Bing to Introduce Child Porn "Pop-up" Alert

MSN
July 27, 2013

http://tech.uk.msn.com/features/bing-to-introduce-child-porn-pop-up-alert

Some of the biggest names in tech have already pledged their allegiance to David Cameron's big online porn crackdown - Microsoft, Yahoo and Twitter are all-in.

Starting today users of Microsoft's Bing search engine will receive pop-up warnings if they attempt to use the service to seek out inappropriate, illegal images.

The pop-up message will be activated if the search engine recognises words contained on a "blacklist". Microsoft have previously worked with the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) and will have helped Microsoft compile this list of trigger words.

The pop-up will display the following:

Warning! Child abuse material is illegal.

This will be accompanied by a link aimed at providing help and counselling advice to anyone in pursuit of such content.

Yahoo and Twitter to follow suit

Yahoo uses Bing's technology to drive its searches and is said to be planning on introducing pop-up warnings too.

The Guardian have also revealed that Twitter is working on implementing image filters (based on Microsoft's PhotoDNA technology) to run images against a blacklist of offensive material in a bid to identify illegal content. Although this has been announced in the midst of Cameron's porn laws, Twitter's controls are understood to be part of an independent initiative.

Pressure on Google

Although Google have also promised to co-operate, a Government advisor has called for investors to sell their stakes in the search giant.

Accounts that are due to be published later this year will reveal that the Church's pension fund has a ?5.7 million investment in Google, prompting Cameron's advisor on childhood - Claire Perry - to make her recommendation.

Speaking to The Telegraph Mrs Perry said: “It is quite clear that many companies, in particular British Internet Service Providers are finally now taking a really responsible approach to this. They are seeing that we want a level of social responsibility.

“There are others out there who have not got that attitude. The Prime Minister was saying Google have a responsibility, they are effectively helping people for which there can be no case made.

"They [The Church of England and other investors] have a role to play, they have questions to ask themselves. They are moral leaders. If they are going to opine on things then putting your money where your mouth is an incredibly powerful tool."

Mrs Perry's call to action comes amidst the Government's efforts to dial-up the pressure on technology giants such as Microsoft, Yahoo and Google.

There are concerns that some quarters aren't doing enough in their power to curb the lurid pornography threat. “This is quite simply about obliterating this disgusting material from the net – and we will do whatever it takes", Cameron said. “We need a situation where you cannot have people searching for child abuse images and being aided in doing so.”

A Church of England spokeswoman said: “We share the Government’s concern about access to child pornography and are glad they are engaging with Google on this issue.

A spokesman for Google told the Telegraph: “We have a zero tolerance attitude to child sexual abuse imagery. We use our own systems and work with child safety experts to find it, remove and report it.