Porn Filter: UK firewall blocks harmless web sites and updates

In the middle of 2013 UK providers introduced a blacklist to protect children and young people against adult content such as pornography, but also harmless pages or content such as a patch for the game “League of Legends” or aid organizations for rape victims can be stopped by the UK firewall


The reason why the necessary update of the game was blocked is the accidental use of the “Sex” character combination in the filename: for the files “Varu sEx pirationTimer.luaobj” and “XerathMageChain sEx tended.luaobj” was already the random sequence of the Letters to trigger the filter. This did not allow the patch to be installed and the popular “League of Legends” was unplayable.


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But even exemplary sites fall victim to the strict filter. Among other things, assistance for abuse victims or recognized sites for homosexuals could no longer be achieved. If a user wants to deactivate the filter, the user must call the provider himself and order this to reach these blocked pages.


Even the advocates of child protection do not stop the fire, as Parliament's Claire Perry had to learn at the end of December. On their side, the terms pornography and sex surfaced too often, so the automated filter blocked its internet presence.