The UK's internet filters block almost 1 in 5 websites

Almost one in five websites are blocked by the UK's internet service providers' filters, according to the Open Rights Group.

Almost one in five websites are blocked by the UK’s internet service providers’ filters, according to the Open Rights Group. Using an in-house developed tool, the digital rights organisation have tested the top 100,000 sites on the web and found that many of the 20 percent blocked by filters—which are intended to protect kids from inappropriate content—included innocuous, inoffensive or educational content.

For example, a website used to sell and service Porsches is blocked by O2, while TalkTalk denies access to a feminist rights blog. Motherboard have reported that other blocked sites include the political blog Guido Fawkes, whose editor Paul Staines said: “We would really appreciate it if TalkTalk would remove us from their block list. The only people who block us are them and the Chinese government.”

Open Rights Group have launched the tool they used to test sites, which means anyone can check if a website has been filtered and keep track of a running total of blocked sites.

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