The government has unveiled a new scheme that encourages web users to report potential terror-related websites.


People can report websites on by filling out a web-based form. The form includes categories to describe the content of the site, such as 'terrorist training material' or 'hate crimes'.

Content deemed illegal in UK includes videos of beheadings, messages that encourage racial or terrorist violence and chat forums revolving around hate crimes, according to information on



But it begs the question of how, for example, chemistry textbooks published by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology - which have information on poison and explosives - could be viewed, said Wendy M Grossman, a member of the Open Rights Group advisory council and a freelance technology writer.

"I suppose the key is 'intended to be useful to terrorists', and what they're trying to get at is networks of terrorists who educate each other and their recruits," Grossman said.

"Bottom line is I don't believe this effort is going to make us any safer, though it may well turn up a few idiots who get prosecuted for, basically, saying stupid things."


If the site is hosted in the UK, police would ask the hosting provider to take the site offline. If a site is hosted overseas, then police would engage private industry and other law enforcement agencies, she said.

The reporting website is a sensible idea, but it's unlikely that many people will know it even exists if they come across the type of material the government aims to stop, said Struan Robertson, a technology lawyer at Pinsent Masons.

"I don't think the police anticipate a huge number of submissions," Robertson said.

In October 2007, British police arrested a 17-year-old for possessing a copy of the 'The Anarchist Cookbook', a 1970s-era book featuring instructions on homemade bomb-making and other destructive tips.


One of the counts was for possessing 'The Anarchist Cookbook', which is still sold today on Amazon.

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See also: EU seeks to change Skype wiretapping laws