A list of sexual acts have been officially banned from UK porn on account of being offensive, obscene or potentially ‘life endangering.’
Following the unopposed third reading of the Digital Economy Bill Tuesday in the House of Commons, it is highly likely that the bill concerning online pornography will become a law.
Once enacted, the bill will ban a number of sex acts from British porn, and will also require that consumers sign up to an age verification program if they want access to x-rated material.
Critics of the verification program have argued that it would inevitably lead to a register of the viewing habits of users. Nonetheless, the bill will now go to the House of Lords.
While British websites will not be banned from hosting adult material, they will not be allowed to grant users in the UK access to it. Some, such as xHamster, already include self-censorship, advising users searching for ‘rape’ videos on their website to get psychological counseling.
Video-on-demand porn will have to adhere to the same rules that govern porn available from a licensed sex shop, which in turn is governed by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). The BBFC has defined certain sex acts as “content that is not acceptable,” either for being obscene or ‘life threatening,” with an official list of banned sex acts:
Spanking
Caning
Aggressive whipping
Penetration by any object “associated with violence”
Physical or verbal abuse (regardless if consensual)
Urolagnia (known as “water sports”)
Role-playing as non-adults
Physical restraint
Humiliation
Female ejaculation
Strangulation
Face sitting
Fisting
The list also applies to criminal and illegal acts in pornography that are banned by other legislation as a matter of course.
