If you fancy some alone time tonight with you, your right hand, and YouPorn, you should probably check with your broadband provider first. Sky has just announced that it will be automatically blocking all internet porn for all users under a new initiative meant to protect children from adult content.  

The anti-porn defence mechanism is called Sky Broadband Shield. It has applied to new Sky customers for around a year, but Sky is now extending that to all of its existing users – all 5.3 million of them. The filter will be rolled out over the next ten days, with a mandatory opt-in setting. 

In a fairly soft analysis of the internet's perilous pitfalls, Sky describes the web as not "universally suitable for children". No shit, guys – haven't you heard of female masking? It's this admission, along with pressure from David Cameron to make online filtering compulsory, that's forced Sky's hand.

Lyssa McGowan, Sky’s Brand Director for Communications Products, said: "When trying to visit a website deemed unsuitable for children under the age of 13 during the day, customers will see a page reminding them to make a choice about filtering. At this point, they can accept the current setting, change their protection levels or simply turn Sky Broadband Shield off." 

While many believe that denying under-13s the opportunity to watch violent gangbangs is a good thing, the move has been criticised by anti-censorship campaigners who believe that the filtering will spread further and wider than just porn sites.

"Censorship should never be turned on by default," Jim Killock of the Open Rights Group (ORG) told the BBC. "ORG's Blocked Project has shown that filters block all kinds of websites, including some that provide useful advice to children and young people. Customers need to understand the implications of filters before deciding whether or not they want them."

Last year, ORG found that one in five websites were being blocked by anti-adult content filters, including some surprising targets. According to the ORG, this includes "a Porsche broker, a political blogger and a mum hoping to read an article about post pregnancy care". Popular political blog Guido Fawkes suffered at the hands of the filters, as did feminist site She Rights.

On the bright side, there is one place under-13s can go for easily available adult content: Page 3. The Sun has just announced that it will continue with its photo column of topless models after reports that it had scrapped it. 

What do you think? Should we be doing everything we can to protect children from images of sex online, or are we spiralling further into the dangerous realm of censorship?

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