Internet watchdog denies government figures

NEWS The UK government's Internet watchdog has hit back at a study that says only six per cent of UK citizens are aware it exists. The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) is responsible for monitoring the Web to catch illegal material. Last week a government review - carried out by KPMG and Denton Hall - criticised the body, saying it had not done enough to raise its profile. But David Kerr, chairman of the IWF, said the study was skewed because most of the people surveyed had no exposure to the Internet. "We established that 1,000 people were surveyed but only eight per cent of those actually used the Web, so of course those who didn't use the Net wouldn't have heard of us," he claimed. "However, when the authors interviewed Web users, 20 per cent were aware of our presence - but this wasn't included in the review. It's still not a large number but it's a better starting point than 6 per cent," he concluded.