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SCMP Reporter

PORNOGRAPHIC pictures are still available on Hong Kong Supernet . . . despite claims by the company that it swept such material from the system.

  Hong Kong Supernet, the largest of the territory's companies giving access to the global Internet computer system, vowed to clear all pornographic files on January 30. But the Sunday Morning Post was last week able to download pictures of bestiality and explicit shots of naked young girls.

   Other files were entitled Woman With Hamster, Woman With Mare, Tasteless, Young Girls Nude and Supermodel Nude.

 Supernet announced a review of its operations in January following 'recent questionable business practices by our unlicensed competitors'.

 Last week, Supernet spokesman Forest Ng Fo denied the company had backed out of its pledge.

 'We have deleted all the pornographic files but users can still access files which have been posted by international users. There is no way we can disable the entire system,' he said.

 'More than 100,000 articles are put on the Internet every day and the only way to wipe out the pornography is if you scan every article. We don't have the manpower to do that.'  Computer Society spokesman Sam Lin agreed it was impossible to censor all pornography on Supernet. 'The volume of information is so vast and there is only so much control you can impose on the pornography,' he said.

 However, he added: 'Supernet said it would purge the pornography out of its system but they haven't been able to live up to the promise.

 'Supernet can erase its pornographic files but then they realise that people will just go to another provider and then they will lose customers, so it's not really in their best interest.

 'So as long as you have access to Internet you can get pornography.'  Mr Sam believes the Government should introduce legislation to wipe out Internet pornography.

 'Two years ago Internet wasn't widely available and people were buying pornography on CD-ROM off the shelf,' he said. 'It's now got to the stage where it's difficult to stop.'  Nevertheless, some legislators are outraged that nothing has been done.

 'I'm very worried about this, especially because young children can get all the information that adults can get on Internet. There need to be tough controls and the Government has a responsibility to restrict it to people aged over 18 or wipe it out altogether,' said Peggy Lam Pei Yu-dja.

 Anna Wu Hung-yuk said a line had to be drawn between freedom of information and access to obscene material.

 'I think we need to restrict access but we also need the minimum benchmark of decency, especially when minors have access to pornography,' she said.

 'Short of wiping out computer pornography, there needs to be special security measures, so that unless you have a password, you are denied access.

 'The problem is the technology is advancing at such a fast rate, the Government is breathless . . . We can't stop the Internet information but we can designate a minimum standard of decency and have security measures built in.'  In Western Australia recently, a 42-year-old man was found guilty of possessing child pornography which appeared on his screen for a few seconds and police hope the case will act as a warning.

  The man sent money to a Californian address to gain access to a Mexican bulletin board which advertised 'bizarre and extreme' pornography.

 Police searched his home after receiving information that he also had contacted a European bulletin board which supplied child pornography.

 But legislator Emily Lau Wai-hing said police intervention might not be necessary in Hong Kong. 'I'm reluctant to urge tight regulation of Internet until we know exactly how widespread the use of pornography is,' she said.

 'Legislators have already invited industry experts to discuss the issue but I'd be very hesitant about having police chase every person who uses Internet for pornography until we know how serious the problem is.' 



Firm fails to clean out on-line smut