An average of one incident of child pornography on the Internet is reported every day in Ireland, according to new figures released today.
Publishing its annual report, the Internet Advisory Board revealed its hotline had received 671 complaints of child pornography since its inception in 1999. Figures for the first half of 2001 show 277 complaints were received - a significant increase on the 378 reports for the whole of 2000.
Of the complaints received in 2001, 251 related to child pornography of which 16 cases were confirmed as child pornography and 18 confirmed as child erotica. Child erotica is not illegal but in many instances is offensive and can be removed if put online through an Irish Internet Service Provider (ISP).
"The report shows that on average a complaint a day is made about child pornography on the net and this puts an onus on the providers, the gardaí, governments nationally and internationally to protect children," the Minister with special responsibility for children Ms Mary Hanafin said at the launch of the report.
The difficulty of monitoring children's use of the Internet was also highlighted by Ms Hanafin: "We cannot be complacent - basic rules still apply, parents must set rules for Internet use ... The Internet challenges us all to work in a partnership to protect our children".
In response to the pornography problem, and other forms of offensive or illegal material on the Web, the Internet Service Providers Association of Ireland has established a code of ethics for its members which was also launched today.
Among other requirements, the code of ethics demands that material that incites violence, cruelty, racial hatred and prejudice be removed by ISPs when detected. Even if the material is not illegal under Irish law, if the material is deemed likely to cause distress or anxiety to Web users, the ISP must act to withdraw service provision.
They must also agree to remove material when requested by the hotline, which is run by the Internet Advisory Board. According to the new code, providers must also retain illegal material and operate formal response standards for complaints. Email, newsgroups and chatrooms are also subject to the new code of ethics.
While the code also deals with other forms of harmful material such as libel, it does not mean the ISP accepts any liability for the content.
The code will be reviewed after one year.