Friday November 15, 2002
The Guardian

The parliamentary computer network is being upgraded with a hi-tech filter to protect MPs and their staff from unsolicited pornographic emails, the leader of the house, Robin Cook, announced. The issue was raised by Labour MP Brian Iddon, who said many MPs had been receiving "unsolicited and highly offensive pornography". 

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/commons/story/0,9061,840186,00.html

House of Commons

Thursday 14 November 2002

Business of the House

Column: 136

Dr. Brian Iddon (Bolton, South-East): My right hon. Friend must be aware by now that many hon. Members have been receiving unsolicited and highly offensive pornography via the parliamentary network. The worst comes via a method called HTML—or hypertext markup language—which means that if that e-mail is accidentally opened, page after page of highly offensive material is displayed on the screen without any mechanism for switching it off. For more than six months now, many hon. Members have tried to stop this through the usual channels, but have failed. Can my right hon. Friend lend a hand and ask the network to purchase the necessary filters that will stop this?

Mr. Cook: I agree entirely with my hon. Friend about the offensiveness of the material. We should remember that this is not simply a matter for Members of the House who may be exposed to the material. It is also a matter for those who work for us, such as secretaries and assistants who may encounter it more frequently, many of whom find it to be highly offensive. I am pleased to say that this matter was discussed at this week's meeting of the Speaker's Panel and I understand that the decision has been taken to acquire the necessary filter mechanism to make sure that hon. Members are protected and that our constituents are protected from the misuse of channels of communication that are there to enable Members to respond to their correspondence and to serve their constituents promptly.