Conclusions and recommendations
1. We believe that
the Government should, in due course, consolidate the law around
child abuse images into a single Act of Parliament with a view
to providing even greater clarity for the purposes of law enforcement
and deterrence. (Paragraph 9)
2. Given the worldwide
nature of online crime, we recommend that the Government press
for wider international adoption of both the Budapest and Lanzarote
Conventions. The Government should ratify the Lanzarote Convention
as soon as practicable. (Paragraph 10)
3. We recommend that
the Government examines whether adequate resources are being deployed
to track down online paedophiles in sufficient numbers to act
as a meaningful deterrent to others. If not, additional funding
should be provided to recruit and train a sufficiently large number
of police officers adequate to the task. (Paragraph 17)
4. CEOP has been increasingly
effective not least because it is not solely a criminal justice
organisation: its education and social care work has also been
very important in increasing public understanding of the problem
of child abuse and in offering means of countering abusers. We
therefore recommend that CEOP continues to publish an annual review
which includes an assessment of its ongoing contribution to all
three elements of its mission—education, social care and
criminal justice. (Paragraph 18)
5. We welcome the
increasing use of alerting tools to identify individuals who seek
out child abuse and other illegal material online provided these
tools are deployed in ways that do not unduly compromise the privacy
of the law-abiding majority. (Paragraph 23)
6. We very much welcome
the commitment by the Internet Watch Foundation to embark on proactive
searching for online child abuse images. The sooner these can
be found and removed, the better. However, we are concerned that
seven additional staff might prove woefully insufficient to achieve
substantial progress towards what must be an important intermediate
goal: the eradication of child abuse images from the open internet.
(Paragraph 29)
7. Search engines
and other internet service providers have a vital role in ensuring
that access to online child abuse images is prevented and deterred.
We expect the Government to monitor closely their degree of commitment
and success and to consider the introduction of legislation should
they fall short of reasonable expectations. (Paragraph 33)
8. We welcome the
Government's decision to include pornographic depictions of rape
in the definition of extreme pornography. It has been illegal
to publish such images for many years; outlawing their possession
is long overdue. (Paragraph 34)
9. There is clearly
a need to obtain wider international consensus and cooperation
in relation to combating criminally obscene adult material and
terrorist material and we urge the Government to use all the influences
it can bring to bear to bring this about within a transparent,
legal framework. (Paragraph 37)
10. We believe that
the existing obscenity laws already proscribe the publication
of adult material in ways that make it readily available to children.
However, we are concerned that no prosecutions have been brought
despite the proliferation of pornography sites which make no attempt
to restrict access by children. We welcome the Government's declared
intention to legislate to clarify the law in this area. However,
in the meantime, we urge the prosecuting authorities to use the
existing law to crack down on the worst offenders in order to
put pressure on all suppliers of hardcore pornography to make
greater efforts to ensure that such material is accessible only
by adults. (Paragraph 51)
11. The Government
should seek agreement with other European Union Member States
to ban on demand programme services that make pornography readily
available to children. We further urge the Government to engage
with other international partners, particularly the USA, with
the aim of securing a similar outcome more widely. (Paragraph
53)
12. We believe that,
as part of its existing media literacy duties, Ofcom has an important
role in monitoring internet content and advising the public on
online safety. However, we are anxious to avoid suggesting a
significant extension of formal content regulation of the internet.
Among the unintended consequences this could have would be a
stifling of the free flow of ideas that lies at the heart of internet
communication. (Paragraph 55)
13. Providers of adult
content on the internet should take all reasonable steps to prevent
children under 18 from accessing inappropriate and harmful content.
Such systems may include, but will not necessarily be restricted
to, processes to verify the age of users. (Paragraph 62)
14. We have no reason
to suppose that Nominet has either the resources or inclination
to police the internet. Age verification, while ideal, is not
the only way of preventing children from accessing unsuitable
content. However, we believe that no .uk site should offer unimpeded
access to adult pornography to children. This should be made
a condition of registration. (Paragraph 63)
15. Site blocking
is highly unlikely to be a suitable approach for adult pornography
or violent material much of which is legal (at least if it is
unavailable to minors) and which is prevalent on the internet.
However, blocking should be considered as a last resort for particularly
harmful adult websites that make no serious attempt to hinder
access by children. (Paragraph 66)
16. We welcome the
introduction of whole home filtering solutions that prompt account
holders with a choice to apply them. We encourage all internet
service providers to offer their customers this valuable service.
