ISPs and games providers want to crack down on harmful content

The Council of Europe, EuroISPA and the Interactive Software Federation of Europe (ISFE) – the European internet service providers' umbrella organisation – have reached a self-regulation agreement on harmful content. According to the agreement, internet service providers (ISPs) will ensure that parents can get information for themselves and their children about possible dangers on the internet. Online games providers will include tools for parental control, such as filters for limiting playing time. Also, users will be able to report illegal or harmful content.

The guidelines were originally announced in July and have now been made public. Organisations had already begun distributing the guidelines to their members last summer. Next year a discussion will be held to determine how well self-regulation has succeeded and whether additional steps are necessary.

The code (PDF) called upon games developers to watch out for content that could be construed as racist, nationalist, or containing gratuitous violence. A rating scheme for games, according to the Pan-European Game Information (PEGI) System or the PEGI Online Safety Code, for instance, will help users to select games – especially children and young people. Illegal online content on players' web sites will be reported to police before being deleted. To protect the players themselves, the ISFE has pledged to automatically delete content and data left behind during play. Furthermore, integrated advertising will be clearly marked as such.

The multi-part ISP self-regulation agreement (PDF) addresses a controversial topic in the new EU Telecoms Package. Namely, that customers should not only be warned of dangers, risks, and possible tools that they can use to protect themselves, but also about the risk of trying anything criminal themselves. In order to block or limit a customer's quality of access, the police have to be involved. "EuroISPA is convinced that the decisions regarding publication or removal of content should be left up to the internet content providers, the company, or law enforcement agencies. Technicians should not be doing that," said EuroISPA President Michael Rotert.

Other parts of the guidelines pertain to filters for the protection of minors, among other things. These are only to be set with the knowledge of the user and according to user specifications. In a separate part of the self-regulation agreement, providers also promise to continue to protect the privacy of their customers. The providers commit themselves to ensuring confidentiality on their servers, only to pass data to third parties in the event of a legal proceeding, and to inform users of security measures that they can take themselves.

(Monika Ermert)

(lghp)