Web searches for child abuse images will be blocked for the first time by Google and Microsoft after mounting pressure. New software is to be introduced that will automatically block 100,000 "unambiguous" search terms which lead to illegal content.
Google's head of communications in Europe said there is "more that can be done" to prevent child abuse images being accessed online via search engines.
Asked why it had taken Google so long to tackle the child abuse content available, Peter Barron told ITV News social affairs editor Penny Marshall, "We have been working on this for many years".
"We've taken proactive action to identify this material online and remove it and report it, but there is more that can be done", he continued.
"Over the last few months we've had around about 200 people working on this to find new ways to deal with the problem".
These are dramatic new steps which will make the internet safer and better for children, a leading Internet safety expert writes.
The search engines have stepped up to the plate - their reforms will help remove video child abuse content more quickly and comprehensively.
Former chief of CEOP Jim Gamble said the government must ask whether they are doing enough in the internet safety debate.