Ofcom should monitor the implementation of this filtering and
report back on its level of success and adoption. (Paragraph 74)
17. We value the UK
games industry and the many educational and recreational benefits
it provides to children. As filtering technologies continue to
develop, as they should, we trust parents will be empowered to
provide the supervision they want of what games their children
play and when. (Paragraph 0)
18. We agree that
the availability and performance of filtering solutions must be
closely monitored, both for efficacy and the avoidance of over-blocking.
It should also be easy for websites inadvertently blocked to report
the fact and for corrective action to be taken. (Paragraph 79)
19. Websites that
provide adult content should signal the fact clearly to enable
filters better to take effect. A failure on the part of the operators
of such sites to do so should be a factor in determining what
measures should be taken against them. (Paragraph 80)
20. Filters are clearly
a useful tool to protect children online. Ofcom should continue
to monitor their effectiveness and the degree to which they can
be circumvented. (Paragraph 81)
21. We welcome the
introduction of ParentPort but believe Ofcom should seek to promote
and improve it further. For example, more use could be made of
it to collect data on complaints concerning children's access
to adult material. (Paragraph 83)
22. We further recommend
that Ofcom regularly reports on children's access to age-restricted
material, particularly adult pornography and the effectiveness
of filters and age verification measures. Ofcom is well-placed
to fulfil this role given the work it does on its Children and
Parents: Media Use and Attitudes Report. (Paragraph 84)
23. We note comments
on the state of, and access to, sex and relationships education.
We are aware this is a politically contested subject but believe
the Government should take into account the views of the young
people who gave evidence to us of the value and importance of
good quality mandatory sex and relationship education as policy
develops. In the mean time, teachers have many opportunities to
use their professional judgement in advising children both on
online safety and on respect for each other. We believe there
is scope for providing teachers with clearer signposting of the
advice and educational resources that are already available. (Paragraph
86)
24. Any changes to
legislation, including consolidation of current laws, which clarify
the status of bullying, whether off-line or online, would be welcome.
At the same time, much could be achieved by the timely introduction
of improved guidance on the interpretation of existing laws. (Paragraph
97)
25. Both Facebook
and Twitter have sensible terms and conditions attaching to the
use of their services. However, these should be made much clearer,
explicit and visible. People who might be tempted to misuse social
media need to be left in no doubt that abuses online are just
as unacceptable as similar misbehaviour face-to-face. (Paragraph
100)
26. Given that Facebook
and Twitter are aware of the extent to which their services are
accessed by younger children, we expect them to pay greater attention
to factoring this into the services provided, the content allowed
and the access to both. The same applies to other social media
companies in a similar position. (Paragraph 104)
27. Twitter told us
that users can mark their own tweets as sensitive which by default
means a warning message is posted to anyone wishing to view these.
This is a good reminder that self-restraint and self-regulation
are crucial aspects of any enforcement regime in the online world.
(Paragraph 105)
28. In spite of reassuring
words from Facebook and Twitter, it is clear that these platforms,
in common with other social media providers, could do far more
to signal the unacceptability of abuse and to stamp it out when
it arises. (Paragraph 106)
29. Social media providers
should follow the examples of Facebook and Twitter in having appropriate
terms and conditions. We believe there is significant scope for
such providers—including Facebook and Twitter—to enforce
such conditions with greater robustness. (Paragraph 107)
30. Social media providers
should offer a range of prominently displayed options for, and
routes to, reporting harmful content and communications. They
need to act on these reports much more quickly and effectively,
keeping the complainant and—where appropriate—the
subject of the complaints informed of outcomes and actions. (Paragraph
114)
31. Ofcom should monitor
and report on complaints it receives, perhaps via an improved
ParentPort, regarding the speed and effectiveness of response
to complaints by different social media providers. (Paragraph
115)
32. We believe it
is in the interests of social media platforms, if they wish to
avoid a more regulatory approach, to put their money where their
mouths are and provide more funding for the valuable work being
done on internet safety by voluntary organisations and charities.
(Paragraph 119)
33. A good deal of
advice on the safe use of social media is available already. This
should be signposted more clearly for teachers, who are likely
to be in the front line when it comes to dealing with bullying
both in the playground and in the online world. (Paragraph 120)
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