Three to drop mobile smut shield Network operator Three is to stop filtering out smut that monthly subscribers are attempting to view on their mobile phones. "We know this has frustrated many of you," it said. Punters on PAYG packages will continue to face blocks when they attempt to view certain web sites - and not just rude ones. Three said its filter also …
This is my main problem with this system. It is not ready for prime time. The filters should be able to be turned on or off at mobiles users pleasure. Until then this is possible, it is more of a hindrance than a help.
I does not have to be instant, but within a few days, as phones can be hand me downs within families etc.
Days!
Would the phone company be happy if it took days to pull up someone's call logs? Why should their customers wait days for similarly critical tasks.
Half an hour at the most. And there should be none of this "you can only turn it on and off x times". Software is good because you can do things infinite times. Let's not tack pointless restrictions on.
It's not like we're asking some clerk to go to the basement and dig through 40 years worth of paper files. Companies need to learn that computers give them licence to operate differently than before, an opportunity that they should seize with both hands. Otherwise die like the record labels will.
I'm tired of some middle manager who gave up on technology the first time he failed to program his VCR, always telling me that a job will take days or weeks when I know for a fact that it will take seconds.
also b3ta is filtered out, even with the smut filter deactivated. Somehow they think they're going to stop users of b3ta in their tracks with their (chargeable) adult services - even if they were off to b3ta for the latest meme-du-choix
Idiots.
Of course changing your APN from three.co.uk to 3internet side steps it without any mucking about proving how old you are or anything, which is nice.
On a road trip, stuck in traffic I tried to find a few jokes to entertain my friends... kept on getting their filter... or as I call it, the "COME ON, BUY SOME PORN" screen. I rung customer services and all they did was try to sell me the porn. Still provided entertainment for my friends as I spent 30 mins getting more exasperated and shouting "I DON'T WANT ANY PORN, STOP TRYING TO SELL ME PORN!!!"
The "filter" is purely about revenue... if they were concerned with fragile young minds it wouldn't offer, and I quote, "red hot xxx lesbo action!" (their exclamation mark, not mine).
here's a hint, literally nobody cares what YOUR kids see online. least of all you yourself.
so can we please stop this make-believe nonsense that we're protecting people, if you can cite a single peer reviewed paper that is proof positive that this fascist bullshit is of any MEASURABLE benefit AT ALL (you can't), then I STILL won't allow you to censor my internet connection on an opt-out basis.
Fascist should always be OPT IN. Tell that to the god botherers. Tricking people into feeling guilty about their perfectly normal consumption of media has been a nice little earner for thousands of years.
'you can't read that *other* holy text'
why?
'Mr Satan will burn you for eternity. hey dont believe me, believe Mr !Satan.'
oh ok makes sense...
replace "other holy text" with porn and here we are.
time to wake up people.
I ran into 3's filter trying to surf for info on breast augmentation the first week I got a SIM-only contract from them. I cancelled that contract less than half an hour later. I don't want to have to phone some call center minion and tell them I want to be put on the perv list.
But Vodafone, my next provider, were worse. I specifically told the salesperson that I didn't want adult filters on my contract, and I saw her click the checkbox on the application page to disable the adult content filters but they were still in place when I checked. Muppets. Luckily I'm on a SIM-only plan - ditching Vodafone at the end of the month now.
I'm convinced it's less to do with protecting the kiddies than it is with reducing their data volumes. Most customers would be too embarrassed to enable the content and there's no way (I can find) to do it online - you have to phone and talk to someone. Fewer skin pics = lower data costs.
I asked for my filter to be turned off, not because I wanted to look at porn, but because I like WWII history and as soon as a site mentioned NAZI's or Swastikas it was blocked as "Hate". Well that's my story and I'm sticking to it ;)
Anyway, one of their support guys said it was the IWF block which I believe is for child porn and I could turn it off for a fiver a month.
[quote]We don’t put a filter on internet for accessing any websites. However the Internet Watch Foundation puts restriction on all website which can be viewed by a person above the age of 18.
So if you want to access any of these sites, you’ll need to activate an X-Series Silver Add-on for £5 a month. You can either call us and we’ll activate it for you or you can buy the Add-on from My3." [/quote]
The filter was what prompted me to set up a public-facing proxy on my home server, and then redirect my Opera Mobile browser to it, so I wouldn't get blocked from looking at anything "grown-up" (not just filth!).
However I later called them and mentioned it, and they said they could move to their unfiltered X-Series option, at no extra cost, which would remove the filtering. And they did.
As for Three Customer Service, I think they're fab: polite, helpful, and mostly knowleadgeble enough (for call centre staff!). I've consistently got a deal I can't refuse whenever upgrade time comes around. I've learnt though to never speak to the first-line monkeys, but to go to the "I'm thinking of leaving" staff. They have the best deals.
I was wondering if anyone from O2 was reading this story, this is a better way to implement the filtering.
Still, at least they can both be turned off.
Virgin Media have PIN codes on a lot of the Sky Movie channels because they transmit films with 12+ content before the watershed. That's fine.
If you have a Sky box you can turn the PIN off in settings if you want (e.g. when in a household like mine with no children), but Virgin don't allow you to do that.
I called customer services to ask why and they explained the reason for the code being in place.
"To protect children".
Me: "Yes, but I don't have any children and have no plans to have any. Can I turn it off altogether"
VM: "No."
Me: "Why."
VM: "In case you have children visit. Maybe relatives or family friends - do you not have any friends who visit with their chilrden?"
Me: "Yes, occasionally. That probably covers about 15-20 hours a year, but they don't usually watch the TV"
VM: "There you go, you do have children in the house, that's why the filter can't be turned off."
Me: "!" (speechless).
Corporate stupidity, ain't it grand?
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