Crackdown on Kiddie Porn
March 25, 2009
Under the plans, Internet service providers will be required to block access to Web sites containing pornographic images of children. At a press briefing held Wednesday, the government said that Internet service providers would also be expected to make it harder to access Web sites deemed to be unsuitable.
If the proposals are approved by parliament and implemented, anyone trying to access specific Web sites will find an empty screen or be redirected to a Stop sign.
Internet porn the start of a slippery slope, claims minister
According to the German government's family minister Ursula von der Leyen, the ready availability of Internet child pornography acts as a form of "entry drug“ for many pedophiles. Once established, the addiction can lead to more violent forms of behavior such as abduction, rape and murder.
Although the new measures have been welcomed by the federal telecommunications association Bitkom, the association's managing director Bernhard Rohleder warned against expecting the problems of Internet child pornography to be solved once and for all. Barring access to certain Web sites was a useful measure, he said, as it would reduce the number of chance "hits“ to Web sites hosting images of child pornography.
But Rohleder added that the proposed new measures would have a limited effect as pedophiles intent on gaining access to child pornography would find ways to feed their habit by taking measures such as concealing the Internet address of their home computers.
Commercial child pornography Web sites are also unlikely to be affected by the proposed new law as most of them are accessed through so-called "peer-to-peer" servers, which Internet service providers are powerless to control.
EU follows with new protection proposals
Meanwhile, the European Commission today unveiled new proposals to clamp down on child pornography, child sex tourism and human trafficking.
Speaking in Brussels this morning, EU justice commissioner Jacques Barrot called for standardizing legislation on sex crimes against children throughout the EU's 27 member states.
"When we speak about child sexual abuse and sexual exploitation, we are speaking about horrendous crimes against children that leave deep scars and suffering for their whole lives," Barrot said.
The EU said it needs to improve cooperation with non-European countries to go after child pornographers and traffickers who operate outside the bloc. As well as pushing for EU-wide rules on human trafficking, the Commission also wants sex tourists to face prosecution when they return to the EU.
The EU also said it plans to work with credit card companies to prevent child pornography from being purchased on the Internet.