Wikipedia child image censored

Wikipedia child image censored
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7770456.stm

A decision by a number of UK internet providers to block a Wikipedia page showing an image of a naked girl has angered users of the popular site.

The blocked page of the online encyclopedia shows an album cover of German heavy metal band Scorpions, released in 1976. Internet providers acted after online watchdog the Internet Watch Foundation warned them its picture may be illegal. The IWF said it was a "potentially illegal child sexual abuse image". Some volunteers who run Wikipedia said it was not for the foundation to censor one of the web's most popular sites. They also argued that the image was available in a number of books and had never been ruled illegal.

But the IWF, which warns internet providers about possible images that could be linked to child abuse, said it had consulted the police before making its decision. The foundation's list of proscribed sites is widely used by British internet service providers to filter out images showing child abuse and other illegal content.

As a result, the addition of the Scorpions Wikipedia page has made it inaccessible to the majority of British internet users. Wikipedia volunteer David Gerard said he and fellow users were angry that as well as the photo, the text on the page had been blocked.

Susan Robertson, of the IWF, said the image could potentially contravene the Protection of Children Act 1978. Ms Robertson also said the IWF needed to "take a view" on the images available on Amazon with its "analyst team and police partners".