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TalkTalk's porn blocker lets explicit videos through

By Stewart Mitchell

Posted on 6 Dec 2011 at 08:45

TalkTalk has been left red faced after its adult content filter failed to block access to one of the web's biggest explicit video sites.

The HomeSafe product has been widely endorsed by politicians because its network-based nature means it theoretically protects all devices within the home.

However, a bug in the system left some of its 4.1 million customers exposed to pornographic video content.

According to a report in The Daily Telegraph, the flaw was discovered by a mother of three who was testing the filtering system.

The HomeSafe barrier has been knocked down, technically and literally. TalkTalk should inform all their HomeSafe customers

“The ‘You have been blocked’ page has been diverted to an advertising slot within the Pornhub homepage, thus opening access to it,” IT consultant Cherith Hately told the paper, which rated the site as the third biggest porn purveyor online.

“The HomeSafe barrier has been knocked down, technically and literally. TalkTalk should inform all their HomeSafe customers that their children are still able to see pornography so that parents can supervise more,” she said.

TalkTalk has acknowledged the failure and said it was working on a fix, but the ISP said the glitch did not affect all customers.

“We are aware that a customer using HomeSafe has been able to access a site which they had selected to block," the company said in a statement sent to PC Pro.

"We’re satisfied this site is not available to the majority of customers who have chosen to restrict this subject matter and we’re testing a technical solution which will fully resolve this issue.

"While no technical solution alone is able to solve the issue of child internet safety or be a substitute for parental supervision, we firmly believe that HomeSafe is a step in the right direction with over a million web pages blocked at customers’ request since May.”

Porn blocking has taken a front seat recently, with politicians pushing ISPs to improve parental controls for end users and a code of conduct outlining that ISPs should make new customers aware of control options at the point of sale.

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User comments

The HomeSafe product has been widely endorsed by politicians

The kiss of death.

By Lacrobat on 6 Dec 2011

technology...

is no substitute for parenting!

#family #fail

By big_D on 6 Dec 2011

Porn is good!

Whats with the obsession that porn is bad, children younger that 12 do not think about that and do not understand it and older than 14 already had lessons in school on subject of sex.
it is more the way that the children are taught to react to this sort of content. Most kids can still download using torrents, right? Not really blocking anything then!

By mobilegnet on 6 Dec 2011

Tested

Did Stewart spend his day in the PC Pro lab testing this out?

It's for work, honest!

By JStairmand on 6 Dec 2011

I predicted something like this happening months ago when they first started talking about this.

Filter technology has been used for years in schools and in my old schools was constantly bypassed.

@mobilegnet

I think the problem is the idea of children being innocent and growing up too fast. Conservative ideas also probably make up a large part as well.

I just wonder how long it is before innocent sites get blocked or the technology is used for other things besides porn?

By tech3475 on 6 Dec 2011

One solution will never work

You can't rely on one solution.

I use OpenDNS, amended HOSTS file and MS Family Safety all combined. Get through that!

By drummerbod on 6 Dec 2011

What about youtube

people do not realize the amount of soft-porn and hard core adds for porn that can be looked at on youtube.

plus a BBC journalist found out it easily for children to find wet T shirt clips etc

Mark

By mprltd on 6 Dec 2011

@mprltd

Quite right - Youtube is a parental disaster. You can restrict it with Family Safety aso that only videos that aren't marked Adult cannot be viewed BUT many accounts don't bother falgging their content.

By drummerbod on 6 Dec 2011

"testing the filtering system"

That's a great euphemism! You should use it more often.

Like the associated image too: is the guy really typing while watching porn full screen?!

By stuarthamlin on 6 Dec 2011

I clicked on 'gallery'

and was very disappointed.

By Mark_Thompson on 6 Dec 2011

Pointless

As most young people now have smartphones - blocking content via the home ISP is all but pointless.

By wobble17 on 7 Dec 2011

YouTube filtering

@drummerbod
The issue with YouTube seems to be that channel operators have no facility to put age restrictions on their own videos. I've just checked mine, nothing.

By mspritch on 8 Dec 2011

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