Asked by: Maria Miller (Conservative - Basingstoke)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department has issued to mobile telephone companies on their legal obligations in respect of the sending and storing of nude and sexually explicit images of people under the age of 18 by their customers.
Answered by Mike Penning
Government cannot offer legal advice to telecommunication companies, it is for the companies to satisfy themselves that any action they take with regard to their customers and services is lawful.
However the Government is committed to improving the safety of children and has a strong track-record in working with the industry to drive progress. The UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) is a multi-stakeholder forum which
brings together government, industry, law enforcement, academia, charities and parenting groups to work in partnership to help to keep children and young people safe online. It develops and promotes effective tools and information for children, parents and industry.
Asked by: Maria Miller (Conservative - Basingstoke)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department issues to assist police officers handling allegations of sexting in cases where the perpetrator is under the age of 18.
Answered by Baroness Featherstone
The Department does not hold information on the number of cases of indecent images of children either self-taken, or possessed, by an under-18 reported to the police or referred to the Crown Prosecution Service.
I should also be clear that the Department is not able to intercept private communications between mobile phones and other devices to remove self-taken indecent images of children.
The police are operationally independent and it is not for the Home Office to direct officers how to do their job. The Child Protection and Abuse
Investigation Business Area Lead for the police has produced guidance on dealing with young people who share self-taken indecent images, and this is available to all officers.
We have a responsibility to educate young people to use technology safely and strongly discourage them from sharing self-taken indecent photographs. The Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Command of the National Crime Agency has developed a specific educational resource to tackle ‘sexting’, which is designed for use by teachers. In addition, in December 2013 the Government launched the latest ‘This is Abuse’ campaign, which includes messages about the issue of ‘sexting’ as part of radio, online and social media advertising.
Asked by: Maria Miller (Conservative - Basingstoke)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department can take to remove illegal sexting images sent through mobile telephones and other electronic devices; and how many such images have been so removed in each of the last five years.
Answered by Baroness Featherstone
The Department does not hold information on the number of cases of indecent images of children either self-taken, or possessed, by an under-18 reported to the police or referred to the Crown Prosecution Service.
I should also be clear that the Department is not able to intercept private communications between mobile phones and other devices to remove self-taken indecent images of children.
The police are operationally independent and it is not for the Home Office to direct officers how to do their job. The Child Protection and Abuse
Investigation Business Area Lead for the police has produced guidance on dealing with young people who share self-taken indecent images, and this is available to all officers.
We have a responsibility to educate young people to use technology safely and strongly discourage them from sharing self-taken indecent photographs. The Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Command of the National Crime Agency has developed a specific educational resource to tackle ‘sexting’, which is designed for use by teachers. In addition, in December 2013 the Government launched the latest ‘This is Abuse’ campaign, which includes messages about the issue of ‘sexting’ as part of radio, online and social media advertising.
Asked by: Maria Miller (Conservative - Basingstoke)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many allegations of sexting, in cases where images of people under the age of 18 have been taken and or stored by other under the age of 18 have been reported to the police in each police authority area in each of the last five years; and how many such cases were referred to the Crown Prosecution Service for a prosecution decision.
Answered by Baroness Featherstone
The Department does not hold information on the number of cases of indecent images of children either self-taken, or possessed, by an under-18 reported to the police or referred to the Crown Prosecution Service.
I should also be clear that the Department is not able to intercept private communications between mobile phones and other devices to remove self-taken indecent images of children.
The police are operationally independent and it is not for the Home Office to direct officers how to do their job. The Child Protection and Abuse
Investigation Business Area Lead for the police has produced guidance on dealing with young people who share self-taken indecent images, and this is available to all officers.
We have a responsibility to educate young people to use technology safely and strongly discourage them from sharing self-taken indecent photographs. The Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Command of the National Crime Agency has developed a specific educational resource to tackle ‘sexting’, which is designed for use by teachers. In addition, in December 2013 the Government launched the latest ‘This is Abuse’ campaign, which includes messages about the issue of ‘sexting’ as part of radio, online and social media advertising.