Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has urged internet service providers (ISPs) to
ban websites that promote terrorism.
Speaking at the launch of the
International
Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence, Smith said
the Government needed to target extremists who groom vulnerable targets online.
Among the areas to be looked at will be people subjected to extremist views
in chat rooms, which the Home Secretary said could lead to them becoming
involved with extremist groups. ISPs will also be expected to remove or block
any Al-Qaida or extremist website material.
“We are already working closely with the communications industry to take
action against paedophiles. I believe we should also take action against those
who groom vulnerable people for the purposes of violent extremism. Where there
is illegal material on the net, I want it removed," Smith said.
However, internet rights groups and the
Internet
Services Providers' Association (ISPA) have said the proposals could be
unworkable.
The ISPA told Computeractive: "It’s hard to identify what is legal and
illegal content on the internet. ISPs can’t play judge and jury about what’s
right and wrong. Human rights and free speech must be a consideration here.”
Dr Yaman Akdeniz, a law lecturer at Leeds University and director of the
Cyber
Rights organisation, agreed: “The difficulty is where you draw the line.
When does speech become extreme or for that matter racist?”
Both organisations also said plans by Smith to get ISPs to block these sites
could be problematic.
“Many of these sites are based outside of the UK and as a result UK ISPs
would not have the power to block these,” said the ISPA.
Dr Akdeniz also warned that this could also encourage extremists to go
underground making “detection and monitoring of such groups and individuals more
difficult by the law enforcement and security agencies”.
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