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T-Mobile In The UK Blocking Access To All LGBT Sites Offensive Or Not

09/03/10-by Bridgette P. LaVictoire
T-Mobile has been the focus of complaints in the United Kingdom lately that their phone network bars access to LGBT websites because they are considered to be ‘offensive’, and unsuitable for those under eighteen. It does not appear to matter if those sites contain nudity or offensive content. This probably means that LezGetReal is being blocked by T-Mobile and our British customers will not be able to read this article on T-Mobile’s network.

The network which was, for a long time, presented by Welsh actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, and apparently uses a system called Content Lock to automatically filter out anything it deems offensive. In order to access those sites it is necessary for users to confirm that they are older than eighteen.

News sites such as PinkNews.co.uk, LGR, Queerty, Toweleroad, Advocate, and many more as well as travel sites, bar and club listings and LGBT culture websites are blocked by this filter. It has been a major problem, in fact, for filters to determine what is and is not offensive materials since many porn sites also sell ‘lesbian’ and ‘gay’ pornography. Many profanity filters have had to be set to remove the term lesbian and homosexual from being blocked.

Bryan Manley-Green, who is with T-Mobile, has stated “This must be in breach of the Equality Act and it must be affecting gay businesses.” It took a lot of complaints on his part in order to access those sites on his phone. Darcy C-Oshimida also could not and stated “I think this is ridiculous and assumes that anything gay must be inappropriate for children. I believe you are losing a lot of readers this way, and important young readers at that.” She was talking to Pinknews UK.

It may also mean that T-Mobile, who has offered no statement or comment on this, is losing customers who either do not buy into their system or leave once they can do so because of this restriction.

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