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Colleagues
By now you will be aware that Samuel Kinge, a shareholder and director of the company that owns the website Sparklebox.co.uk, was convicted last week for possession of indecent images of children. He was sentenced to a year in jail, will stay on the Sex Offender’s Register for 10 years and will be the subject of a Sexual Offences Protection Order for 15 years – this will prevent him accessing the Internet unless the device he uses is monitored by the Police.
Yorkshire and Humber Grid for Learning (YHGfL), along with many other RBCs and local authorities, blocked the website due to concerns about some elements of interactivity on the site, the fact that the operators of the site do not have CRB clearance and about the downloadable toolbar which had an unidentified payload. It is worth noting that many users who are trying to uninstall the toolbar are facing some significant difficulties in doing so successfully without causing problems to their systems.
YHGfL takes its responsibilities seriously as it provides ISP services for around 250,000 users and eSafety and eSecurity advice and consultancy for its 13 local authority members. We are especially pleased that the coordinated response between the members of the National Education Network, led in this instance by the South West Grid for Learning (SWGfL), provided considered leadership and advice to the many institutions who became aware of the situation.
While the situation regarding the owner of the site appears to have been resolved, YHGfL remains vigilant and will, like all RBCs, seek to develop, maintain and disseminate the highest possible standards of eSafety and eSecurity. Some concerns still remain about SparkleBox and so we will continue to block the site until we are convinced that its use presents no threat to systems or users.
Phil Moore
Chief Executive
Yorkshire and Humber Grid for Learning
The aim of this site is to provide useful information to teachers and technicians in schools and colleges. The site includes a number of documents and Frequently Asked Questions