Northern say don't use dating apps on the train

[Starmill]

This ISN’T a ‘Love Train’ – Northern reveals reason dating apps are blocked by on-board WiFi​

Matt Rice, chief operating officer at Northern, said: “We welcome millions of people on-board our trains every year – and access to safe and reliable internet is part and parcel of our customers’ expectations.

“Whilst some dating websites – and users – will operate with appropriate levels of self-moderation, some might not and it’s important that content not suitable for everyone to see or hear - particularly children – isn’t viewed on our trains.

“With some of the other banned categories – it’s simply about ensuring that there is sufficient bandwidth for all our customers to use while they’re on the go.

“This on-board dating app embargo aside, we wish our single customers all the best in their search for their perfect partner.”

This ISN’T a ‘Love Train’ – Northern reveals reason dating apps are blocked by on-board WiFi | Northern News

Northern has revealed that its on-board WiFi blocks access to dating apps and websites.

media.northernrailway.co.uk

A reminder from Northern that we are apparently not supposed to use dating apps on the train. Quite how there's benefit in showing off a wifi content filter policy which doesn't allow some dating apps whose content is pretty harmless, but allows Twitter, which is absolutely replete with sexual images since Musk took over, I don't know.

I also don't understand how a train operating company with a professional media department has written the clickbait press' content for them. Who looks at Reach online "news" as a good thing to emulate to communicate effectively?

 

[Adam Williams]

Northern do seem to have form for writing articles in this style. I don't really get it. Did they hire someone who used to work at Buzzfeed or something?

 

[Tazi Hupefi]

Anyone with an ounce of sense will be using a VPN these days, which would probably bypass this sort of moderation in any event. If you're not using a VPN, especially when you are connecting to open/ public networks, I can only strongly recommend you get a reputable one. They're not particularly expensive.

I wonder what a FOI to Northern would reveal if you asked them to specify the top 10 websites that customers attempt to access, which are blocked.

 

[Starmill]

Anyone with an ounce of sense will be using a VPN these days, which would probably bypass this sort of moderation in any event. If you're not using a VPN, especially when you are connecting to open/ public networks, I can only strongly recommend you get a reputable one. They're not particularly expensive.

Indeed. A quick Google search reveals plenty of inexpensive ones that are a useful layer of security for any public WiFi connections. Of course, one shouldn't rely on them exclusively or overestimate their privacy benefits, with things like browser or device fingerprinting going on, but all the same.

 

[duffield]

This ISN’T a ‘Love Train’ – Northern reveals reason dating apps are blocked by on-board WiFi | Northern News

Northern has revealed that its on-board WiFi blocks access to dating apps and websites.

media.northernrailway.co.uk

A reminder from Northern that we are apparently not supposed to use dating apps on the train. Quite how there's benefit in showing off a wifi content filter policy which doesn't allow some dating apps whose content is pretty harmless, but allows Twitter, which is absolutely replete with sexual images since Musk took over, I don't know.

I also don't understand how a train operating company with a professional media department has written the clickbait press' content for them. Who looks at Reach online "news" as a good thing to emulate to communicate effectively?

Yes, and Reddit, for example, has loads of "NSFW" content, and so on.

However, despite being absolutely not a prude, I think it's really inappropriate to look at any sexually explicit content on public transport (or in a pub or cafe for that matter) anyhow, assuming it's somewhat possible it will be visible or audible to anyone else.

It may make other people around you extremely uncomfortable; it's just antisocial. Just wait till you get home, OK?

 

[Peter0124]

Anyone with an ounce of sense will be using a VPN these days, which would probably bypass this sort of moderation in any event.

Or their own data allowance

 

[Segedunum]

It's the sort of headline that'd get lapped up by PRs pitching stories to local online news sites that are so full of adverts you can barely read the article. It'll then get stuck on their socials where everyone can rage click and comment and say that Northern needs to focus on making their trains run on time.

Yet it also really isn't as there's no particularly interesting stats, just a demand not to find love on a train I'm not sure what Northern were aiming for here but it's at best some PR bait and at worst just...kind of pointless?

 

[Tazi Hupefi]

Yes, and Reddit, for example, has loads of "NSFW" content, and so on.

However, despite being absolutely not a prude, I think it's really inappropriate to look at any sexually explicit content on public transport (or in a pub or cafe for that matter) anyhow, assuming it's somewhat possible it will be visible or audible to anyone else.

It may make other people around you extremely uncomfortable; it's just antisocial. Just wait till you get home, OK?

I do find "X" to be somewhat of a loose cannon though. You can be scrolling through it perfectly innocently and then suddenly find some pretty "spicy" content.

I'm not entirely convinced it's based on my previous search history either, as it's fairly benign. Perhaps it is as simple as it targeting men, although my oldest daughter seems to see similar content.

 

[Mag_seven]

I'm not sure what Northern were aiming for here

Probably to deflect attention from their practically non existent service on Sundays and at other times of the week.

 

[duffield]

I do find "X" to be somewhat of a loose cannon though. You can be scrolling through it perfectly innocently and then suddenly find some pretty "spicy" content.

I'm not entirely convinced it's based on my previous search history either, as it's fairly benign. Perhaps it is as simple as it targeting men, although my oldest daughter seems to see similar content.

Well, I'd make a distinction between where people are scrolling past the odd bit of explicit content mixed with non-explicit content in a fleeting way, as opposed to where they are dwelling on it, and actively watching it, in a situation where it may be visible (or audible) to others.

 

[Starmill]

Well, I'd make a distinction between where people are scrolling past the odd bit of explicit content mixed with non-explicit content in a fleeting way, as opposed to where they are dwelling on it, and actively watching it, in a situation where it may be visible (or audible) to others.

