Glyn Davies, Conservative MP for Montgomeryshire, has welcomed news that Google and Microsoft have agreed measures to make it harder to find child abuse images using its search engines.
Google and Microsoft’s Bing search engines have announced that as many as 100,000 search items will now return no results that find illegal material, and will also trigger warnings that child abuse imagery is illegal. The move comes after pressure from Prime Minister David Cameron, who in July called on the world’s biggest search engine providers to do more to prevent access to illegal images, and that more needed to be done to ensure unambiguous searches aimed at finding such images should return no results.
Both Google and Microsoft have introduced new software instructions that will prevent searches for child abuse imagery delivering results that could lead to such material. The restrictions will be launched in the UK first, before being expanded to 158 other languages within the next six months.
Speaking about Google and Microsoft’s measures, Glyn Davies MP said:
“I very much welcome the news that both Google and Microsoft, who are responsible for 95% of all internet search traffic, are introducing measures that will make it much harder for child abuse images to be found using its search engines.
“I have discussed this issue with both David Cameron and Claire Perry MP and have encouraged them to meet with the major search engine companies. The Prime Minister has also met with the parents of April Jones, Paul & Coral, who themselves made the case for what has today been announced.
“I am pleased that the Prime Minister’s determination to pursue this issue has resulted in this action, and I congratulate Google and Microsoft for working together on this highly sensitive issue.”
