Tory MP calls for "internet standards authority"

 

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By Simon Aughton

Posted on 8 Feb 2008 at 12:20

A Conservative MP has called for the setting up of a new regulator to protect children on the internet.

Hugo Swire claims the current "piecemeal and kneejerk codes of conduct and self regulation" have failed. The recent spate of suicides in Bridgend, which have been partly blamed on social networking sites, demonstrates the need for an online regulatory body, the former shadow secretary for culture, media and sport told a House of Commons debate on protecting children on the internet.

"I do not believe we can remove all risk to children, but I think we can make the UK a safer place online in what seems to be an increasingly dangerous world for our children," Swire said. "I will recommend an 'Internet Standards Authority' is set up to fight illegal and harmful content, promote a safer environment and raise awareness."

Currently responsibility for monitoring the internet is split between eight government departments. Swires wants to see one of these take the lead and develop a regulatory structure that involves all interested parties.

"The 'internet standards authority' would build a dynamic filter and create a blacklist database which would be updated hourly," Swires explained. "Internet service providers would then offer two choices of content, one for adults and one for children. I envisage the child content would be the default, with adult content accessed with a pin code, or some such protective device."

He acknowledged that the reality is more complicated. Filtering systems are far from perfect, and new ways of distributing content are always being found.

"Webcams and peer-to-peer and encrypted content will always present challenges," he said. "I do not intend to predict future technological innovations, but filtering web 2.0 generation content when, for example, eight hours of footage per minute is uploaded on to YouTube, will present challenges."

But that, he said, is not an excuse to ignore the problem. "Internet playgrounds should be supervised in the same way as physical parks used to be supervised," he said.