Filtering Out Harm: A Comparative Theoretical Analysis of David Cameron’s Policy of Filtering Pornography by Default

• In Event: Assessing Internet Access: Content, Connection, and Speed

Abstract

Under a new initiative put forth by Prime Minister David Cameron, major British broadband and mobile Internet service providers will equip all new and existing accounts with filters automatically set to block pornographic images by the end of 2014. Cameron defended the policy by saying that pornography was “corroding childhood.” This paper seeks to answer the following research question: How can U.S. doctrine on pornography and obscenity, analyzed in conjunction with prominent U.S. theories of freedom of expression, explain and assess David Cameron’s anti-pornography policy? This paper synthesizes landmark cases that define U.S. law regarding the major issues discussed in this paper (pornography, obscenity, the Internet, and protection of minors), and analyzes those using major theories of freedom of expression. The paper then comparatively analyzes those theories with British political theory to explain and assess the default filtering policy.

Authors

• Brett Gregory Johnson, U of Oregon

• Kriste Patrow, University of Minnesota