Access Eliminated
Irish and Australian Hotlines cooperate to put a network of child pornography out of action
Hotline.ie scored a major victory against online child abuse in 2008 when it was instrumental in getting a network of offending websites closed down. The action, concerning a site containing suspect images, was initiated by an anonymous tip-off from a member of the public using the Hotline.ie website. The Hotline's Content Analysts confirmed that the images were illegal under Irish law.
The site was found to be part of a network of related sites, all containing images of child sexual abuse, which were hosted in a number of countries. Notices had been sent through the INHOPE network and the sites had been removed but they kept reappearing in new locations. However, it was found all were registered through a domain registry in Australia.
Hotline.ie referred the details to the Australian INHOPE hotline run by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). In consultation with the Australian Federal Police contact was made with the Australian domain name registrar, Melbourne IT, who immediately took action to disable the domain name effectively stopping ready access to the offending sites.
"The successful outcome is an example of how the public can take real action against suspected illegal images on the Internet and how hotlines, law-enforcement and the internet industry can work swiftly together and prevent the distribution of child abuse material online",
declared ACMA chairman Chris Chapman.
Irish and Australian Hotlines contd.
Commenting on the successful outcome of the Australian case, Hotline.ie General Manager Paul Durrant said:
"Because of the global nature of the Internet no country on its own can protect its users. The methodology used in this successful Australian case is a very welcome addition to our armoury in the fight against illegal use of the Internet on the international stage".
The Internet is so vast that neither industry nor law enforcement can be expected to know the whereabouts of illegal content unless it is brought to their attention. However, the outcome of the Australian case shows how hotlines offer the general public an effective tool with which to achieve striking victories in the ongoing struggle against online child abuse.
