Hotline boosts protection measures for internet child porn

EFFORTS to tackle the problem of child pornography on the internet received a boost yesterday with the relaunch of a hotline developed by the Internet Service Providers Association of Ireland.

The website, named www.hotline.ie and which was established nine years ago, allows people to notify the association of child pornography and other illegal content discovered on the internet.

It also investigates reports of material relating to financial scams, phishing, racism and incitement to hatred.

The hotline works in close association with gardaí and 29 other similar international bodies designed to tackle child pornography.

It receives an average of 2,500 reports each year about suspect websites, of which about 400 are subsequently confirmed as containing illegal material. To date, none of the actual websites complained of have been based in Ireland.

Association spokesman Paul Durrant said the number of reports about child pornography on the internet were disturbingly increasing.

He also expressed concern that many of new companies which had been established as internet service providers in Ireland in recent years had chosen not to participate in the industry’s self-regulation schemes nor financially support the fight against cybercrime.

The revamped hotline was launched by John Laffan, the new executive director of the Government’s Office for Internet Safety.

Mr Laffan said the establishment of his office represented an important step building the best possible protection for the community and children from the downside of the internet.

He claimed the government office would also be in a position to encourage greater cohesion across state agencies in tackling child pornography and other cybercrimes.