Hitchin MP leads MPs to call on Ofcom to use their powers to stop online grooming

PRESS RELEASE FROM ALISTAIR STRATHERN MP

WEDNESDAY 17^th DECEMBER

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Local Member of Parliament, Alistair Strathern, has brought 50 Labour MPs together to demand Ofcom do more to fight child sexual abuse online.

The Hitchin MP’s letter to Ofcom Chief Executive, Dame Melanie Dawes calls on her to do everything in her power to stop grooming and the sharing of child sexual abuse material online.

Perpetrators of child sexual abuse often use private messaging platforms to share images and communicate with children, as weaker safeguards make it easier to avoid detection. In recent years, more digital messaging platforms – including those popular with children – have adopted end-to-end encryption and are no longer actively moderating content shared on their platforms. This makes it harder to detect illegal content.

MPs have pressed Ofcom to use their powers under Section 121 of the Online Safety Act, which empowers the regulator to require the use of proactive moderation, including on private messaging platforms, to prevent harms against children.

With few platforms currently taking this approach, children’s charities have reported worrying increases in the scale of child sexual abuse online. NSPCC data shows 93% increase in cases in the last five years, while the Internet Watch Foundation recorded a record high level of child sexual abuse material online last year.

The Online Safety Act is being implemented through a phased approach, and the Children’s Safety Code came into force in June this year. Earlier this month, Secretary of State, Liz Kendall wrote to Dame Melanie Dawes expressing disappointment in the slow implementation of other duties in the Online Safety Act, related to tackling hate speech online.

Alistair Strathern, MP for Hitchin who convened the letter said:

“Ofcom must go further and faster in implementing the Online Safety Act and must use every power parliament has given them to hold big tech companies to account.

“It is not right that six months on from the implementation of the Children’s Code, predators are still able to take advantage of less well moderated parts of the web commit heinous crimes against children.

“It is clear that there are technically viable tools for platforms to do far more to proactively screen for vile child sexual abuse material on their services. Ofcom must use the powers Parliament has given them to ensure these firms do far better.”

Notes to Editors

The 50 Members of Parliament who have signed the letter are:

• Alistair Strathern – Member of Parliament for Hitchin

• Alice Macdonald – Member of Parliament for Norwich North

• Alison Hume – Member of Parliament for Scarborough and Whitby

• Andrew Pakes – Member of Parliament for Peterborough

• Antonia Bance – Member of Parliament for Tipton and Wednesbury

• Ben Coleman – Member of Parliament for Chelsea and Fulham

• Chris Webb – Member of Parliament for Blackpool South

• Connor Naismith – Member of Parliament for Crewe and Nantwich

• Dan Aldridge – Member of Parliament for Weston-super-Mare

• Gill German – Member of Parliament for Clwyd North

• Helena Dollimore – Member of Parliament for Hastings and Rye

• Irene Campbell – Member of Parliament for North Ayrshire and Arran

• Jess Asato – Member of Parliament for Lowestoft

• Jim Dickson – Member of Parliament for Dartford

• Jo Platt – Member of Parliament for Leigh and Atherton

• Jonathan Brash – Member of Parliament for Hartlepool

• Johanna Baxter – Member of Parliament for Paisley and Renfrewshire

• John McDonnell– Member of Parliament for Hayes and Harlington

• John Whitby – Member of Parliament for Derbyshire Dales

• Kim Johnson – Member of Parliament for Liverpool Riverside

• Laura Kyrke-Smith – Member of Parliament for Aylesbury

• Lee Barron – Member of Parliament for Corby and East Northamptonshire

• Lillian Jones – Member of Parliament for Kilmarnock and Loudoun

• Lola McEvoy – Member of Parliament for Darlington

• Luke Murphy – Member of Parliament for Basingstoke

• Marie Rimmer – Member of Parliament for St. Helens South and Whiston

• Mary Glindon – Member of Parliament for Tyne East and Wallsend

• Matt Bishop – Member of Parliament for the Forest of Dean

• Michael Wheeler – Member of Parliament for Worsley and Eccles

• Mohammad Yasin – Member of Parliament for Bedford and Kempston

• Oliver Ryan – Member of Parliament for Burnley

• Patricia Ferguson – Member of Parliament for Glasgow West

• Paul Foster – Member of Parliament for South Ribble

• Paula Barker – Member of Parliament for Liverpool Wavertree

• Perran Moon – Member of Parliament for Camborne and Redruth

• Peter Lamb – Member of Parliament for Crawley

• Rachel Blake – Member of Parliament for Cities of London and Westminster

• Richard Quigley – Member of Parliament for the Isle of Wight West

• Sadik Al-Hassan – Member of Parliament for North Somerset

• Sarah Champion – Member of Parliament for Rotherham

• Sarah Hall – Member of Parliament for Warrington South

• Sarah Russell – Member of Parliament for Congleton

• Sean Woodcock – Member of Parliament for Banbury

• Simon Opher – Member of Parliament for Stroud

• Sojan Joseph – Member of Parliament for Ashford

• Sureena Brackenridge – Member of Parliament for Wolverhampton North East

• Uma Kumaran – Member of Parliament for Stratford and Bow

• Valerie Vaz – Member of Parliament for Walsall and Bloxwich

• Will Stone – Member of Parliament for Swindon North