Demon vs Observer: CIS says ISPs aren't publishers

CompuServe has given implicit support to Demon Internet, criticising the way that Internet Service Providers (ISP) are being treated as publishers and therefore responsible for the data carried over their networks. UK ISP Demon has been the subject of articles in The Observer, claiming it has knowingly been trafficking child pornography.

"We haven't received a letter from Scotland Yard yet [but] we would support [access restriction] as long as it's technically feasible," said Pauline Blakemore, UK PR manager. "They have made an assumption that [ISPs] are publishers and that's not quite how we feel. There are some areas that need to be clarified. We believe fully in self-regulation and users browsing based on their own individual set of values."

A spokeswoman for The Observer last night said the newspaper a has not yet received a writ threatened by Demon in a letter published on the Web.