ABSTRACT
Until the 1990s there were no restrictions on Internet usage or content. This chapter analyses the policing of the Internet within the UK in the light of developments within the European Union. The UK government is committed to the development of the Internet and electronic commerce and also committed to providing wider access to the Internet within the UK. The Internet boom in the early 1990s, the government, quasi regulators and the law enforcement bodies started to worry about the emergence of cyber-crimes and forms of Internet content that may be illegal and/or harmful. Therefore, there are two major political concerns for the government. These are the regulation of Internet content, and the emergence of cybercrimes. The UK government favours self-regulatory solutions for Internet content regulation rather than the introduction of any specific legislation (unlike the US government) in relation to Internet content.
