The Act New section 66H of the 1998 Act: Interpretation Part 5: Criminal Law Section 68 and Schedule 14: Special rules relating to providers of information society services
477.Section 68 and Schedule 14 are intended to ensure that the provisions outlined above which make illegal the possession of extreme pornographic material are consistent with the UK’s obligations under the EU E-Commerce Directive.
478.Schedule 14 ensures that providers of information society services who are established in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are covered by the new offence even when they are operating in other European Economic Area states. Paragraphs 3 to 5 of the Schedule provide exemptions for internet service providers from the offence of possession of extreme pornographic material in limited circumstances, such as where they are acting as mere conduits for such material or are storing it as caches or hosts.