Tens of millions of Church of England dollars invested in Internet Service Providers (ISP) is under threat unless the ISP’s take action to curb internet pornography.
Senior Church of England officials are conducting a wide-ranging review of the church’s holdings, and its Ethical Investment Advisory Group (EIAG) was considering new guidelines on porn, which addresses the ease in which hardcore sexual images can be viewed over the Internet.
The soon to be concluded review will recommend how part of the church’s NZ$10.5 billion portfolio should be invested in relation to Internet companies.
The Church of England ethical investment policy does not allow it to invest in companies that fuel problems against which it campaigns.
The ethical investment policy screens out those companies whose ‘major part’ of their business is engaged in the “production, transmission, publication or distribution of pornography.”
Church officials said that investing today is complex because while its fund might not directly invest in platforms used to publish pornographic material, other businesses in its portfolio could have financial interests.
The church has already issued policies on how it should invest in businesses in areas such as alcohol, cloning and gambling.
Sources
- Telegraph
- Image: The Guardian