Irish hotline helps close child pornography websites

A complaint by an Irish person to an internet hotline in Ireland has resulted in the removal of a network of child pornography websites in Australia.

The anonymous complaint was made to Hotline.ie, a service established by Irish internet service providers to allow members of the public to report websites that contain child sexual abuse material.

Following the complaint, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) moved to disable the websites that were providing access to the content.

"The internet is so vast that neither the internet industry nor law enforcement can be expected to know the whereabouts of illegal content unless it is brought to their attention," said Paul Durrant, general manager of Hotline.ie.

"Internet hotlines provide this facility and this outcome is an example of the success that can be achieved through international collaboration involving industry and regulatory bodies."

Hotline and ACMA are both members of the International Association of Internet Hotlines (Inhope) which comprises 33 hotlines covering 29 countries.