South Africa's Porn Blocking Proposal Faces Opposition from Internet Providers (XBIZ)

Read the full article by Stephen Yagielowicz at XBIZ.com 

LOS ANGELES — The Internet Service Providers’ Association of South Africa is pushing back against a proposal by the Law Reform Commission that call for the nation’s ISPs to block all adult-oriented content.

In a statement titled “Internet Blocking Proposal Sends SA Down Slippery Slope,” the ISPA, which represents the interests of nearly 200 ISPs, explained that blocking any form of content “is an exceptionally bad solution” that would not protect South African children — and noted that similar efforts have succeeded nowhere on the planet.

“We risk being sent down a slippery slope when we are just shaking off the effects of the previous administration’s stealthy attacks on freedom of expression,” ISPA chair André van der Walt stated, describing the blocking of content by default “an unimaginative approach when little else has been properly explored.”

One fear is that porn blocks under the guise of “protecting children” merely pave the way for more comprehensive content clampdowns when it suits later governments.