Filtering inappropriate content on catch-up TV and the Internet ... a voluntary and workable free proposal
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Alistair Kelman
Dec 3, 2015, 7:32:24 AM12/3/15
to FleetStreet
As you know the UK Government has promised legislation to protect children from seeing inappropriate content on television and the internet. The issue has grown in importance since television viewing from live viewing to Any Time Anywhere Any Device (ATAWAD) viewing. Currently one third of daily television viewing is on chilren's personal tablets which cost as little as £50. So there needs to be a simple filtering system to protect children from seeing inappropriate content.
In September of this year at the Online Age Verification Symposium in London where Baroness Shields outlined the Government’s policy and plans in respect of child protection measures, Mr John Carr, on learning of my proposals, directed my attention to draft Directive 2010/13/EU on Audiovisual Media Services (AVMSD) and its Consultation. This Directive will bind the UK Government from its implementation in the summer of next year. As you may be aware the AVMSD intends that there are no restrictions on materials which are deemed to be just "harmful" to the development of minors, but intends there to be restrictions on materials which "might seriously impair" the development of minors (e.g. pornography or gratuitous violence). On the face of it the AVMSD proposals appear to be inadequate for the UK’s existing highly protective regime that is regulated by Ofcom, the BBFC and the ASA. These bodies clearly wish for there to be a degree of protection on “harmful’ materials.
However I believe I have found a way of allowing the UK to comply with the AVMSD whilst implementing voluntary practical controls over harmful materials in the form and spirit of the existing Ofcom, BBFC and ASA regulations and mores. This involves the use of the metadata codes, termed Clearcast CASE codes, which are currently just used by the trade body Clearcast for the classification of television advertisements so that they may be lawfully shown on UK television.
Over the past two months I took an in-depth look at some of the practical issues arising from the use of Clearcast CASE codes in programmes as well as in advertisements. It became clear to me that it requires only a reduced set of the Clearcast CASE codes to do everything necessary to protect children from seeing inappropriate content.
This led to a simple coding system which I now call the Safecast Head Codes. Using some universal software, equivalent to a lawful open source derivative of SKY's AdSmart technology, content containing Safecast Head Codes could be filtered by set-top boxes and browsers, thereby stopping inappropriate content being sent to children's personal tablets and smartphones.
I believe that we could have a working system in place within a few months because what I am proposing maps exactly onto the broadcast scheduling systems used every day by the regulated broadcasters in the UK. SKY could quickly protect children in SKY satellite households (11.5 million UK households) who view content on their personal tablets and smartphones because they have already developed their own proprietary software. The Safecast code system however could be deployed universally on all UK systems as the ISPs and broadcast technology suppliers ( BT, YouView, Freeview etc) upgrade their middleware software in set top boxes and browsers with revised versions, which can read the Safecast Head Codes in programmes and filter them accordingly.
The system I am proposing would be free to use with no royalties being charged. It would also provide the graduated system of control - the "watershed not waterfall" described some years ago by Lady Howe as being the appropriate type of controls on content to protect children.
I have therefore drafted the attached paper which outlines my ideas. I would be grateful for your thoughts and support for these proposals which are not censorship. I hope my proposals could be the basis of an industry-led initiative for the protection of children of the kind being sought by the DCMS. If any forum members would like to write about these proposals I would welcome them contacting me
Kind Regards
Alistair
In September of this year at the Online Age Verification Symposium in London where Baroness Shields outlined the Government’s policy and plans in respect of child protection measures, Mr John Carr, on learning of my proposals, directed my attention to draft Directive 2010/13/EU on Audiovisual Media Services (AVMSD) and its Consultation. This Directive will bind the UK Government from its implementation in the summer of next year. As you may be aware the AVMSD intends that there are no restrictions on materials which are deemed to be just "harmful" to the development of minors, but intends there to be restrictions on materials which "might seriously impair" the development of minors (e.g. pornography or gratuitous violence). On the face of it the AVMSD proposals appear to be inadequate for the UK’s existing highly protective regime that is regulated by Ofcom, the BBFC and the ASA. These bodies clearly wish for there to be a degree of protection on “harmful’ materials.
However I believe I have found a way of allowing the UK to comply with the AVMSD whilst implementing voluntary practical controls over harmful materials in the form and spirit of the existing Ofcom, BBFC and ASA regulations and mores. This involves the use of the metadata codes, termed Clearcast CASE codes, which are currently just used by the trade body Clearcast for the classification of television advertisements so that they may be lawfully shown on UK television.
Over the past two months I took an in-depth look at some of the practical issues arising from the use of Clearcast CASE codes in programmes as well as in advertisements. It became clear to me that it requires only a reduced set of the Clearcast CASE codes to do everything necessary to protect children from seeing inappropriate content.
This led to a simple coding system which I now call the Safecast Head Codes. Using some universal software, equivalent to a lawful open source derivative of SKY's AdSmart technology, content containing Safecast Head Codes could be filtered by set-top boxes and browsers, thereby stopping inappropriate content being sent to children's personal tablets and smartphones.
I believe that we could have a working system in place within a few months because what I am proposing maps exactly onto the broadcast scheduling systems used every day by the regulated broadcasters in the UK. SKY could quickly protect children in SKY satellite households (11.5 million UK households) who view content on their personal tablets and smartphones because they have already developed their own proprietary software. The Safecast code system however could be deployed universally on all UK systems as the ISPs and broadcast technology suppliers ( BT, YouView, Freeview etc) upgrade their middleware software in set top boxes and browsers with revised versions, which can read the Safecast Head Codes in programmes and filter them accordingly.
The system I am proposing would be free to use with no royalties being charged. It would also provide the graduated system of control - the "watershed not waterfall" described some years ago by Lady Howe as being the appropriate type of controls on content to protect children.
I have therefore drafted the attached paper which outlines my ideas. I would be grateful for your thoughts and support for these proposals which are not censorship. I hope my proposals could be the basis of an industry-led initiative for the protection of children of the kind being sought by the DCMS. If any forum members would like to write about these proposals I would welcome them contacting me
Kind Regards
Alistair
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