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In a bid to rid the Internet of illegal material, especially child
pornography, a new Foundation known as Safety-Net has been given
the industry's full backing.
The Internet is now an essential part of the information infrastructure of
the world and is being used daily by millions of people in almost
every country around the Globe. While the Internet can be put
to bad as well as good use, fortunately bad use is very rare.
Of the 16,000 Usenet news groups only 130 have been identified
as carrying some illegal material. Of the 100s of millions of
pages of information on the WWW, only a few thousand are illegal.
Even so, the industry acknowledges that all efforts must be made to reduce
illegal use, especially child pornography. This work will be undertaken
by the Safety-Net Foundation, an independent not-for-profit organisation,
which, it is anticipated, will be financed by the industry, but
is underwritten by a £500,000 loan to ensure its success.
Commenting on the role of Safety-Net, Founder and Director Peter
Dawe said:
"Since the initial announcement of the Safety-Net foundation, all parties have rallied around to create a fast and creative initiative. We do not underestimate the difficulty of the task we have set ourselves, but we will try to satisfy everyone in our work. We believe that our proposals today will make a significant impact on reducing illegal material on the Internet. However the task will be one which will need to evolve as Internet technology and use
changes."
Shez Hamill, Chairman of the Internet Services Providers Association,
ISPA said:
"ISPA is very pleased to be able to support new proposals
that will banish the myth once and for all that child pornography
and other illegal material has a safe haven in the Internet Industry.
It does not, it never has and never will."
He went on to say:
"We will be recommending to our members that they embrace
Safety-Net with the knowledge that it is backed enthusiastically
by both Government and Industry."
Keith Mitchell, Chairman of the London Internet Exchange, LINX
commented:
"The London Internet Exchange endorses the R3/Safety-Net
proposals, and welcomes this major step forward on what has been
a difficult issue. LINX members are committed to ensuring that
their customers stay on the right side of UK law and therefore
the SafetyNet proposals will provide an excellent starting point
for the industry."
ISPA is a recently established trade association representing
the interests of the Internet industry. It aims to offer members
the chance to participate in a growing dialogue with government,
the European Union and other international organisations. The
intention is to encourage an open and competitive environment,
and to resist anti-competitive policies and practices. ISPAcurrently
has 60 members made up of access providers, internet cafes and
other enterprises associated with the industry. It has developed
a Code of Practice for service providers and hopes to be able
to sponsor research into trends likely to affect the industry.
ISPA seeks to communicate relevant issues and developments to
its members and foster communications between them.
For further information please contact:
Shez Hamill - ISPA Chairman Tel - 01424 830688
Nicholas Lansman - ISPA Secretariat Tel - 0171 222 8161
Sally Weatherall - ISPA Legal - Tel - 01223 250100
The LINX(www.linx.net) is a not-for-profit association representing the 28
largest Internet Service Providers in the UK. Since Oct 1994
it has been managing the hub at which they connect their networks
together to exchange UK Internet traffic. Its members all operate
their own International links to the global Internet, and a majority
of them provide access services to UK customers. LINX members
account for over 90% of the UK's Internet traffic.
For further information please contact:
Keith Mitchell - LINX Chairman Tel - 07000 783797
Simon Jones - Harvard Public Relations Tel - 0181 759 0005
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