Preface by Minister for Justice
The Internet is an international and world-wide phenomenon with no borders and no single organisation controlling it and the nature of the industry is dynamic, with ongoing development in communications technologies allowing for Internet access by new means. These are largely positive developments but tackling internet downside issues, such as the proliferation of images of child sexual abuse, is a complex business and we are continuously faced with new challenges and the need for constant review of the commitments for all those charged with protecting against these issues.
It is clear that no single party, whether at national or international level, can successfully address the kinds of problem faced by the harmful and illegal use of the Internet. In this regard, the role of Hotline.ie as part of a European network of hotlines (INHOPE) is particularly important. Established in 1999, the Hotline provides a secure and confidential service for the public to anonymously report content they encounter on the Internet that they suspect may be illegal. Once reported, the material is assessed by Hotline staff and, if considered to be probably illegal, steps are taken to instigate its removal from the Internet. Hotline.ie is funded by the Internet Service Providers Association of Ireland (ISPAI) with support from the EU Safer Internet Programme. Ireland's participation in the EU Safer Internet Programme is coordinated by the Office for Internet Safety in my Department.
Preface contd.
Responsible states and citizens must do everything in their power to try to curtail the trade in these images that occurs on the Internet. I would strongly encourage anyone finding any trace of suspect activities be it when browsing web pages, or on "file sharing", web forums, chat rooms newsgroups or whatever, to report it to the Hotline immediately. As this latest Report notes, 92% of the sites confirmed to be illegal by Hotline Content Analysts during 2008 are now no longer in existence or no longer contain any illegal material. I welcome this news and I salute the excellent work that Hotline.ie is engaged in.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Paul Durrant, General Manager of Hotline.ie and his staff for their dedication and splendid work. Their tremendous efforts and resilience endeavour to make the Internet a safer environment for all our citizens, particularly our children.
Dermot Ahern, T.D.
Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform
