Sky switching filters on as default

Might be of some interest to sky users, new and old.

http://betanews.com/2016/07/07/sky-broadband-web-fil...

I'm no longer a sky customer but I have no problem with this.

It's a minor inconvenience for homes without kids who don't want their internet filtered.

Note that this is only for NEW Sky customers. Many of us who don't have children in the house have already decided to disable the filter as it causes other problems than just blocking adult material. I don't think there is any intention that those who have already disabled Web Shield will have it turned back on.

If you are a Sky Broadband customer already, and you're thinking that you're glad you won't have to indicate whether you want to be able to access the more 'adult' parts of the web, think again. The company says that it will be contacting the rest of its customer base of the coming months to ask them about Sky Broadband Shield. The key thing to take away from Sky's announcement is that:

If they don't respond, we will switch it on for them and invite them to amend or switch it off themselves.

In reply to a post by dsergeant:

Note that this is only for NEW Sky customers. Many of us who don't have children in the house have already decided to disable the filter as it causes other problems than just blocking adult material. I don't think there is any intention that those who have already disabled Web Shield will have it turned back on.

Note that it will also be for existing customers as well, if you have not made a decision on the filters then Sky will turn them on for you.

What sky should do is send a email to their customers saying it is a available and can be switched on, but i do not think it is up to sky to turn them on for people.

Glad I am with plusnet in one way,

In reply to a post by Kr1s69:

I'm no longer a sky customer but I have no problem with this.

It's a minor inconvenience for homes without kids who don't want their internet filtered.

I do not have a problem as i am not with Sky, never have been and I doubt ever will be, but I do think they are going about it the wrong way.

I think Sky are taking the responsible approach here - enable it, and then let the adults turn it off if they don't want it on. That way Sky are doing their bit to ensure the youngsters have to work a bit hard to find dodgy stuff on the internet.

I'm 100% sure that not every account holder is going to read an email saying "please turn on filters if you want them", but if they find they are turned on, it wouldn't be very difficult for them to figure out how to turn them off and to return to their normal browsing habits

It takes little effort if you want it off, so I think on as default is a good idea. specially for familys with limited knowledge on how to set it up etc

In reply to a post by BuckleZ:

It takes little effort if you want it off,

How do you turn it off?

In reply to a post by BuckleZ:

It takes little effort if you want it off, so I think on as default is a good idea. specially for familys with limited knowledge on how to set it up etc

Rubbish, It should be opt in simple as that, this is the start of the slippery slope, how will it be before we have no choice but to have these filters on?

these filters are there because our government want to censor stuff.l

In reply to a post by mbames:

I think Sky are taking the responsible approach here - enable it, and then let the adults turn it off if they don't want it on. That way Sky are doing their bit to ensure the youngsters have to work a bit hard to find dodgy stuff on the internet.

I'm 100% sure that not every account holder is going to read an email saying "please turn on filters if you want them", but if they find they are turned on, it wouldn't be very difficult for them to figure out how to turn them off and to return to their normal browsing habits

Sky says it is because people are not using them, well maybe they do not know they are there, tell them and then they might use them or maybe people do not want to use them, have sky thought of that?

I think it should just be part of the sign up process. No default, you decide there and then. If you're already a customer then you get invited to pick whether to turn them on.

In reply to a post by zyborg47:

In reply to a post by mbames:

I think Sky are taking the responsible approach here - enable it, and then let the adults turn it off if they don't want it on. That way Sky are doing their bit to ensure the youngsters have to work a bit hard to find dodgy stuff on the internet.

I'm 100% sure that not every account holder is going to read an email saying "please turn on filters if you want them", but if they find they are turned on, it wouldn't be very difficult for them to figure out how to turn them off and to return to their normal browsing habits

Sky says it is because people are not using them, well maybe they do not know they are there, tell them and then they might use them or maybe people do not want to use them, have sky thought of that?

Why stop there? Why is their TV service not blocked out with their adult channels starting from 900? Lots of nipples and snippets of runways to be seen.

The 900 channels are disabled by default, you have to opt in. Then there's the PIN code for the watershed programs.

Not on my Sky+ box. The 9?? channels have always been available.

which is what SKY have done on the SKYQ service

I would imagine it is all able apathy. 85% do not care what the setting is at. 10% want to set 1 way or another, so a communication about the change satisfies them. 5% are vocal that the "company" must not change anything without getting some form of consent in advance.

So in the end it get switched on by default, in the press & in the marketing literature SKY get some brownie points for protecting their user base.

is it a not a minor inconvenience for parents to turn it on then?

By the way I think most new customers are already aware, when I migrated to sky, my welcome email was plastered with info about the filters, also when first logging into the sky customer portal you are forced to choose a setting for the filters.

Edited by Chrysalis (Tue 19-Jul-16 10:30:39)