Tech giants agree to child abuse code

INTERNET giants have signed up to a ground-breaking blueprint to tackle child abuse on their sites.

Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft, Google and other major tech firms have caved in to the British government by pledging to do more to keep youngsters safe online.

It is a huge coup for Home Secretary Priti Patel as Silicon Valley has dragged its feet on action.

But ministers warned there was still a lot more to do to protect children from sexual predators who can access depraved material with just a few clicks.

Unveiled last night, the voluntary guidelines were drafted by Britain, the US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

The code includes measures to stop existing and new photos and films appearing online – and removing them or preventing their upload in the first place. The tech firms will also be expected to block live streaming of abuse on secret web channels.

They agreed to work towards identifying offenders to police and promised to develop technology to stay ahead of the abusers.

If the firms fail to tackle the problem, ministers have warned they could legislate. Miss Patel said: ‘This scandal requires our global partners to work together, and these principles provide a blueprint for delivering just that.’

The number of child abuse prosecutions dropped by a fifth in the year to March 2019 – from 11,000 to 8,814. The Office for National Statistics did not explain the decline, but it may be due to cases falling after a surge in historic claims after the Jimmy Savile scandal.