The government issued a response to a comprehensive report on the safety of the internet issued in August, which compared the web to the wild west.

In its response, the government said that it did not agree with the picture painted of the internet by the committee.

"We would refute the suggestion that the public has lost confidence in the internet and that lawlessness is rife," the Secretary of State for the Home Department said.

Members of the Science and Technology Select Committee were clearly furious about the government's reaction, saying it was burying its "head in the sand".

Committee member the Earl of Erroll said: "The reply just says that the Government 'do not see that there is a need' for this. If you have no idea of the scale of the problem, how can you design solutions?"

"The Government's response is a huge disappointment. The Government dismissed every recommendation out of hand, and their approach seems to solely consist of putting their head in the sand."

Among the recommendations rejected by the government was creating a kitemark that could be used to help consumers know which internet services were secure.

The government said that it could "see no need to commit to a regulatory underpinning... it would be unwise to propose regulatory change before any revised requirement to meet European legislation has been clarified."

www.parliament.uk

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