99% Of Ilegal Content Hosted Outside The UK

by Robin Pilgrim, LawAndTax-News.com, London

24 March 2004

In its 2003 Annual Report, released on Monday, the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) revealed that just 1% of illegal online content is hosted in the United Kingdom, an announcement which has been welcomed by ISPs and the UK government alike.

According to the IWF report, around 55% of content showing images of child abuse or other illegal acts is hosted in the United States, whilst 23% originates in Russia.

The UK figure represents a substantial drop from its 18% high in 1997. The country's progress in this area led the IWF to announce this week that it would "welcome further international cooperation and consensus on replication (of) the UK model overseas".

According to the IWF, the success of the drive to cut down on illegal content in the United Kingdom is in large part due to the fact that UK ISPs remove such content as soon as they are informed of it by the industry watchdog. Rapid transfer of intelligence to law enforcement officials also plays a part, according to the Foundation.

Speaking this week, Minister of State for Energy, e-Commerce and Postal Services, Stephen Timms announced that:

"The IWF has contributed a dramatic reduction in potentially illegal content in Britain since its inception in 1996. We continue to support its work across international borders by urging other countries to follow this very successful model."

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