Gardaí to trace porn sources

GARDAÍ will be able to trace those responsible for distributing a pornographic picture of a schoolgirl via mobile phones.

Phone companies are required by law to retain traffic data for three years, enabling the Gardaí to identify the time, date and origin of calls and messages.

The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner said this would be a relatively straightforward procedure. However, despite this ability to track down offenders, it is recognised that technological solutions are needed to prevent the problem from growing.