BT child abuse site blocker to be used by MPA

Newzbin to be banned
Newzbin to be banned

The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is looking to the courts for an injunction to force BT to use its child abuse site blocking tool against a file-sharing website.

BT's Cleanfeed content blocking system was developed to block abusive content featuring children, using a list of bad sites provided by the Internet Watch Foundation.

It has only been used to stop BT users from accessing the specified abuse-related sites so far.

No to Newzbin

If granted, the injunction will force BT to blacklist Newzbin2, a news group that is known for providing its members with links to illegal film and music downloads.

"BT was chosen because it's the largest and already has the technology in place, through its Cleanfeed system, to block the site," a spokesperson for the MPA said.

"If this case is successful, we would hope that other ISPs would take note of the result."

The new action eerily echoes the secret plans being laid by Culture Minister Ed Vaizey and other copyright holders, which suggest election of an 'expert body' to rule on 'voluntary website blocking' where copyright infringement is suspected.

Meanwhile, BT doesn't have much to say on the matter: "We can confirm that we will be appearing in court, following an application for an injunction by members of the MPA. We have no further comment to make at this stage."

Via TorrentFreak

News Editor (UK)

Former UK News Editor for TechRadar, it was a perpetual challenge among the TechRadar staff to send Kate (Twitter, Google+) a link to something interesting on the internet that she hasn't already seen. As TechRadar's News Editor (UK), she was constantly on the hunt for top news and intriguing stories to feed your gadget lust. Kate now enjoys life as a renowned music critic – her words can be found in the i Paper, Guardian, GQ, Metro, Evening Standard and Time Out, and she's also the author of 'Amy Winehouse', a biography of the soul star.

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