Home Secretary Sajid Javid delivers ultimatum to internet giants to crack down on paedophiles – or get closed down
SAJID Javid will today deliver an ultimatum to tech companies to crack down on sickening paedophlia online – or get closed down themselves.
Opening up a major new front in war against immoral internet giants, the Home Secretary reveals the plague of child sex abuse on the internet is mushrooming.
He will demand internet service providers and social media companies impose the same zero tolerance approach to the twisted material as they have finally adopted to terrorist content in a major speech this morning.
And Mr Javid will threaten to enact new powers to allow police to intervene and shut down their systems if they continue to refuse.
Britain’s law and order supremo will also reveal disturbing new figures that expose the rapidly growing scale of the problem.
The National Crime Agency now estimate that there are 80,000 people in the UK who present some kind of sexual threat to children online, be they image purveyors, users or groomers.
There has also been a terrifying 700% increase in the number of child abuse images referred to nation’s serious crime fighting agency in the last five years.
In an emotional article written for The Sun today, the senior Cabinet minister also reveals sickening new levels of depravity that he has been shown as new Home Office boss.
Mr Javid declares to Sun readers that he is “making it my mission” to crack down on the online horrors.
He writes: “This Government has done more to tackle child sexual exploitation than any other.
“But I want to go much, much, further, ensuring no stone is left unturned and give law enforcement the tools they need to tackle these sick offenders.
“This is a complex issue and perpetrators are continually evolving to satisfy their depraved activities. But we owe it to children to do more. We must and I will.”
In a strong hint of the ultimatum for tech firms coming today, Mr Javid adds: “I am also clear that all parts of society must play their part in this battle”.
The Home Secretary also reveals the personal upset he has suffered since taking the job in April from detailed briefings on online child sex abuse.
And he also revealed growth in horrific “abuse to order” services, where paedophiles direct abusers what to do to their victims over a two-way livestream.
Mr Javid writes: “Invisible crime gangs are also now able to live stream these sick acts to online abusers for just over £10 – a quarter of what paedophiles were paying four years ago.
“Abhorrent crimes where perverted offenders live stream the rape of innocent youngsters over a web cam – and are ordered to carry out gut-wrenching acts by their conspirators who are watching on a computer from the comfort of their own home.”
He added: “They sicken me to the core. But I am also sickened by the sheer number of these vile abusers.
“Horrifying cases like this leave an emotional scar on me as well.”
Mr Javid will also offer more money today to the NCA and police forces fighting online child sex abuse.
His ultimatum follows Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt’s searing attack on Google last week for refusing to cooperate with police forces to take down child abuse content.
Children’s charity Barnardo’s last night welcomed Mr Javid’s new drive.
Its chief executive Javed Khan said: “All children with access to the internet are potentially vulnerable to being groomed online and sexually or criminally exploited offline.
“Of the victims of online grooming referred to Barnardo’s specialist support services, we know that nearly two thirds of them, some as young as 10, had also gone on to meet their attacker and were sexually exploited.”
In a coordinated effort, the National Crime Agency also last night pleaded with tech companies to cooperate with police investigations more.
Its officer in charge of child sexual abuse, Director Rob Jones, called on the California-based giants to be far more proactive on stopping sick material ever appearing on their platfroms.
Mr Jones said: “The technology exists for industry to stop these images being shared.
The Sun Says
WE share Sajid Javid’s disgust at what looks like a child abuse crisis — and he’s right to demand more from the tech giants.
The monsters who commit these acts are beyond contempt.
It’s staggering that there are 80,000 of them prowling the net — the equivalent of FOUR packed-out O2 arenas — and we must tackle these horrendous crimes with all the force Britain can muster.
The police must be given the resources they need to find and pursue these twisted individuals.
Social services and local council staff, who have in the past too happily looked away from systematic abuse in places like Rochdale and Rotherham, must be properly trained and report their suspicions accurately.
But the tech companies who allow their platforms to be filled with depraved filth need to do more, too.
Their deliberate ignorance is part of a pattern.
Whether it’s far-right extremism, anti-Semitism or terrorist propaganda, firms such as Facebook and Twitter are all too happy to turn a blind eye.
The web has turned into the Wild West, and the companies profiting from it refuse to play sheriff.
If they continue to abandon their responsibilities, they can have no complaints if the Government steps in, sooner rather than later.
The Home Secretary must act if the billionaires refuse to do so.
Keeping our kids safe is all that matters.
“Whilst some online platforms have taken important steps to improve safety, we are asking them to take it to the next step; to innovate, to use their brightest minds, and to invest in preventing these online offences from happening in the first place.
“That would significantly reduce the trauma to the victims whose images are shared, prevent other individuals from developing a sexual interest in children through accessing these images, and disrupt the methods used to access them.”
National Police Chiefs' Council lead for child protection Chief Constable Simon Bailey added: "Only by working collaboratively with technology companies and law enforcement partners will we be able to minimise the risk posed to children online by predatory offenders".