Out of context, it would be easy to dismiss culture secretary Andy Burnham’s attack on the “dangerous” internet as just another junior minister grabbing at headlines in a traditionally dead news period. However, set alongside Labour’s existing and proposed limits on free speech online, it signals potentially worrying extensions to these restrictions and, perhaps more significantly, a disturbing attitude that sees censorship as entirely natural and necessary. Burnham talks of “harmful” content – content, harmful? How? Amid all his talk of websites imposing age ratings he also plainly states that “There is content that should just not be available to be viewed”.
