LONDON — The U.K’s anti-censorship movement, SexandCensorship.org today reported that its website has been blocked on some mobile networks.
The group’s leader and former online operator, Jerry Barnett, said a Twitter follower alerted him to the site being restricted.
SexandCensorship.org is designed to raise consciousness about censorship ahead of proposed mandatory porn filtering in Britain and other restrictions on adult material in the country.
“When I met Claire Perry MP (the architect of the government's 'porn filter’), I pointed out to her that the filtering on mobile networks already blocks far more than just ‘adult material,’ but she rejected this suggestion,” Barnett, said.
The activist noted the irony of the site's block, pointing out that it contains no sexual imagery or language — except for the word "sex.”
Barnett said, “What better illustration could there be of why censorship must be emphatically rejected? Censorship mechanisms are general-purpose. Whatever the excuses used to introduce them, they always grow far beyond where they started. There is no such thing as good censorship. Once bureaucrats and police have the power to control free expression, they will use it.”
The group is holding its launch meeting on Sept. 23 during the XBIZ EU conference.
Barnett is encouraging supporters to attend the event and to spread the word. “Free expression has been under gradual attack in Britain for years: the fight back starts here.”