Are there many dating apps where that's common? More so than Twitter or Reddit?

 

[AlterEgo]

Really bizarre PR again by Northern.

 

[Gloster]

When I saw the news item my first thought was that people were arranging rendezvous on trains. As we know what this sometimes leads to it seemed a perfectly reasonable decision.

 

[Zontar]

Perhaps it's dating apps that give proximity. As with all internet resources, there will be those who choose to exploit vulnerabilities to find vulnerables.
If it stops someone getting raped, I'm all for it.

 

[DarloRich]

Really bizarre PR again by Northern.

I am not sure - i have seen some people looking at/watching some fairly, erm, "educational" material on the train. I am no prude ( not at all!) but it is the sort of stuff we shouldn't be looking at in public. As the article says MOST people know this. Sadly not all do.

( i suspect it is fairly clear what sort/kind of dating app they are talking about. I doubt it is the type like E- Harmony!)

 

[duffield]

Another thing to note is that it's conceivable, though unlikely, that despite there not being a specific law forbidding viewing explicit material on public transport, there may be some legal jeopardy involved, although opinion seems divided. The linked BBC article contains this paragraph:

In Prof McGlynn's view, there is not much the police could do. On the other hand, James Turner QC contacted the BBC to say, that there is a law - the Indecent Displays (Control) Act - which might form the basis for a prosecution.

Is it OK to watch porn in public?

How would you feel if the person sitting next to you on the bus was watching porn - and what would you do about it?

www.bbc.co.uk

Note I'm referring to the general case of any explicit material and not the specifics of dating apps since firstly they presumably vary,massively in how explicit (or not) they are and secondly I don't have experience of dating apps.

 

[sheff1]

Customers across the North of England will be unable to find their perfect partner during their journey

They actually pay someone to come up with such nonsense ?????

Leaving aside the fact that it is perfectly possible to find one's perfect partner by talking to someone, anyone using their own data (which I suspect is the majority) will be able to access dating sites unhindered.

 

[AlterEgo]

Most people don't use on-train wifi because it is rubbish. If you don't want people to look at explicit images on the train, just say - that isn't okay to do on board. PR saying you're throttling all dating apps is odd and stupid and very much in line with the "lets just ban and restrict everything" brain rot so endemic in our public services.

Most people use dating apps in a perfectly benign way. What a stupid piece of PR that article is. Infuriatingly ineffective, smug, and detached.

 

[Bantamzen]

Perhaps it's dating apps that give proximity. As with all internet resources, there will be those who choose to exploit vulnerabilities to find vulnerables.
If it stops someone getting raped, I'm all for it.

Unfortunately this is likely to be the motivation behind this. I know my own employer does not allow their use on any network, wired or wireless, and Facebook previously removed such functionality again through concerns about it's misuse. It should be fairly obvious to all how a proximity function, even those using a wide "within x miles of me", could easily be misused on a train.

 

[Fawkes Cat]

Yet it also really isn't as there's no particularly interesting stats, just a demand not to find love on a train I'm not sure what Northern were aiming for here but it's at best some PR bait and at worst just...kind of pointless?

Might Northern have been anticipating a bad news story and decided it was best to get their own spin on it out there first?

 

[GardenRail]

Pity they don't have the ability to block anything music/video until people learn how to use headphones!

 

[DarloRich]

Pity they don't have the ability to block anything music/video until people learn how to use headphones!

on thier wifi they do! ( i know that was a semi serious post)

 

[Towers]

Pity they don't have the ability to block anything music/video until people learn how to use headphones!

Oh god yes please!

 

[bengley]

If I'm ever scrolling through Reddit on a train (on which I subscribe to a few NSFW subreddits) I make sure I'm sat in a seat with my back to a partition, the cab wall or a luggage rack so that nobody accidentally sees what I'm looking at while I'm scrolling. I don't deliberately look at that sort of content on the train but as mentioned above, it's easy to scroll through such things in pursuit of other things.

 

[DLyle44004]

This article really seems like a non-issue. They're blocking things which are largely already blocked on most public Wi-Fis, especially when anyone underage could have access to it.
Perhaps they've had a few complaints from passengers - I wouldn't be surprised in this day and age if the yougins these days expect everything to be unfiltered when even home broadband is filtered by default by law.

 

[Starmill]

Perhaps it's dating apps that give proximity. As with all internet resources, there will be those who choose to exploit vulnerabilities to find vulnerables.
If it stops someone getting raped, I'm all for it.

Do you not think that seems a little hyperbolic? Also, if dating apps are part of the cause of serious sexual violence (I'm not saying they're not) then perhaps that needs to be taken up through regulation?

 

[matt_world2004]

Northern are doing you a favour by blocking dating apps. If you rely on a northern train to get you to a date, they are going to think you havent turned up .

 

[GardenRail]

on thier wifi they do! ( i know that was a semi serious post)

Oh it was extremely serious. It's the biggest irritation on public transport.

 

[DarloRich]

Oh it was extremely serious. It's the biggest irritation on public transport.

oh, I agree! TOC's do limit access to streaming services on thier wifi but cant really do much about personal data usage. Beyond, you know, giving them a very hard stare!

 

[OscarH]

I do find "X" to be somewhat of a loose cannon though. You can be scrolling through it perfectly innocently and then suddenly find some pretty "spicy" content.

I'm not entirely convinced it's based on my previous search history either, as it's fairly benign. Perhaps it is as simple as it targeting men, although my oldest daughter seems to see similar content.

It's not just Twitter that's like that. Some of us are just trying to innocently look at tractors on the train when that content suddenly appears