Is ISP blocking the answer to child porn?

Davey Winder
Tuesday, 24 February 2009 04:34

IT Policy - Regulation

Some 95 percent of all UK ISPs filter known child abuse sites, yet that leaves a huge number still able to access some horrific images.

The Children's Charities' Coalition on Internet Safety represents the likes of Barnado's, the Children's Society and NSPCC as well as working with the European NGO Alliance for Child Safety Online.

CHIS has an aim to make the Internet, along with the wider digital world, a safer place for children and young people. As such it has issued a press release which at once talks of delight and horror at how far the UK Government has come in this regard.

Referring to a policy commitment from three years ago in relation to online childe abuse images, CHIS expresses regret and concern at the failure of Government to fulfill that commitment.

Back in April 2006 the UK Government stated that it would like all Brit ISPs voluntarily deploy a blacklist of known child abuse sites as provided by the Internet Watch Foundation, and so in effect block access to those sites.

On many occasions since then a deadline of 31st December 2007 was put upon making this happen. Importantly, it has also stated that unless 100 percent compliance was achieved it would consider 'alternative means' of achieving an access ban.

The more astute amongst you may have noticed that we have long since passed this date, so how close has the UK come to meeting the target?

CHIS notes that the Government has confirmed 95 percent compliance amongst UK ISPs but warns that while this sound impressive, that 5 percent shortfall means that
some "three-quarters of a million households can still gain access to these horrific illegal sites."

While CHIS argues this "represents a serious failure of the UK’s self-regulatory system and of the Government to exert itself" I wonder if this kind of blacklist compliance is actually the right approach in the first place?

After all, it is only a couple of months since access to Wikipedia was blocked because the IWF blacklist kicked in when a 1976 album cover by a German rock band was deemed to be 'potentially illegal.'