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Comment by DanBC | Hacker News Reader

He gave an interview on Woman's Hour where he sounded functionally illiterate. He sounded really confused about the idea of "where the filtering actually occurs", saying that all new computers (by the end of the year) would have to have this filter on, "ticked off by default" (meaning, I think, 'on' by default).

It's just bafflingly bad. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03757cr)

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The phrase "tick off" is legitimate and means to put a mark next to, such as with a checklist. It isn't even esoteric AFAIK, it is just that "tick" for "check" is more of a British usage. (To be clear: not saying he isn't confused.)

Oh, yes, this is just a gently confusing inversion.

I was expecting him to say the filter would be "on" by default, because it will be. He's describing it as "off" by default - meaning "show me porn? [ ]" instead of "show me porn? [x]".

(Cultural note: 'ticked off' normally means 'unhappy' or 'dissatisfied'.)

No, he's saying that it will be on by default- to "tick something off" is to add a tick against it in a list. As in, to check the box.

Remember, the purpose of this proposed legislation is not to be implemented, or to achieve specific results; it's to curry favour with Conservative voters, and especially those who read the Daily Mail. It will be pushed through only to avoid the loss of face that would come from "giving in to porn".

(One of the major problems with the Blair years was this kind of closed loop between policy making and newspaper headlines; actual policy impact spewed out in all directions like scattered neutrons leaking from the policy reactor)

So ... linux is outlawed in UK then?

Forget Linux, Mac, iOS, Android, Xbox, PS will CERTAINLY not be supported if this is a Windows app.

The filtering is almost certainly applied on the ISP end, with a web interface to a control panel.

I have no idea what Cameron means when he says it will be on all new computers by the end of the year, but he mentioned iPads. I suspect it's just his confusion about client / server, and that the OS will have no effect.

Yeah, I suggested as much but loose politician lips can sink ships. Especially ignorant ones. A poorly drafted law can have unpredictable consequences and later be impossible to change with the "My opponent wants your kid to be sodomized on the internet by copyright pirate, terrorist, porn industry magnates, blasphemers,{scary moral panic subculture of the month}" argument.

Since PCs are falling out of favor, you can bet that all locked-down non-PC devices will be gradually implementing "lawful and compliant" restrictions on user activity, and hefty surveillance "just in case."

Android devices will be no exception, and families/businesses will be encouraged to install "lawful and compliant" software on all new computers. Any vendors looking to get a foothold in the UK will be jumping on this bandwagon, and I wouldn't be surprised if Canonical tries to get in on the action too.

I hoped that I was not the only one that had that vision of the future. Seems like we need some more open hardware urgent.

It would be good to see Google take steps, beyond publishing the AOSP repos, to build trust in their systems and services:

1. Publish build-able Android source code for as many products as possible and incentivize OEMs to publish their source code.

2. Support strong encryption for storage and communications, including friendly key exchange and key-signing features. E.g. NFC-enabled key signing in Android devices.

3. Open source client software, e.g. an open source GMail client for Android and desktop, to build trust in their crypto implementations.

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