Internet companies are getting better at removing images of child sexual abuse, according to the charity that monitors the problem.
The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) said that the time it took websites and broadband providers to respond to complaints had halved in the past year.
However, it warned that abusers were distributing images more widely in an attempt to avoid detection.
The findings were published in the IWF’s annual report.
In 2010, the charity issued 72 requests for images to be removed from websites.
On average it took an internet service provider (ISP) or web host 12 days to comply, an improvement on the 2009 response time of 30 days.
Blocked sites
When the IWF is unable to have content removed – typically because it is hosted overseas – the site is added to a watch list.
Almost all UK broadband and mobile providers block access sites on the IWF list.
In 2010, the database contained a total of 14,602 web pages, with an average of 59 new sites being added every day.
As fresh entries are are flagged-up, others are removed when their internet links become inactive.
The IWF report also suggests that the way in which sexual abuse images are uploaded may be changing.
During 2010, the number of individual web pages identified as hosting images of child abuse rose by 89%.
However, the charity cautioned against interpreting the sharp increase as an indication that the problem was getting worse.
Whereas in the past it was typical to find huge collections of images stored on single site, now it was more likely that files would be scattered across the internet.
Often, said the IWF, those people supplying the images were using legitimate picture and file sharing services in an attempt to avoid detection.
News Source: BNN