Blowing WaterSnapchat and 4chan hacking outrage sounds privacy warning for British clampdown on access to online pornography

“Privacy is power. What people don’t know, they can’t ruin.” That saying holds true more than ever, especially when personal data privacy is fast becoming a luxury. The perennial debate on how we can strike a balance between personal privacy and societal security in terms of governance in the age of technology is picking up steam in Britain. Although the island nation is a world away from Hong Kong, the issues brewing there should concern us all. The United Kingdom will become the first country in the world to bring in mandatory age-verification measures for online pornography users from July 15 this year. The controversial measures will require online pornography providers offering services to UK users to have robust age-verification checks in place to make sure that viewers are aged 18 or over. Providers who fail to comply will face sanctions that include having payment services withdrawn, or imposed suspension of their website and all its services. The move has undoubtedly stirred outcry and people are divided over the benefits and risks of age-verification. The idea of allowing a government to keep a database of verified porn viewers has certainly sounded alarm bells and raised fears of governmental invasions of privacy. However, the British government takes great pride in being the world’s first nation to do this. In the meantime, it has promised to implement stricter measures to protect users’ data and privacy in an attempt to allay fears. Too little too late, I would say, because there is no use closing the stable door after the horse has bolted. Fears have mostly been stoked by the unsettling fact that the laws will lead to the creation of a database to hold private details of porn viewers. And there is little guarantee that this data will not be leaked or land in the wrong hands; it certainly wouldn’t be the first time that a major body has failed to protect personal data. For instance, Snapchat came under fire in 2014 when it was discovered that a third-party application was saving users’ snaps without their knowledge. The hacked pictures were then posted on the infamous Internet message board 4chan. Not only were users outraged by the large-scale privacy breach, but there were also concerns regarding underage users as over half of Snapchat’s consumers are under 18. Critics have also doubted the potential effectiveness of the age-verification laws because large social media sites are exempt from the ban, due to fears that an across-the-board implementation would result in popular sites being blocked for adult content. Before putting the measures into place, the British government has said the move is being backed by 88 per cent of British parents with children aged 7 to 17, because they believe there should be strong age-verification controls to prevent children from consuming pornography online. In the fight against fake news, police the internet but don’t break it The UK measures might make it safer for children in the digital world, but in achieving this goal, the government will also take away the privacy of many others. Does it really have to be a zero-sum game? This dilemma is not unique to Britain. The world has long been divided when it comes to the trade-off between security needs and personal privacy. More often than not, the focus has mainly been on government surveillance, as well as significant concerns about how businesses use individual’s data. The unprecedented UK move has provoked a profound debate about how much power we should allow any government to have in order to adequately protect our children, our home, and our society. Hackers blamed for pornography screened in college canteen We have become more anxious, and understandably so, about our privacy, especially with the unstoppable advance of digital technologies that continue to capture a colossal amount of personal data. Most of the time, private information is unknowingly collected by large companies and used to further their agendas. Whether acting in the interests of societal and national security or not, it should not be done by forcing us to make dramatic sacrifices on civil liberties or by enforcing security measures that might infringe on the privacy of citizens. A flagrant disregard for our civil liberties will cause irreversible damage to freedoms and rights. With the British government making the first move, no doubt many countries and cities will follow suit. But citizens the world over must make sure their governments listen carefully to privacy concerns and make it absolutely clear that age-verification arrangements should only be focused on verifying age, not identity or any other personal data. The age ban may be a groundbreaking internet safety measure, and no doubt we should support any government taking steps to tackle online pornography to prevent unfettered access by children. But in order to make a genuine difference, we must recognise that the problem also needs to be tackled offline. Parents must realise that besides relying on digital solutions, they should also take an interest in their child’s digital life, like they normally would do in their offline social life. No matter how powerful these online tools are promised to be, there is no substitute to having parents take proactive steps to understand what their child is getting up to online by having a regular and open dialogue with them. These kinds of open conversations should be established with children from a young age so that both sides can form a close and trusting bond. A relationships coach on porn: couples can use it to have better sex Talking to children openly and honestly about the pros and cons of using the internet and educating them about the negative impact of pornographic consumption are far more effective than barring them from such access. Education and open dialogue are vital. They give children the necessary skills and a platform to discuss the pressures and anxieties they experience online, and maybe even offline so that they can have the support, knowledge, and capacity to deal with any manner of problems. When we are willing to take the fight in our own hands to protect our children from undesirable online elements, we can then draw the line and stop all deep intrusions into our personal data and reclaim control of our lives. Luisa Tam is a correspondent at the Post