 Feature Story:
 Met Police Probe
WWW Porn
LONDON police are set to step up their battle
against internet porn, a leading government minister has announced.
"With the Metropolitan Police and other interested parties,
we are examining ways of controlling access to such material,"
said Criminal Justice minister Alun Michael.
"We are concerned about the presence of child pornography
on the internet and relative ease of access to such material."
The first step to be taken against porn peddlers is likely
to be a rating system like the one which operates for movies
on both sides of the Atlantic.
Next could come a software led cyber patrol system along the
lines of those already operating from the US.
But such softly-softly approaches could be backed by more
stringent measures, according to sources within the government.
The adoption of a heavy handed approach would put the UK on collision
course with the US which, after a series of court rulings, has
decided that free speech is worth defending even if that means
free speech for porn peddlers.
The UK's Internet Watch Foundation, the industry's semi official
watchdog, is to meet Michael for talks on what measures to bring
in. For the record, the Foundation has received 94 reports on
porn from surfers in the last year, hardly an avalanche of complaints.
Of the 94, only 9 of the reports related to child pornography
and it is thought that the vast majority are outside the jurisdiction
of the UK authorities.
Hot
Web Sex on Fire
Fire fighter Ray Jones has fanned the flames
of the ongoing debate on web sleaze by netting a reputed £250,000
from running hard core sex sites while still on sick leave from
a London fire brigade.
Jones, who has been off work for a year with "breathing
problems", runs sites such as Farmsex, Schoolgirls-R-Us,
Europerv and Eurgay and says he has been overwhelmed with the
heated response from image hungry web surfers.
But the Red Watch down at Ealing fire station in west London
might not be so happy about their colleague's shady schemes.
"We're deeply shocked that he's involved in that sort
of thing," said one amazed firefighter.
Jones is unrepentant about his activities which have now attracted
the attentions of New Scotland Yard's Obscene Publications Branch,
although the 33 year old porn peddler does regret the fact that
his fire fighting days seem to be far behind him. "I enjoyed
being a fireman, he said. "But I expect I'll have to resign
now all this is out in the open." |
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