Hotlines lead the way in U.K. Internet cleanup

In this story: Call for action Freedom of speech RELATED STORIES, SITES

By Lynn Crombie
CNN.com Writer

(CNN) -- A series of hotlines aimed at cleaning up the Internet have resulted in thousands of sites being removed from servers in the U.K.

Since launching in 1996, hotlines run by the U.K.-based Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) have been instrumental in getting more than 25,000 potentially illegal items, mostly child pornography, removed from servers.

And reports passed on from the IWF have resulted in a number of successful prosecutions in the U.K. and abroad.

IWF Chief Executive David Kerr said that the system of hotlines has been an effective way of identifying and removing illegal sites and said the service providers in the U.K. have been very supportive.

"When someone contacts us, they just need to give us the site address. We have a look at it and decide whether it is potentially illegal in U.K. terms," he said.

If the material is rated as illegal, details will then be passed on to the service provider who will be requested to contact the originator and remove it. The police will also be contacted if the material contains child pornography.

The organization stressed that implementing the process in Britain is "a first step and not a final solution, and that no single approach in a single country can entirely solve the problem."

But the IWF said other countries in the European Union are taking similar measures and cooperating internationally.

One way they have been able to do this is through INHOPE, the Internet Hotline Providers in Europe Association, which is a forum supporting the work of individual hotlines in EU countries.

It aims to facilitate cooperation between the European Internet Hotline Providers and has been behind the launch of hotlines in six countries: Austria, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and the U.K.

The European Commission has also provided some funding as part of a four-year project to crack down on harmful and illegal Internet content.

The latest moves to clean up the net come as an NUA Internet Survey carried out in June revealed that around 92 million Europeans are now online, with this number set to increase.

And as Internet use continues to grow, so has the number of sites promoting child pornography, prostitution and human trafficking, which can be easily set up and accessed by children and young people.

A survey carried out in Britain this summer found that more than 4 million seven to 16-year-olds were now using the Internet, while another revealed that almost 500,000 children had been upset or embarrassed by something they had found on the Internet.

John Carr, Internet Consultant with NCH Action for Children, believes that more should be done by the major companies responsible for the sites to reduce the dangers facing children.

The organization is one of the leading child-care charities in Britain working with children and their families.

Carr said the publication of illegal material, in particular pornographic items, is increasing with the spread of the Internet, and is a Europe-wide issue.

"As computer usage increases, it is inevitable that the problem gets worse, and there are no signs that things will improve," he said.

"There are things that can be done… but I think the big companies have been too slow to react."

Carr said one of the problems facing those looking to clean up the Internet is the fact that most of the major organizations are based in the U.S. where the freedom of speech issue is repeatedly raised.

"But the rest of the world is concerned and pressure is going to come from the outside," he said.

While tools are available for removing illegal sites, there is also material around which, though legal, is offensive to many users and unsuitable to children.

This is why the IWF's Kerr believes it is important to educate both children and parents to the potential problems they can encounter on the Internet.

"Recent publicity has shown that pedophiles have made contact with children through the Internet, which is a particular danger in chat rooms," he said.

The IWF urges children to be aware that people on the Internet may not always be what they seem and no matter how well you may think you have got to know someone online, he is still a stranger in the real world.

Kerr said the IWF has been talking to police, Internet service providers and child welfare organizations in an effort to look at what further can be done to reduce the threat to children through chat rooms.

Vigilante group targets child-porn sites
January 11, 2000

Internet Content Rating Association
Internet Watch Foundation

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.