In response to the Government consultation on Internet controls published today please find below ISPA's statement.
Nicholas Lansman, ISPA Secretary General, "ISPA supports active choice and welcomes the consultation as a way of providing some much needed clarity to the area. We hope this refocuses the debate on the most effective way to control access to inappropriate material rather than about default blocking of pornography.
ISPs are committed to making the internet a safer place and offer their customers a number of different ways to protect themselves online, be it on a router, device or network level, or through education and awareness. The Active Choice agenda, recommended by Reg Bailey, covers retailers, device manufactures and ISPs, and a number of players are already offering or working towards this.
We agree with the Children's Minister Tim Loughton that default filtering lessens parental mediation and should not be viewed as a silver bullet. The most effective way to control access to inappropriate content is to raise awareness amongst parents of the tools available to support and empower parental decision-making."
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Notes to the editor:
The Internet Services Providers’ Association (ISPA UK) is the UK’s Trade Association for providers of Internet services.
ISPA brings together the UK internet industry to provide essential support through innovation, knowledge and experience in order to benefit the UK economy and society. Promoting collaboration and constructive dialogue between its members and the wider internet community, ISPA is an all-important driving force for the industry and relevant stakeholders. For a list of members or other information about ISPA, please consult the website: www.ispa.org.uk
The views expressed in this release are those of the Internet Services Providers’ Association (ISPA) 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 3397 3308).