IWF cracks down on illegal porn at work

'Shocking' results of survey

By Tim Richardson • Get more from this author

Posted in IT Director, 11th May 2005 12:45 GMT

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The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) has launched a campaign to crackdown on child porn in the workplace. It claims that many IT managers are unsure about what to do if they found illegal material on their servers and wants to raise awareness about to do.

A survey of 200 IT managers found that three quarters of those quizzed would not report employees caught downloading indecent images of children to the police, while four in ten companies surveyed would not even discipline or dismiss an employee caught up to no good.

However, the research reveals that this inaction is down to many IT managers either being uninformed or unaware of the correct procedure to deal with illegal images.

Which explains why the IWF is backing the "Wipe it Out" campaign, designed to raise awareness amongst IT, HR, Legal & Regulatory managers about the change in legislation.

Even so, the IWF remains concerned at the lack of awareness.

"These results are shocking," said IWF chief exec Peter Robbins, "the workplace is where a majority of people have access to the internet.

"It is essential that employees that monitor companies' networks are aware of what guidelines they should take if they come across a potentially illegal image.

Further details can be found at the IWF web site here.