Google and Microsoft Blocking Abuse Images

BBC News - Google and Microsoft agree measures to block abuse images

On the one hand I find my self in complete agreement with the measures being taken by Microsoft and Google to protect against child abuse.

But there is still a bit of my the worries about the whole opened and free ideal of the internet. Sadly however I think for all the positives on the internet there are a lot of negatives and I don't see any better way of dealing with them than these big companies using some common sense and being open in what they are doing.

I just hope over time the positive action taken here, does not slowly creep until we lose all the freedom and openness.

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Comments

SteveFT

Unfortunately, I believe that people will still find just about anything that they want to. In my opinion, Google and Microsoft are not infringing on your freedom at all. They don't control the actual internet, just one way to access internet resources. Overall, I don't see anything negative about this move, but I don't know how much it will help either.

eansdad

I agree, they aren't blocking the internet just the use of their search engine to find something. Don't forget though this is just feel good fluff. I doubt many people were running searches through Google or Bing for this. It would be like taking an add out in the paper or posting on craigslist with your number. I'm sure websites are spread by word of mouth and come to only a login page for a search spider to find or are peer to peer shares.

Ciaran_McG

DevilWAH wrote: »

BBC News - Google and Microsoft agree measures to block abuse images

On the one hand I find my self in complete agreement with the measures being taken by Microsoft and Google to protect against child abuse.

But there is still a bit of my the worries about the whole opened and free ideal of the internet. Sadly however I think for all the positives on the internet there are a lot of negatives and I don't see any better way of dealing with them than these big companies using some common sense and being open in what they are doing.

I just hope over time the positive action taken here, does not slowly creep until we lose all the freedom and openness.

I feel the same, With the internet having all the great points (and negative). I still don't like the thought of the internet being "policed" - Not for the reason of abuse images being blocked but what the policing will continue into..

Why aren't the resources of blocking the images put into catching the people searching them up.

Some sort of report send to ISPs to identify users continually searching abuse images?

DevilWAH

I think you miss understand me, I agree in this case its a positive step. But this was something that a year ago Google promised that it would never do (block searches). However due to political pressure in this case rightly so, they have back peddled a bit. I am much more concerned that it could open the flood gates.

What if pressure it put on them to stop people searching for other illegal activities, or prevent people searching for common malicious tools. I know in reality that only a short time after its birth the web was never truly free. But now governments are slowly digging there claws in from multiply angles.

I also think you are incorrect saying its just feel good fluff. Most people what ever they do don't go from knowing nothing to jumping in at the deep end. hey work there way in to it. Take this sight for instance, it a pretty niche site, yes there are many of us suing it but as a % of all internet traffic it is tiny. and its not the first site you hit after typing "IT sites", you need to build up and most people will have gone around many other smaller sites before coming to this one.

With ileagel sites its even more so, yes its word of mouth, but that word of mouth has to come from somewhere, so there will be a path people follow and some of this at least will be on the web. So if you cut of some of the major bridges, less people will find the way to the peer to peer, and chat forums. It may not help stright away, but maybe down the line it may casue some reduction and thats not ever a bad thing in cases like this.

SephStorm

Is it rightfully so? I want to catch the people looking for this stuff, so they are punished for having accessed it. If you block the images/search, then they will find some other way to get their fix, unfortunately possibly by going for the real thing. I don't see this doing anything positive.

CCNTrainee

I think I like the fact better when the three letter organizations would pop flags for what you searched. I'm sure no matter what, there will always be records of our searches regardless, and this would be an easier way to catch said people in the act. No matter, it won't be long till we go to a much more controlled public Internet.

blargoe

They might just be trying to avoid future litigation by making a public "best effort" to not be a tool to be used by these predators. Regardless, it's a good move.

Akaricloud

Honestly I'm against this decision based on principal. Google and Microsoft are now limiting what you can and cannot search for. While I think this time around most of us would agree, what if it had been something you search for? Would you have the same reaction if their move was to block all searches for torrents?

I'm not for child abuse in any way but Google and Microsoft should not be policing the internet in my opinion.