ISPs: 'We Interrupt This Browsing Session to Inquire About Porn'

UNITED KINGDOM—News out of the United Kingdom in the New Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Fifteen is that internet service providers that were previously asking only new subscribers to make the now required choice about whether they want access to porn or not, are now putting the decision before current subscribers. What's somewhat odd is the manner in which the question is reportedly being presented to the customer. According to Broadband Choice, "Some ISPs are interrupting users' browsing sessions, preventing them from visiting any other websites until they make a choice about the blocking measures." That seems rather cheeky considering that the "user" actually pays money to access the internet via these services, though not all interrupts are apparently equal. The article continues, "BT customers are being redirected to a page that asks them about the filters, and are only able to resume browsing once they have either opted in or out. Sky and Virgin Media are using a similar process, although subscribers are still able to keep using the internet without making a decision." The least intrusive is TalkTalk, whose "customers are only being asked about the content block when they log on to their account." Like everything else concerned with Britain's ill-advised experiment in national behavioral programming, it appears as though the methods being used to engage citizens online are also uncoordinated and unequal.