Letter: Dangers on the Net

Sir: Mark Pawelek (letter, 11 September) wrongly describes me as a "censor". I am not.

The Internet Watch Foundation does play a part in getting material which is plainly illegal removed from UK servers, but surely Mr Pawelek has no objection to that? I do also favour giving parents, teachers, employers and children themselves, the knowledge and the power to determine what sort of material might come into their home, office or classroom. That does not make me "pro-censorship". It makes me "pro-choice". You will never stop people publishing whatever they like on the Internet, but you ought to be able to intervene to protect yourself and your loved ones from unwanted intrusions. The sorts of tools we have at our disposal now to do this are woefully inadequate and IWF is working to improve them.

Mr Pawelek tells us there are only a "few idiots" who abuse the system. I wonder if Mr Pawelek would feel quite so charitable towards the "idiots" if one of his children became the victim of a paedophile whom he or she first met on the Internet.

JOHN CARR

London N19