Mobiles: opting in or opting out of internet access Last month the Czech mobile operator Vodafone started a small revolution. All the potentially harmful content became inaccessible to their mobile subscribers. They introduced an opt-In scheme, where a user has to find and subscribe to given services to be able to access sensitive content (porn, etc.) on the internet.

Meanwhile, the other operators are still using an opt-out scheme, where you must switch on available filters to stop accessing the unwanted online content via mobile devices.  

Of course, most people don’t care – they only use their mobiles to send text messages or to make telephone calls. Some people, however, are now talking about a general attack on freedom to information. Only the future will show if Vodafone manages to attract more subscribers because of a perceived higher rating in this area.

This necessarily brings a number of questions to mind – how does an operator create a black list of inappropriate Web sites, how is the labelling and filtering processed? Maybe the time is now right to discuss these issues in depth.

The issues surrounding self-regulation, mobile safety, filtering tools for users and operators, mobile crime (bullying, stalking) will be discussed at the 2nd CEE SIC conference which the Czech Saferinternet node is going to organise this November in Prague. We do hope it will be supported by the ICT industry and also by INHOPE and INSAFE again.  More information about the event, agenda and registration will be available in September.