Internet Watch Foundation

Gil Paterson (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Government whether it is in dialogue with foreign agencies with regard to controlling child abuse on the internet.

 

The Solicitor General for Scotland (Frank Mulholland): Regulation of the internet is a reserved matter. The Scottish Government has had no direct contact with foreign agencies with regard to controlling child abuse on the internet. There is, however, co-operation between police forces in relation to those who access child pornography on the internet and who produce the images for internet distribution.

Gil Paterson: At present, the United Kingdom and Scotland have a particularly good record on monitoring and evaluating such coverage on the internet and on ensuring that sites that are inappropriate or which publish materials relating to child abuse are taken down quickly.

In the United States, however, there is a reluctance to pull sites that involve child abuse. It takes a considerable time after notification before a site is taken down, by which time it has moved elsewhere. Will the Scottish Government join the other devolved Administrations and the United Kingdom authorities in putting pressure on the US Government and the authorities that are involved in controlling the internet to be proactive and, ultimately, to review procedures so that sites can be taken down at the earliest opportunity?

The Solicitor General for Scotland: I thank Gil Paterson for making those important points. The only way to combat this evil trade is through international co-operation and action. However, I point out again that regulation of the internet is a reserved matter.

I endorse the work of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, which is a UK-wide resource that works closely with agencies and police forces throughout the world and has contacts with various Governments. Together with those Governments and agencies, CEOP works to combat this worldwide vile trade.

 

Source: Scottish Parliament, Thursday 22 November 2007