Leader: Government catches up with industry's safety initiatives

10 December 2009 | By Justin Pearse

The internet is probably less dangerous than tobacco, firearms or alcohol. But you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise given its treatment in the national press. The internet is so often viewed purely as the haunt of paedophiles, pirates, phishers and scamsters.

Whenever the latest online scandal blows up, the industry is held to account, with cries for it to police itself better. As new media age has said many times before, this approach ignores the huge efforts made by the industry to ensure the web is safe for consumers.

Social networks like MySpace and Facebook – which discusses its advertising strategy in the current issue – are often accused of endangering their members even though they’re engaged in work to keep the constantly changing environment secure. Indeed, the industry moves far quicker to put such measures in place than government could ever achieve.

This week’s launch of the Government’s Click Safe Click Clever initiative, from the UK Council on Child Internet Safety, is the result of a review initiated by Gordon Brown two years ago (nma 13 September 2007), at which he said he was “not interested in censorship but we do need rules governing aspects of the internet where children are involved”.

Now, despite the lame duck that was the Digital Economy Bill, the Government looks to have delivered a genuinely positive framework for online safety, something that should be welcomed by anyone hoping to build a sustainable business online and concerned about its public reputation. The measures go far beyond the empty posturing of so much government attention to online, like including online safety in the National Curriculum.

Of course, this was only achieved by the widespread consultation and commitment of the online industry itself. This activity can’t afford to slow down. As we approach a General Election, joint action will be more important if we’re to ensure any legislation affecting our industry is informed by the reality of evolving digital media. Cigarettes, guns and alcohol haven’t changed in decades, but the internet changes every day.

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