The Internet Watch Foundation (“IWF”) has recommended that UK
ISPs review their policies on newsgroups in an effort to eliminate
illegal content hosted by their services. The announcement was made
following an IWF board meeting on Wednesday, in which members
agreed that ISPs should take action to shut down web sites that are
known to regularly display images of child pornography.
The IWF is an independent organisation charged with addressing
issues relating to illegal content on the internet. Its board
includes representatives from industry, education, consumer and
media organisations. Although the IWF does not have legal powers to
enforce its recommendation, it does generally receive support from
the Internet Service Providers Association.
Civil liberties groups have criticised the move by the IWF on
the grounds that it jeopardises the self-regulatory regime under
which ISPs operate. At present, ISPs are only held liable for
illegal content appearing on web pages hosted by them if they have
been informed of their existence and advised to remove them. The
civil liberties representatives fear that if force is given to the
IWF’s recommendation, then it may threaten the freedom of ISPs to
host material.
