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Online Service Providers Work to Stop Child Pornography

Online security and proper internet usage is top priority for many internet users that are constantly searching for safer ways to use the internet. Five of the major online service providers decided to tackle the issue of child-pornography and to provide their customers with a cleaner and safer online environment. The companies pledged $1 million to set up a technology coalition as part of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The chief executive of the missing children`s center, Ernie Allen, addressed the issue and said that currently there are many applications that protect users from threats such as viruses and e-mail "phishing" scams, and that it`s time to handle to other malicious aspects of the internet. "There`s nothing more insidious and inappropriate" than child pornography, he said.

Online service providers that joined the initiative are Time Warner Inc.`s AOL, Yahoo Inc. Microsoft Corp., EarthLink Inc., and United Online Inc., the company behind NetZero and Juno. The companies will build a database of child-pornography images that will assist in tracking down sites and operators that distribute such content. The announcement of the joint effort comes after U.S authorities called service providers to find a solution to the problem.