HOME OFFICE News
Release (084/2008) issued by The Government News Network on 4 April 2008
Displaying
reporting links to agencies including the police, NSPCC and the
Samaritans on social networking websites is one of a range of
recommendations for industry and users in new guidance launched
today by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, alongside new proposals to
make it harder for child sex offenders to meet children online.
Under new plans to monitor sex offenders online, which will be
developed and explored in partnership with industry and CEOP on
behalf of law enforcement agencies, the email addresses of
registered child sex offenders will be passed by police to social
networking websites, enabling these websites to stop offenders
using their sites. Sex offenders would face up to five years in
prison if they fail to give police their email addresses or
provide a false email address.
The first UK Social Networking Guidance provides advice for
industry, parents and children about how to stay safe online. This
has been developed by a Taskforce of representatives from
industry, charity and law enforcement agencies including Vodafone,
the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) and the
National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC).
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said:
"I want to see every child living their lives free from
fear, whether they are meeting friends in a youth club or in a
chat room.
"We have some of the strictest controls on sex offenders in
the world to protect our children. We are working together with
police, industry and charities to create a hostile environment for
sex offenders on the internet and are determined to make it as
hard for predators to strike online, as in the real world.
The Home Secretary also launched a new Kitemark to set a standard
for filtering software for home computers and strengthen
protection of children online. This ensures that parents have
confidence that the filtering product they use meets an
independent standard.
"The launch of this new Guidance and the BSI Kitemark
alongside our plans to crack down on sex offenders on the web,
send a clear message that keeping children safe is a priority for
us all."
Annie Mullins, Chair of the Home Secretary's Taskforce on
Child Protection on the Internet and Head of Content Standards at
Vodafone said:
"The protection of young people is a priority for us all and
this initiative demonstrates just how effective collaboration
between a wide range of organisations including government, the
police, non-governmental groups and industry can be.
"Social networking sites are a wonderful way to communicate
and it's vital that we work together to help ensure children
and young people can use them safely and responsibly.
"These Guidelines build on the work that many providers are
already implementing to ensure that, as far as possible, products
are safer by design and children and young people have the tools
to manage their online experience."
Chief Executive of the Child Exploitation Online Protection
Agency and
The Association of Chief Police Officers' lead
on child protection and combating child abuse on the internet Jim
Gamble said:
''This has the real potential to accelerate online
child protection and if adopted and applied should provide the
vital reassurance that we all need - not least every parent,
teacher and child protection team - that protecting the young and
vulnerable is being taken seriously across the board.
"It will provide parents with those crucial indicators as to
which sites and providers they should be using, allowing children
the chance to get on and enjoy the full benefits of the internet
with vital reassurance. In the spirit of the Byron Review we at
CEOP stand ready to help make these recommendations a reality and
as ACPO lead I will work with colleagues to ensure robust evaluation.
"Similarly these measures create real momentum. Let's
build on that. If you are attacked in the street you go to the
police for help not the council. So in the virtual world we offer
that one click away facility to every young person online. One
click that will allow them to report virtual attacks of a sexual
nature such as grooming to specialist officers backed up by
support from organisations such as the NSPCC. Through the same
click they can similarly access a whole source of signposting to
other sources of advice and guidance covering a range of harm.
This is being offered to every service provider and through them
to every young person while they are in the virtual world. We
call on them all to act now and adopt it."
The Social Networking Guidance contains a number of
recommendations for service providers and safety advice for users
for the first time including:
* The display of reporting and/or advice links to a range of
agencies such as CEOP, NSPCC, Samaritans, and others to allow
users to report issues of abuse or seek help;
* Arrangements for industry and law enforcement to share reports
of potentially illegal activity and suspicious behaviour;
* To make it more difficult for people registered over the age of
18 to search for users under the age of 18; and
* To encourage children not to provide excessive information
about themselves
This good practice document is unique in bringing together the
major players in industry, based in different countries, along
with law enforcement and children's charities, to agree a set
of principles aimed at protecting children that they will all work towards.
The Kitemark is designed to raise the standard of internet
filtering, monitoring and blocking applications for the UK market
and will be of particular benefit to parents when selecting
suitable products and services.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
1. The Home Secretary's Taskforce on Child Protection on the
Internet was formed in 2001, bringing together Government, online
technology providers, law enforcement and child protection
specialists to work together to tackle issues relating to the
protection of children on the internet.
2. The full Social Networking Guidance and the contributors can
be found at http://police.homeoffice.gov.uk/operational-policing/crime-disorder/child-protection-taskforce
3. Under the plans to introduce the disclosure of the details of
child sex offenders subject to notification requirements to social
networking sites, we would require them to notify police of their
email addresses. This will be done through secondary legislation,
subject to the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill receiving
Royal Assent later this year.
4. Further details on the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill
can be found at http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/criminal-justice-bill.htm