Satirical website escapes closure

Satirical website thinkofthechildren.co.uk today claimed victory in a battle against the obscene publications unit of the Metropolitan police, which had previously forced the site's closure, despite the lack of a court order.

The site, run by "concerned parent" Paul Carr, sends up the large mobs that previously attacked known paedophiles, those who had a passing resemblance to known paedophiles, and even paediatricians after the News of the World printed the names and photographs of child sex offenders.

The site reads: "If you think you may have identified a child killer, paedophile or liberal do-gooder living in your area, your first course of action should be to notify your local vigilante group who will arrange a mob to deal with the perceived threat."

According to a fax reproduced on Mr Carr's site, the police contacted his internet service provider, Host Europe, on September 23 requesting that the site be removed. The fax stated that a member of the public had complained, and the police believed the site "could be interpreted as inciting violence".

After a review by its legal team determined the company could be held criminally liable, Host Europe shut down the site. Mr Carr wrote to police, asking them to prosecute him for an offence if one had been committed, but not to use informal pressure to stifle a legal, satiric site.

Mr Carr has now received an assurance that Host Europe will continue to host Think of the Children as long as the content does not break UK law.

"I fought the law and the law ... realised it was facing a huge backlash from the internet community and backed down," Mr Carr wrote on his site today.

However, Host Europe claimed the site was only restored after Mr Carr amended the site, and insisted the company would do the same again if confronted with a site "whose content contravened UK law".

The section in question, an online petition that included what Host Europe termed "unsavoury" comments from members of the public, has been removed. The section now reads: "The Think of the Children petition has been deleted from PetitionOnline.com. We hope to get it back online soon."

The case underlines the problems facing site editors and ISPs in the wake of the 1999 Godfrey v Demon Internet case, which determined that ISPs are liable for the content of all sites they host. Some ISPs have been quick to take down controversial sites after a mere accusation of libel or unlawfulness, rather than waiting for a potentially expensive lawsuit.