Ireland

Register of 3G handsets to protect children

A national register of 3G handsets is to be introduced before their rollout as an aim to protect children from indecent material…

Piaras Murphy
Tue Jun 01 2004 - 01:00
A national register of 3G handsets is to be introduced before their rollout as an aim to protect children from indecent material being sent to or by them.

Last January, gardaí launched an investigation into the distribution via GSM picture phones of a teenage girl from Dublin in a sexually explicit position. The pictures had been distributed as far as Cork. Currently, pre-paid GSM phones do not have to be registered by the people who purchase them.

The Minister for Communications, Mr Ahern, decided rather than trying to register millions of GSM phones, it would be easier to bring in legislation that demands the register of all 3G phones - which would be able to access adult or indecent content from the web. The 3G phones are expected to be rolled-out by the end of the year.

Speaking at the launch of a parental guide for "Children and Mobile Phones," the Minister said: "To protect Irish children I think we need to go beyond the present degree of protection - we need a national register of 3G phones.  A national register of picture phones has proven impractical by virtue of the fact that we already had millions of GSM handsets in existence when picture-phones became available.  But 3G is different".   
"Handsets will not be available until the end of the year and we have an opportunity now to provide increased safety mechanisms.  In proposing a national register of 3G handsets I want to be clear that I intend working closely with industry on the detail of the register".   

Minister Ahern concluded, "The "Children and Mobile Phones" guide seeks to educate parents and guardians in the ways in which they can gain greater visibility of their child's mobile usage and the services they access.  It also highlights the facility provided by operators, which allows authorised access for parents to a child's account.  Projects that promote safe and responsible use of mobile phones will have my continue support".