§ Mr. FrenchTo ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will commission a report on the technical and practical considerations of applying the V-chip to the Internet. [22141]
§ Mr. Ian TaylorMy Department is contributing to the study of the V-chip for television being conducted by the department of National Heritage. For the Internet, it is unlikely that the application of a V-chip will be feasible in a complex global network. Legislation is not an ideal means of regulating content on the Internet, which is of increasing importance in business, education and leisure. Voluntary action on the part of network service companies, coupled with personal responsibility and the use of software tools designed to enable the subscriber to limit the range of material available, would seem to be more appropriate than imposing a particular rigid technological solution. Indeed, recent attempts by other Governments to restrict the Internet have demonstrated the difficulties with imposed regulation. I am very keen that the service providers agree, as soon as possible, a voluntary code of conduct to allay public concerns. I made this clear in a speech on 22 March 1996, in which I set out my Department's attitude to the Internet generally. A copy has been placed in the Library of the House.