The filtering system promoted by Britain’s prime minister to protect sensitive eyes from the horrors of internet pornography is run by the controversial Chinese technology company Huawei, according to the BBC, in partnership with the UK telecoms provider TalkTalk.
David Cameron praised TalkTalk on Monday for showing “great leadership” in protecting British children’s innocence with its “HomeSafe” service, which allows users to filter adult content. However, he failed to note that Huawei, which is often accused of spying for the Chinese government, partnered with TalkTalk in 2010 to develop the technology, and that Huawei currently operates the filtering software.
Holding up TalkTalk as a model censor, Mr Cameron announced a ban on some of the more unsavory pornographic material on Monday and challenged other internet service providers to require new subscribers to “opt-in” to adult content.
Huawei’s significant presence in the UK’s critical national infrastructure—it supplies BT—has concerned some experts because of the concerns about Huawei’s ties to the Chinese government. Huawei has repeatedly denied it poses any security threat.
Cameron’s opt-in policy is likely to prompt a number of awkward conversations between internet users in properties with more than one occupant. To help get those started, the adult search engine PornMD offers an insight into pornography habits by country, ranking the most commonly searched terms on adult websites. Top of the list in the U.K.? “British,” followed by “Indian.”