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The Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence, Mr. Alan Shatter T.D. today launched the Annual Report for 2010 of the Irish Internet Hotline. 

The hotline provides a central point of contact for members of the public  who become aware of any child pornography on the Internet in Ireland and  where appropriate liaises with An Garda Síochána and request the relevant Internet Service Provider (ISP) to remove the content. 

Speaking at the launch the Minister said he was encouraged to note that the  number of reports received by the Hotline where content assessed to be  illegal under Irish law had fallen compared to 2009. "While I am pleased  with an apparent continuing reduction in the frequency with which child abuse images are being encountered and being reported to the Hotline, there is absolutely no room for complacency. All of us who are concerned with protecting our society, and particularly our children and young people from illegal and harmful use of the Internet must be ever vigilant and ready to take necessary action. The effectiveness of the Hotline depends so much on your support. So, it is essential that the public continues to report illegal content to the Hotline." 

Minister Shatter went on to encourage organisations that have public services on the Internet or are involved in any way to with Child Safety to support the Hotline by adding the Hotline logo and brief explanation to their websites 

The Minister commended the Hotline for their work and commended the members of the Internet Service Providers Association of Ireland (ISPAI) who have undertaken under a Code of Practice and Ethics to respond immediately to requests from the Hotline for action in the event that any illicit material is found on Irish Servers. 

The Minister concluded "I must emphasise that the co-operation of the internet service providers is an essential part of the concept of an effective Hotline. Any responsible ISP or hosting company should contribute to the financing of the Hotline and join in the development and running of awareness programmes."