U.K. Film Rating NGO Could Be Asked to 'Spot Check' Adult Sites

LONDON—The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) could be empowered by the U.K. government to “spot check” adult entertainment websites for “extreme content” and illegal materials, claims an unnamed source in a statement to the London-based newspaper The Times. The report was published Feb. 24. Oliver Wright, policy editor for The Times, explained that under a proposed plan, the BBFC, an NGO founded by the British film industry, would audit adult entertainment websites and social media platforms to ensure that they remove material that is illegal, harmful or abusive. It is additionally the recommendation of a government review, led by Baroness Gabrielle Louise Bertin, to investigate “extreme pornography.” Bertin is a conservative peer in the House of Lords. The government review is reportedly titled the “Independent Pornography Review." Wright and the unnamed source provided no clear definition of “extreme pornography.”  A review of existing literature by Woodhull Freedom Foundation researchers Melodie Garcia and Dr. Allison Grossman concluded that pornography that is “extreme” doesn’t necessarily link to harmful and criminal behaviors, including sexism and violence against women and children. “Pornography is often used as a scapegoat for sexism and sexual violence, or as a pretext for censorship of sexual health or education,” said Garcia and Grossman. "If we truly want to stop sexual assault and violence, there are actually effective methods of prevention.” Concerning the U.K. government review, findings in the Baroness Bertin-led study would conclude a link between extreme fetish content and “harmful sexual attitudes.” Adult sites that managed to pass BBFC audit checks would receive accreditation of “good practice.” Failures to meet “good practice” would lead to sanctions from U.K. internet regulator Ofcom. “Pornography that includes degradation, threats, and coercion, or that could encourage child abuse, simply isn’t tolerated offline, but in the online world, it is rife,” says the unnamed source. “This disparity forms the basis of many of the recommendations of the Review.” According to The Times, an unnamed source believes that individuals on the committee generating the government review did a “thorough job.” AVN inquired to Ofcom, BBFC and Baroness Bertin for confirmation of the claims mentioned by the unnamed source in The Times report. A BBFC spokesperson told AVN, “We look forward to the report from the 'Independent Pornography Review,' which we expect to be published imminently.” That spokesperson said BBFC can neither confirm nor deny the source’s claims. Spokespeople for Ofcom and Baroness Bertin did not return comments by post time.