Watchdog claims Facebook failing to report suspected paedophiles

FACEBOOK has not passed a single complaint about suspected paedophiles grooming vulnerable child users to police in Britain, it was claimed yesterday.

Jim Gamble, who heads Britain’s response to safeguarding youngsters online, said he has “real concerns” about the internet giant’s work to protect children.

He challenged the company to reveal the evidence that its staff are working to disrupt devious criminals and bullies who lurk online.

Gamble said investigators received 252 complaints about sexual grooming, bullying and hacking from Facebook users in the first three months of this year.

But the former National Crime Squad deputy director said none of these were provided by the company itself and some were passed through rival services.

His comments were the latest salvo in an increasingly bitter feud over Facebook’s refusal to add a “panic” button to its pages.

The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP), wants the button, which enables users to report abuse, to be given prominent use.

Gamble, who leads CEOP, is heading to a crunch meeting with Facebook bosses in Washington DC on Monday where he will call for them to break the deadlock.

Yesterday he said it is a “real concern” that Facebook is not passing information to police.

“Facebook say their system is robust and we have no reason not to believe them. Our reports are increasing month on month.

“In the first quarter of this year we have had 252 complaints about Facebook. None of these complaints came direct from Facebook.

“If their system is so robust and they are receiving so many reports and concerns from young people, then where are they?”

Gamble said the number of reports linked to Facebook is soaring, with the latest number of complaints almost equalling the 297 received in 2009.

He said the internet company is good at removing pornography and other obscene content, as it is required to do so by US law.

“I believe Facebook are confusing their approach to content with their approach to behaviour and that is the root of the problem.

“That is where predators will go online, engage the young and vulnerable, and lure them offline where they can abuse them. In many cases we are also seeing young people in the online environment being bullied to the point of suicide.”

CEOP officials get up to 800 reports a month from internet users who suspect others of grooming, bullying, fraud and other crimes.