LONDON — U.K. Home Secretary Sajid Javid on Monday warned tech companies the government “won’t be afraid to take action” in online legislation if they fail to make progress on child exploitation.
In a speech at the child protection charity the NSPCC, Javid said tech companies must block child sexual exploitation material on their platforms, stop child grooming taking place on their platforms, and work to shut down live streams and to act more transparently.
“If the web giants do not take more measures to remove this type of content from their platforms, then I won’t be afraid to take action. How far we legislate will be informed by the action and attitude that the industry takes.”
Javid also pledged an extra £21.5 million investment in law enforcement resources over the next 18 months.
The home secretary was speaking after “Five Eyes” ministers from Australia, Canada, the U.S. and New Zealand met this weekend and agreed to work together to stop the spread of illicit content. Its next meeting in London next year will focus on tackling the threat.
The U.K. government will create a new international network of government advisers who will be stationed around the world to help coordinate and drive action to tackle child sexual abuse in different regions.