DEVENPORT — Royal Navy sailors in recent weeks have been warned that viewing hardcore porn on warships, submarines and at military bases is verboten.
Updated rules to the Royal Navy’s Queen Regulations state that any sailor caught with sexual material that hasn’t been certified by the British Board of Film Censors will face military charges.
The ban includes content downloaded online and stored in personal devices. Naked or semi-naked photos also are banned in communal areas.
In a section entitled “Pin-ups and Pornography” sailors are told: "Possession of films/videos and all forms of digital media (e.g.: DVDs or downloads from the internet) that have been certified by the BBFC is permitted.”
The crackdown will be enforced by senior officials and the Master at Arms aboard warships who regularly inspect sailors’ accommodation. The Royal Navy has 29,000 sailors.
According to The Sun, the new regulations were introduced some time ago, but it is only now that they are being implemented.
A Royal Navy source told The Sun: “To be fair, this is part of the service coming into the 21st century, being more inclusive and not offending women."
“But a lot of the lads are moaning about this because porn has been rife across the fleet for generations, and this is the result of a few people complaining.
“They stopped the rum tot and reduced our alcohol allowance and have now banned porn.”
It isn’t certain how the updated rules will hold water with troops; a Royal Navy topless picture ban in 2004 was yanked two months after it was introduced.
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