June 29, 2003
Paedophiles set picture phone trap
The UK Home Office warns of 'horrifying implications' as paedophiles are using the latest mobile phone technology to target schoolchildren, according to an article in The Guardian.
"In Japan, where use of the new phones is widespread, the incidence of child abuse has rocketed, with more than 90 per cent of cases involving an initial contact made by the child from their phone".
According to Rachel O'Connell, a member of a Home Office task force, working on internet protection and legislation against 'grooming' - the cultivating of internet relationships with children to lure them into sexual activity - "these phones are altering how paedophiles gain access to children and how they groom, blackmail and coerce them into doing terrible things".
There have been some other articles in Picturephoning on this issue. See Hardcore Child Porn Peddled by Camera Phones, where picture messaging phones with images of children being abused were found by the police in a raid in Central Scotland. And a company which might have the answer in Mobile technology company launches «Content Guardian», describing the launch of a product designed to protect mobile phone users from unsolicited and pornographic content.
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