TalkTalk claims leading Conservatives are "pleased" with a new service being offered by the ISP that allows parents to block adult content on all devices in the home.

TalkTalk's new HomeSafe system provides network-level protection against malware, as well as giving parents the option to block certain types of content, including pornography, gambling and violent websites.

The move follows calls from Conservative MP Claire Perry for ISPs to prevent children from accessing pornographic sites. The Government met ISPs, including TalkTalk, earlier this year to discuss how ISPs might implement such a ban.

TalkTalk claims the Government is happy with the new service, which allows parents to blanket ban pornographic sites. "[Culture Minister] Ed Vaizey and [Claire] Perry are very pleased we're the only ISP to offer a service like this," said a spokesman for the ISP.

"Now that one ISP has come out with a solution, I'm sure others will do so too," the spokesman added.

However, TalkTalk admitted the service falls short of Perry's desire to block adult content by default. "They [the Conservatives] would prefer it to be an opt-out system," he admitted.

Network-level blacklist

The HomeSafe service works by blacklisting sites that are found to be hosting malware or the type of content parents have chosen to exclude. TalkTalk claims HomeSafe, which is provided by security firm Symantec, blocks access on any PC, smartphone or other net-connected device.

However, the service does have limitations. The filters only apply to sites accessed through a web browser, so it won't detect a malware-ridden file downloaded using a peer-to-peer file-sharing application, for example. Consequently, TalkTalk is advising customers not to treat HomeSafe as a substitute for regular security software.

The content filters are also applied to every device and user in the home, so there's no way for parents to retain access to adult content while preventing children from doing so, without taking the rather rudimentary option of switching the blacklists off when the children go to bed.

In addition to protection from malware and adult content, HomeSafe also allows parents to ban children from accessing social-networking sites such as Facebook duting "homework time". However, the spokesman was unsure whether the service could prevent children from accessing Facebook via apps installed on their smartphones.

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/security/36 ... rn-blocker

Yes, can't have the kids finding out what our sleazy politicians have been getting up to, can we?

First of all this is pretty much unrealistic for all sorts of obvious reasons, but secondly, have these people seen what goes on in the average music video these days?

This is probably to stop husbands of ministers downloading porn and having to resign because of it. I agree that most music videos are far more extreme than in my day and they are on before the watershed.

Blocking porn on the internet isn't gonna stop them from accessing it.

Hell, I first saw a porno mag aged 8 when some kid brought one into school.

There's a much better way to prevent children accessing porn.

It involves parents not being lazy f*ckers

+1

Lady Gaga can still gyrate her man area in your face whilst dressed in underwear at all times of the day on the music channels though

It was Madonna a generation before that. Although it wasn't quite as 24/7 as it is these days.

Can they do one that blocks anything with any sh!te from Tories?

Imagine a "Tory Blocker" for every day life. So no Tory on Newsnight, the news, or the papers, election papers.

At the risk of sounding like an ASDA advert (or is it Tesco?):

Every little helps.