US calls for online porn restrictions

Legislation proposes fines of $150,000 for service providers which knowingly fail to report child pornography on their networks

The US government is seeking to adopt new legislation that will increase fines for providers who knowingly fail to report child pornography on their networks.

The new law also seeks to make it more difficult to inadvertently stumble on pornographic images while surfing the web.

"Sadly, the internet age has created a vicious cycle in which child pornography continually becomes more widespread, more graphic, and more sadistic, using younger and younger children," said US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales in a speech at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. 

The new legislation proposes fines of $150,000 for service providers which knowingly fail to report child pornography on their networks, and a $300,000 fine for each additional violation.

It also seeks to force porn sites to present visitors with a welcome page devoid of any sexually explicit images to prevent unwanted exposure.

Gonzales said that he will engage with service providers to persuade them to retain log files and allow them to be used in investigations and as evidence in child pornography cases.

But the attorney general admitted that such a request could be at odds with privacy rights.

The two new proposals will be added as an amendment to the Children's Safety and Violent Crime Reduction Act which is currently awaiting approval by the Senate.