Firefox plan will create a ‘Yellow Pages of child porn’

THE world’s second largest web browser has come under fire from GCHQ over plans that could create a

“Yellow Pages” of child pornography. The spy agency has described demands by Mozilla as “completely unacceptable” after the group said it would only block websites on its popular Firefox browser if the complete list of those sites was made public.

That would mean the UK’S child abuse watchdog, the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), which issues requests to prevent access to indecent sites, would be forced to publish its “block list”.

A spokesman for GCHQ said: “That is completely unacceptable when it comes to abusive content online. It is unacceptable for child abuse websites to be listed online.”

Most website blocking in the UK is carried out by internet service providers such as BT and Sky, who connect users with the websites they visit, but tech giants such as Google and Mozilla are planning to change their browsers so they take users directly to the sites.

Mozilla recently published guidelines for its new encrypted browser that stated any organisation requesting websites to be banned must “maintain public documentation of all domains that are blocked”.

Fred Langford, the deputy chief executive of the IWF, said this would force the charity to break the law and “completely undermine” its 15 years of work blocking abuse sites.

He said: “Our block list contains direct links to child sexual abuse material, so you would effectively be publicising all the places you could find it. It would be like the Yellow Pages of child sexual abuse material.”

Mozilla had not responded to The Daily Telegraph’s request for comment at the time of publication.

Last month it said it had “no immediate plans” to roll out its encrypted browsers outside of the US but said it was looking to bring them to Europe.