Facebook accused of failing to remove sexualised images of children

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-39187929

The BBC reports that there have been concerns about certain Facebook groups. Facebook has been criticised for its handling of reports about sexualised images of children on its platform. There have been reports of users discussing swapping what appeared to be child abuse material.

Back on the 27th February 2017, I commented on a Times report, which talked about a move by government ministers to summon Facebook, Twitter, Apple and others to Whitehall, and demand that they develop new technological solutions similar to those used to thwart paedophiles and terrorists.

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/tech-giants-must-tackle-cyberbullies-or-face-curbs-p5vzbj3p3

The call by ministers and others will be backed by the threat of legislation, with a green paper promised in the summer.

On the 5th January 2017, I also commented on a statement put out by Anne Longfield, the Children's Commissioner.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/should-media-sites-have-statutory-duty-protect-children-johnson

Facebook is no stranger to legal action. On the 13th September 2016, I reported on a legal claim brought against Facebook in Northern Ireland, which concerned indecent images.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/northern-ireland-court-rules-against-facebook-revenge-malcolm-johnson

Now government pressure is building up to make internet social platforms responsible for the imagery and material that appears on their websites.

The answer may be an "Occupier's Liability Act" for media sites. The idea that I have put forward is a statute similar to the Occupiers Liability Act 1957, which imposes a duty on property owners 'to take such care as in all the circumstances of the case is reasonable to see that the visitor will be reasonably safe in using the premises for the purposes for which he is invited or permitted by the occupier to be there.'

The Act also says that an occupier must be prepared for children to be less careful than adults.

We need something similar for the internet age.