Mozilla Firefox browser attacked by GCHQ over plans that would create 'Yellow Pages' of child porn

GCHQ's headquarters in Cheltenham
GCHQ's headquarters in Cheltenham Credit: PA

The world's second largest web browser has been attacked by GCHQ over plans that would create a 'Yellow Pages' of child porn.

The spy agency has described demands by Mozilla as “completely unacceptable” after the company 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 have to publish its “block list”.

Mozilla responded saying that the concerns were "misplaced" and that the current system of blocking websites did "more harm than good". 

Speaking at a recent conference, a spokesman the National Cyber Security Centre, an arm of GCHQ, said: "That is something that we feel is completely unacceptable when it comes to abusive content online.

“It may make sense in the context of other countries’ censorship, but it is unacceptable for child abuse websites to be listed online."

Most website blocking in the UK is currently carried out by British-based internet service providers (ISPs) such as BT and Sky, who connect users with the websites they visit.

However, tech giants such as Google and Mozilla are planning to change their browsers so they take users directly to websites.

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

Fred Langford, the deputy CEO of the IWF, said this would force the charity to break the law and “completely undermine” its 15 years 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.

“Equally, it is illegal to distribute child sexual abuse material and that includes pointing people to where they might find it. It would be like the Yellow Pages of child sexual abuse material.”

The plans were also criticised by the Internet Service Providers' Association (ISPA), which represents companies such as Sky and Virgin. 

Till Sommer, Head of Policy at ISPA, said: “The idea of ISPs publishing a list of all of the IWF’s blocked websites - which include child sexual abuse content - is as ridiculous as it is terrifying.

“UK ISPs have been active supporters of the IWF and it would therefore be completely unacceptable for ISPs to publish these appalling sites that are on the IWF blocklist.”  

 

Mozilla said that encrypted browsers, the technical name for which is DNS over HTTPs (DoH) were available for UK users to sought them but the company had “no current plans” to make them default.  

A spokesman for Mozilla, whose Firefox software is the second most popular desktop browser in the world, said: “While Mozilla does not have plans to turn DoH on in the UK, we believe that DoH is a potential solution to very real security problems on the internet today, and that the concerns expressed about DoH’s impact on content filtering are misplaced.

“DNS-based blocking does more harm than good. It has been shown to accidentally block legitimate content, such as charity websites, and online resources for counseling, mental health, and domestic violence and sexual abuse support.

“That same filtering can also be easily circumvented by bad actors. As a result, DNS-based filtering punishes average citizens wishing to access legitimate content, yet is not effective at preventing access to malicious content that Mozilla believes is too prevalent on the web today.”

GCHQ's comments come as concern is growing over the impact encrypted browsers could have on the Government’s plans to make children safer online.

The Telegraph has seen a letter sent by Labour’s deputy leader Tom Watson yesterday to the Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright saying such browsers “threaten to unravel the Government’s plans to protect the public from online harms”.

He added: “The Government have been slow to wake up to the threat (of encrypted browsers). I am deeply troubled that is further evidence that tech giants continue to see themselves as above the law.”

Earlier this year, the Government published up a white paper proposing to impose a legal duty of care on tech giants to keep users safe, threatening to block websites in the UK who failed to do so.

The white paper envisioned the blocking sanction being carried by the UK internet providers who will be cut out of the process by encrypted browsers.

A Government spokesman said: “We are concerned about any unintended consequences these changes could have and are working closely with industry and regulators to identify and seek solutions to any potential problems."

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