Government Must Take More Action On Online Criminals
Friday, 10th August 2007
The Internet Services Providers’ Association (ISPA UK) – the UK’s leading Internet trade association – has responded to the House of Lord’s inquiry into Personal Internet Security by stating that combating online personal security threats requires effective partnership between service providers, end-users, law enforcement and Government agencies. Stringent action against online criminals is fundamental.
For their part, many ISPs already offer easy-to-use tools like parental controls and spam filters to help their users protect themselves online. ISPs have demonstrated that they are responsive to online threats by developing products to protect users as new threats arise.
ISPA members regularly invest in educating their customers. ISPs provide advice and guidance on Internet security, such as avoiding viruses, preventing PCs from being hacked, and limiting and reporting spam. ISPA advises all Internet users to ask their provider about the safety features of their services and what tools are available. We also advise our members to be transparent about what features are and are not available.
Rather than making changes to the existing legal framework, ISPA invites the Government to support service providers in promoting awareness of the importance of Internet security, of known security risks, and of how users can manage them.
Success through self-regulation
The UK Internet industry has an excellent track record of making the ‘net safer through self-regulation.
ISPA created one of the world’s first codes of practice for providers of Internet services. One of the earliest self-regulatory ‘notice and takedown’ procedures in the world - where ISPs can remove unlawful content when they have knowledge that it is present on their system - was developed by UK ISPs.
The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) was the first organisation in the world created to address illegal online content - it was established and is funded by the UK Internet industry. The IWF reports that 0.2% of the illegal content the IWF is notified about is hosted on the UK Internet. The majority of such content is hosted in Eastern Europe and the USA.
ISPA has also worked with the Government to create the world’s first guidelines for providers of chat services.
The Home Office Task Force for Child Protection on the Internet is a joint initiative between the Internet industry, the Government, the Police and children’s charities. ISPA has contributed to the ongoing success of the Get Safe Online campaign (http://www.getsafeonline.org), an industry-supported, online campaign launched in October 2005 to help consumers protect themselves against online threats.
Jessica Hendrie-Liaño said, “Personal Internet security must be a joint effort between the Internet industry, the Government and its agencies and importantly end-users. ISPA acknowledges that ISPs have a key role to play. A concerted effort to raise awareness of known risks and effectively enforce existing laws is also critical.”
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Notes to editors:
The views expressed in this release are those of the Internet Services Providers' Association (ISPA UK) and do not necessarily reflect the corporate policies of the individual companies that are members of the Association or other organisations that may be mentioned in the release.
For further editorial information please contact the ISPA Press Office (020 7340 4535)
About the Internet Services Providers’ Association:
The Internet Services Providers’ Association (ISPA UK) was established in 1995 as a trade association to represent providers of Internet services in the UK. ISPA promotes competition, self-regulation and the development of the Internet industry. For a list of members or other information about ISPA, please consult the website: www.ispa.org.uk