As Predicted - 2257 Hits The UK
It has been in place since 1912, but the remit of the British Board of Film Classification is about to update for the 21st century - so it can classify internet content as well as cinema films.
Disclosures released last week under the Freedom of Information Act reportedly reveal cinema-style ratings could be at the gateways of online material as early as next month.
The system, which is likely to apply to material that would previously be delivered in physical film or DVD formats, represents the first time a British watchdog has tried to regulate online content.
But speaking last month, officials at the British Board of Film Classification said piloting ratings online, such as R18, did not mean it was “seeking an open-ended regulatory role” on the Web.
The ratings would apply to a range of audio-visual content, from family entertainment to adult titles, and could also cover online games, the BBFC said at the time.
Yesterday, the sex industry was reported to be backing an online version of R18, which normally applies only to material bought in sex shops or cinemas, according to The Sunday Telegraph.
The paper, which has seen details of the Board’s ratings system in letters to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, said the regulatory move is an attempt to protect children from hardcore porn and violence.
To this end, it is expected that porn and graphic material would be labelled unsuitable for children, and would-be viewers would need to verify their age.
Access to such adult material would reportedly be through a “landing page,” which like the BBFC’s ‘black card’ system would contain warnings before any of the content is accessible.
Surveys commissioned by the Board found 84% of Brits would like to see cinema-style ratings applied to film downloads – a move its surveys show would be welcomed by nine out of ten parents.
http://www.contractoruk.com/news/003313.html
The good thing about this however, is that most webmasters in the UK, myself included when i was living there, already followed the BBFC guidelines in terms of the content we utilized on our websites so this really shouldnt have any significant effect on the business of those webmasters playing it safe and not trying to push the limits in terms of models ages or the type of niches they are promoting.
It just seems weird that it was only last week i mentioned it wouldnt be long until these types of 2257 regulations came in to effect although to be fair, it has less to do with the age of models than the 'type' of content being used but still, models who look young would more than likely be labelled as obscene under these new regulations so if you have a twink or teen site that has a tour with models that look younger than 18, you are gonna be in for a rough ride :)
Regards,
Lee
