Disney Sites, Internet Safety Tips and More Blocked by UK ISPs

• Internet providers have blocked Disney sites, internet safety tips, and other content unintentionally in the UK.
• Internet providers in the UK offer site blocking tools to all subscribers to filter harmful content, which led to the filters malfunctioning.
• While the content filters are supposed to make the internet safer for children, the execution by the filters is not always perfect.

UK ISPs are known to offer site-blocking tools to all subscribers to block inappropriate content. The tools are targeted mostly at children to make their browsing experience safe. However, these tools do not always function as intended as showcased by the Open Right Groups’ Blocked initiative.

There have been several instances of court-ordered blockades of pirate sites in the UK. However, there are also voluntary blocking options on offer by ISPs in the UK. These filters are enabled by default for several ISPs to block harmful content, targeted specifically towards children.

Image Courtesy of Disney Store UK

The Open Rights Groups’ Blocked initiative revealed the scope of various filters of UK ISPs and how they perform for the average internet user. The results are as expected with most porn sites being blocked that is targeted at mature audiences. The filters are usually very efficient at blocking out adult content, and they don’t seem to have any issues with how they perform for such sites.

Many VPNs and proxies are not available in UK ISPs. While the services by themselves are not harmful or inappropriate, they can enable users to view blocked content and bypass parental controls. However, the TOR browser is surprisingly accessible.

Some of the websites that are targeted towards kids are surprisingly blocked. These sites include the UK Disney website and the Disney Movies site. Neither website is harmful at first glance, and the Strict filters by British Telecom seem quite harsh. Several casual game websites have also been blocked citing “Weapons, Violence, Gore and Hate” is the reason behind the blocks.

Historical websites that talk about ancient weapons are also blocked despite them being completely safe. Thankfully such websites can be unblocked by submitting a request on the Open Rights Group page to unban any of your favorite websites that you feel are blocked unfairly.