Finland blocking access to foreign web pages containing child pornography
Service providers given list of banned sites
Leena Luhtanen
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Finnish officials and companies plan to block access by Internet users in Finland to foreign websites containing child pornography.
Telecommunications service providers are to be given a list of websites to be blocked.
"In all child porn scandals uncovered in Europe, the Internet has been used almost without exception. The use of the Internet for these purposes is a major problem. In Norway, this kind of a measure has managed to prevent as many as 6,000 visits to child pornography web sites each day", says Harri Pursiainen, Director-General at the Ministry of Transport and Communications.
The Minister of Transport and Communications, Leena Luhtanen (SDP), does not believe that legislation needs to be changed, if the blocks imposed by telecommunications companies prove to be effective.
Luhtanen admitted on Friday that measures against child pornography on the Internet can never be made watertight. However, she said that it is important for telecommunications companies to prevent people from accidentally accessing such sites, and to block visits from most of those who deliberately seek such pages out.
Finnish service providers have been able to remove child pornography pages from their own servers, but they have been unable to prevent their subscribers from accessing foreign sites.
Reijo Svento, managing director of the Finnish Federation for Communications and Teleinformatics (FiCom), notes that so far it has been illegal for an Internet service provider to block access to any external web sites. "The police list gives operators permission for this", Svento says.
Sweden and Norway already have such systems in place, and the plans have not brought any objections from Finnish operators.
"This is such a depraved form of crime that nobody can have any reason not to take part in efforts to prevent it", Svento observes.
He believes that nearly all Finnish Internet service providers will join the new system.
"Our members comprise well over 90% of the market, and the companies have agreed to the conditions. We do not believe that anyone will seek a competitive edge by allowing access to child pornography pages through their service", Svento observes.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 29.8.2005 - TODAY |
 Finland blocking access to foreign web pages containing child pornography
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