Cable’s Child-Porn Attack Targets ‘Worst of Worst’
Cable Internet providers have agreed to check up and report back on Web sites that the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children says are distributors of child pornography. The center and the NCTA announced an agreement Thursday, which was obtained by Washington Internet Daily.
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Within 90 days, network operators will receive a list of sites identified by the center. They will check whether the sites on their networks offer child pornography. If they do, the operators will block access and tell the Center. ISPs aren’t to turn in users. Only the center will have contact with law enforcement, under the agreement.
The agreement is the result of negotiations prompted by the NCTA, said a letter from Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch, the president of the National Association of Attorneys General. He called the deal “unprecedented” and said the agreement would “limit the ability of predators to store and exchange images of exploitation of… the most vulnerable in society.”
The accord will build on the cable industry’s commitment to online safety, said NCTA President Kyle McSlarrow. The operators taking part are “reaffirming their strong commitment to online safety… for all American families.”
Thursday’s announcement drew praise from all sides. FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell said he was “delighted.” Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, the Commerce Committee’s ranking member, called it “an important step in combating online child pornography.” He said much more work is needed to educate children about online safety.
The Center’s president, Ernie Allen, told us he too was pleased with the outcome of talks with the NCTA. He called the agreement a “reasonable and balanced approach, within the law and constitution.” Allen said the pact is meant to “select the worst of the worst” for prosecution. He compared it to successful efforts across Europe, the U.K. and Canada, saying it provides “proactive process” singling out only clearly illegal material.
Staunch privacy advocates were mostly pleased with the agreement. Center for Democracy and Technology counsel John Morris said it raises only two possible problems. He said bills in Congress, notably the SAFE Act of 2007 (HR-2791), could turn the Center’s list into a “government-sanctioned blacklist.” And though the Center is required to make additions to the list, there’s no provision in the agreement that provides for removal of sites from the list if they no longer host illegal content. Allen assured us that the list is checked for accuracy and revised on a daily basis. Morris said he still was worried about ISPs’ use of old lists. Lawfully-operating sites could get caught up in the system, raising “significant concerns,” he said. - Andrew Feinberg