I am boycotting all search engines that allow access to child pornography

[glendatheveryexcitedwitch]

And urge everyone else to do so too - how do I find a search engine that blocks access for everyone and not just through parental settings?? Surely if there is a search engine their usp would be this?? Am I being naive that it could help protect children - especially the children that have no one to protect them!!

As far as I know no search engines have a specific filter for "child pornography".

Those that have "adult content filters" block all adult content - anything with nudity, or music with explicit lyrics, for example, by a combination of their algorithms and websites voluntarily stating "this site is not suitable for children".

I imagine that any website with illegal content would want to make it difficult to track down via official means (you can only find it if you are "in the know") so it would be very hard to find and filter this computationally.

No search engine does this.

Please see the many, many threads on why it doesn't work.

The best protection is device-based filter (try K9). Less good is to use an ISP with a filter (Talk Talk has a package with one).

Separately, pornography featuring children (whatever medium) depicts acts which are illegal (unlike much other objectional Internet content), and should be reported to CEOP.

Ahhhhhh sad it's so complicated and isn't as standard. Feel so helpless - I am studying midwifery and unfortunately safeguarding is part of our job and we hear some dreadful cases.

Surely as the majority of normal people who don't search/access such websites we should be catered for?? Whether it be through search engines/isp's or other means!!

I don't think you have expressed clearly what it is what you actually want.

I want world peace and the non-proliferation of WMD, but legislation doesn't work for that either, nor did MAD.

Wishing for a "porn be gone" technical solution is like wishing for a unicorn. Impossible on current technology, and useless too as a horse already exists and does a better job.

What meditrina said. :plusone:

I think boycotting the search engines is like blaming the librarian because someone snuck in an indecent book and hid it among the regular books in the library.

Sadly, those who are determined to put illegal content online are continually working to stay one step ahead of the search engines and other companies that try and block them. The technical challenges involved in identifying this content are enormous, and even Google, with all its smart people, data and computing power, doesn't have an answer. It's so hard to determine automatically what object is in a picture that Google made a splash last year with the announcement of an 'image categorisation' algorithm that had 15% accuracy. This is considered very good performance, but is nowhere near practical for blocking content.

They really should do more though. Recently tried to lock safe setting on google and cant do without a google email! i don't WANT yet another email name/password etc to forget have to remember

But salbertina that's to do with the way the internet is, nothing to do with Google. They can't know who you are (to ensure safe setting is on when you use it) unless you are logged in with them. They have no other way of identifying you amongst the millions of other users who don't want safe settings locked.

Like anything which is illegal I imagine this is easier said than done. Also I think we should make sure to call it 'images of children being sexually assaulted' calling it porn makes it sound legal and legitimate.

What's a k9?

I'mnot so sure- set youtube safe setting, no problem. Or maybe I'm just being thick and stroppy. Just wish google:apple/Microsoft/yahoo would have the decency to agree collectively an opt IN policy re porn/violence rather than millions of us poor sods desperately trying to keep up with their kids and by constantly opting out from multiple media. Fume. It's like being in a huge bookstore half filled with violent, objectifying porn amongst which there sit some everyday books. Such stuff wouldn't even have reached the too shelf in days gone by. I don't mind porn, in its place. I VERY much mind violent, degrading porn which my 7 yr old can access at the click of a button!!!

Salbertina
I'mnot so sure- set youtube safe setting, no problem. Or maybe I'm just being thick and stroppy. Just wish google:apple/Microsoft/yahoo would have the decency to agree collectively an opt IN policy re porn/violence rather than millions of us poor sods desperately trying to keep up with their kids and by constantly opting out from multiple media.

That isn't how the internet works. You can't 'opt in' without total control of the data flowing through the internet.

Fume. It's like being in a huge bookstore half filled with violent, objectifying porn amongst which there sit some everyday books. Such stuff wouldn't even have reached the too shelf in days gone by. I don't mind porn, in its place. I VERY much mind violent, degrading porn which my 7 yr old can access at the click of a button!!!

You seem to be saying "I don't expect to have to supervise my child on the internet."

The internet isn't a playground.

K9

This is the Daily Mail's latest crusade - apparently Google is evil and responsible for all that's indecent sigh

And I'm sure the DM would have blamed the Dewey Decimal System in the past.

If your 7 year old is finding proscribed material, you need to report it.

You can do this here

They act on

• Child sexual abuse content hosted anywhere in the world
• Criminally obscene adult content hosted in the UK
• Non-photographic child sexual abuse images hosted in the UK

Flatpack, is there a problem?? I am perfectly familiar with the internet, thanks and my decision if i choose not to supervise every single second of my teenager's screen time. No idea how old yours are but no need to lecture.

Poppy, not supportive of DM campaign if (just) against indecent material but I do think google et al need to take more responsibility for the hardcore, objectifying porn.. The Times is picking up on this too, think one of their (female) journos is chairing a debate on the issue soon.

"They really should do more though. Recently tried to lock safe setting on google and cant do without a google email! i don't WANT yet another email name/password etc to forget have to remember"

Sal unfortunately if you want to use their search engine the only way they have of knowing who you are is for you to log on. Google can't control the internet

Salbertina. Apologies but I think YOU need to take more responsibility for your teenagers if you are 'that' bothered by porn on the Internet.

The tools are already there for you. Download K9 Internet security. It's free, you can even use it on tablets nowadays. Complaining that someone else should do more because you don't want to supervise your kids is a tad hypocritical and also very naive.

You could block Google and in fact the entire web (http) and I bet you your child could still find porn in less than an hour. I was a teenager downloading porn photos and small video clips using my trusty modem well before Google rocked up.

My teenage daughter tells me bypassing the school filters is like a bit of a sport at school.

Personally I've opted for putting all PC's in a central place, no laptops in bedrooms. I did used to have a filter on my Internet router but it stopped so much legitimate traffic that I've abandoned it. And therein lies the problem. You may want to block 'porn' but since it's all mixed up with normal stuff, you end up blocking stuff you didn't want to.

China and Iran have managed to block internet acess in some/many areas

so why cant we for certains words?

or is the right to google "naked little girlies" a sacrossanct right?

So MN would now be barred, in that scenario? Is that really what you want?

why would MN be banned? eh?

Look I might be naive but I amk VERY suprised that rank images of child abuse can be found on google and bing

call me old fashioned, but I always thought you had to use a dodgy search engine!

I would guess there are a few key phrases that are used to search for this material

I fail to understand why measures cant be made to block/ban them?

I wont repeat the phrases, read the fucking papers they have happily shared them there

Hey, nice guy- if you read my post i am bothered about hardcore porn. Not porn per se. I also hadn't detailed what our security measures were either nor am i "unwilling" to take control so not sure why the attack!

My concerns mainly stem from smartphone use outside the home (friends' ones, mine don't have) also playdates esp as we're in Africa where much less awareness and security leas rigourous.