Internet search results linked to child abuse are to be blocked across the world in a stunning U-turn by Google. The world's biggest media firm has agreed to introduce changes which will prevent depraved images and videos from appearing for more than 100,000 different searches.
The company's chairman Eric Schmidt, writing in today's Daily Mail ahead of a Downing Street summit on internet pornography, says: 'We've listened.
'We've fine-tuned Google Search to prevent links to child sexual abuse material from appearing in our results.' The restrictions, which have been designed to apply in English-speaking countries, will be expanded to cover the rest of the world and 158 other languages in the next six months. Mr Schmidt also reveals that Google has developed breakthrough technology that will allow illegal videos to be 'tagged' so that all duplicate copies can be removed across the internet.
Microsoft, which operates search engines Bing and powers Yahoo, will confirm at the Downing Street talks that it is introducing similar restrictions. The dramatic developments follow the Daily Mail's concerted fight to force the industry to clean up the internet with its Block Online Porn campaign.
Google and Microsoft – who cover 95 per cent of the market initially said blocking search results couldn't be done, that it shouldn't be done. 'They argued that it was against the very principle of the internet and search engines to block material, even if there was no doubt that some of the search terms being used by paedophiles were abhorrent in a modern society.
For the 13,000 terms most clearly linked to child abuse, Google will flash up warnings of illegality and provide links to charities offering help.
Google's new technology, developed by 200 of their IT experts, will put a unique identification mark on illegal child abuse videos, meaning all copies are removed from the web once a single copy is identified. The firm is offering to share the technology, similar to existing 'photo DNA' used for still images, with rivals.
Google spokesman Peter Barron said: 'The sexual abuse of children ruins young lives. It's why we proactively remove these awful images from our services – and report offenders to the authorities. But the Government is right that our industry can do more. So we' ve developed new technology to detect and remove videos of abuse, as well as fine-tuned our search engine to prevent this material from appearing in our results.
'We hope this will make a difference in the fight against the sexual exploitation of kids.'
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