University News Last updated 13 January 2012
Twitter's child protection policies are lagging behind other major social-networking sites according to the organisation set up to tackle the sexual exploitation of children in the UK. The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (Ceop) has called on Twitter to do more to address the issue following concerns that some paedophiles are using the site to discuss abuse and link to images of child pornography.
Twitter insists safety is a high priority for the company but it has been criticised by a former detective for taking too long to remove accounts.
Mark Williams-Thomas, claims some users have still been active on the site days or even weeks after they have been reported to the firm. ''There is always going to be a problem with social networking sites, because where there is an opportunity offenders will seek that out," says Mr Williams-Thomas.
"Clearly what Twitter needs to do is to take responsibility for its users. And when they identify there is somebody promoting child abuse material, swapping it or even discussing it the site must come down straight away."
In a statement Twitter insisted they dealt with complaints as quickly and thoroughly as possible.
"When we receive a report and identify it as valid, we take action immediately," said Del Harvey, Twitter's Director of Trust and Safety.
"Accounts being reported may be the subject of law enforcement investigations. In those instances, while the profiles are certainly disturbing, removing them immediately can actually harm the cases that law enforcement may be attempting to build."
The company says it plans within the next few months to have a team working twenty four hours a day in order to investigate complaints.
Facebook and Bebo have both worked with Ceop to introduce so-called panic buttons, allowing users to report their concerns by simply clicking a single link. However Twitter users need to search the site for an e-mail address to report accounts that are causing concern.
"They are a little bit behind some other sites that have been around a little bit longer," says Peter Davies the Chief Executive of Ceop. "These people who have an unhealthy interest in child abuse images occupy a lot of different space on the internet – while they are allowed to be in that space. I think that's got to be wrong."
There are also fears that some paedophiles have attempted to contact young teenagers through their Twitter accounts. Ceop says that issue of on-line grooming in an industry-wide problem. Five years ago when he was 13 'Jake ' came out as gay. He published that information on his page on the Bebo website. He was then contacted by several older men, some of whom started sexual conversations with him.
'Jake' - which is not his real name - was also persuaded to send naked pictures of himself.
"There was a plan for me to meet one of these people... and then go back to his hotel room," he says. "I was three days away from meeting that person when my mum caught me. "I was 14. He said he was about 29, but the police told me he was at least 10 to 15 years older."
He has warned other teenagers not to reveal details of themselves to other users. “They knew virtually everything about my life, bar my exact address – my entire life was just turned upside down.”
Twitter relies on users to report accounts that breach its policies on child protection but Mark Williams-Thomas believes that is a problem when privacy settings allow account-holders to hide their conversations from everyone but their followers.
“Clearly you can communicate whatever you want within a protected profile,” he says.
However Twitter says it works with police and organisations like the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in the US to ensure users acting illegally are prosecuted.
Anyone with concerns about a Twitter user should send details of the account to 'cp@twitter.com'