocked’ project as he explains the risks posed by filtering and how over-blocking can be resisted.