Icelandic News Site Hits UK Porn Firewall

Some Icelanders living in the UK could find themselves inexplicably blocked from access to an Icelandic news site, thanks to a firewall intended to keep children from accessing porn.

DV spoke with an Icelander living in the UK with their young children. He was offered a “family-friendly” net filter intended to keep his kids from accessing porn and other material considered not intended for children.

“It became quickly apparent that many sites that I had visited before were considered dangerous,” he said. “I don’t remember them all, but amongst them was [Icelandic news website and blog] Eyjan.is.”

The Icelander says that he has tried, without success, to convince his internet service provider that Eyjan is neither a porn site nor a terrorist organisation.

Dubbed the Great Firewall, the UK’s attempt at the project has faced increasing criticism as being unwieldy and censorious. Minister of the Interior Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir is currently exploring how Iceland could involve private companies in setting up a similar firewall. Iceland’s previous Interior Minister, Ögmundur Jónasson, also began looking into creating a “porn firewall” around Iceland, although not with private parties involved.