InTheNews.co.uk
Breaking News:
Your source for news

News Story

 07 September 2008 03:00 BST

Email addresses of sex offenders to be given to websites

Friday, 04 Apr 2008 14:32
The guidance is aimed at protecting children online
The email addresses of registered sex offenders could be passed onto social networking websites such as Facebook and Bebo under new government guidelines.

The move would allow police to monitor the offenders online and prevent them from contacting children through the sites.

The websites in turn would be expected to monitor the usage of the e-mail address and if necessary block access to the sites.

Sex offenders already face up to five years in prison if they refuse or give the wrong address to police.

It is one of a number of measures introduced by the Home Office taskforce on online child protection.

Home secretary Jacqui Smith claimed she wanted the children of Britain to be "free from fear".

Announcing the new measures, Ms 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."

Ms Smith also launched a new 'kitemark' for filtering software for home computers and increase protection for children online.

"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."

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 has supported the move.

"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," he said.

Annie Mullins, chair of the home secretary's taskforce on child protection on the internet and head of content standards at Vodafone said: "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."

The new guidance comes after the recent Byron review found that 31 per cent of those aged between nine and 19 who use the internet on a regular basis had received sexual comments via email, instant messages, chat rooms or text messages.End of story


More headline news... 

Also In The News 

© 2004- 2008 www.inthenews.co.uk. Advertise | Privacy | Terms of Use