I am very pleased to be here today to launch the Annual Report of Hotline.ie for 2015. I would like to express my thanks to the Internet Service Providers Association of Ireland for their invitation to carry out this launch. I wish to acknowledge the valued input of Paul Durrant and his team in Hotline.ie and their excellent work in this most difficult area.
I note that in 2015 Hotline.ie completed one of its busiest years ever – dealing with the second largest number of reports. While it is unfortunate that there still remains a need for a service such as Hotline.ie, I am pleased to see that this efficient and effective service continues to carry out its work for the benefit of the people of Ireland. In 2015 the ISPAI Hotline.ie was awarded the INHOPE Quality Assurance Certificate for excellent service and standards after being assessed by an independent expert.
I know that the Irish hotline was a founder member of INHOPE and that it continues to make an important contribution at international level. I see from the Report that, in 2014, the Hotline.ie participated in a pilot EU programme in partnership with Interpol to improve the tracking of identified images. Close cooperation with law enforcement both nationally and internationally is an important way in which the horror of child sexual abuse material on the internet can be combated. I know that nationally the hotline liaises closely with An Garda Síochána and that the Gardaí greatly value this collaboration.
I see that Hotline.ie is a partner in the Irish Safer Internet Centre (SIC). In February, webwise.ie, the Irish SIC awareness partner launched ‘LOCKERS’ to mark Safer Internet Day 2016. This is a new resource for schools on the topic of sexting. There has been some discussion of the phenomenon of self-generated images being produced by minors and then being uploaded – so-called ‘sexting’. Young people need to be aware that some of these images may in fact be illegal. Sexting may also sometimes be associated with practices where minors are induced or coerced into sharing images or indeed producing ever more extreme images. It must be made clear to children and young people that “think before you click” is not just a catchphrase but is vital to their safety and welfare.
Parents must take a close interest in their children’s online lives and, if necessary, learn with them so that they can be fully aware when older children want to explore further on their own. Above all it must be remembered that once an image is placed on the internet all control over it is lost to the individual.
In order to assist parents, the Office for Internet Safety in my Department has a dedicated website. That website is www.internetsafety.ie which makes a wide range of helpful information available to parents and teachers. This includes a series of booklets on internet safety. The booklets can be downloaded or obtained in hard copy on request to the Office.
I am aware that the Gardaí also deal with internet safety in their Schools Programme and indeed they make use of these materials in their work in the schools.
In the past couple of years the Internet Content Governance Advisory Group looked at the area of content on the internet as well as the current position in relation to online safety particularly for children in Ireland. I very much welcome their comprehensive report which sets out a number of recommendations currently being progressed in consultation with my colleagues Ministers Denis Naughten and Katherine Zappone. You will be aware that at the moment the Law Reform Commission is closely examining the area of cyber crime affecting personal safety, privacy and reputation, including cyber-bullying. I expect that the Law Reform Commission report will be published in the coming months and its recommendations, including any proposals in relation to legislation, will be considered by Government.
Last September, the Tánaiste published the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Bill 2015 as approved by Government. The Bill includes wide ranging provisions to enhance the protection of children from sexual abuse and exploitation including through more effective targeting of child sexual grooming. When enacted, the Bill will facilitate full compliance with the criminal law provisions of a number of international legal instruments and implement the recommendations of a number of Oireachtas committees. There will be, for the first time, provision specifically targeting the use of modern communication technologies as a tool in the sexual exploitation of children. The new legislation recognises that seemingly innocent contact through social media or messaging apps can be the initial steps in the sexual grooming of a child. There will also be an offence of using information and communication technology to send sexually explicit material to children. These offences recognise and target the threats which modern communications technologies can pose to children. The Bill completed all stages in Seanad Éireann in January 2016. This Bill has been returned to the Dáil Order Paper by a motion approved by Dáil Éireann on Wednesday 1 June. Enactment of this important piece of legislation is a priority for the Government.
Returning to this 2015 Report, I note that some of the reports made to the hotline cannot be properly followed through because there is not enough information available. This is a great pity. Behind every statistic is a child who has been exploited and potentially abused. I would urge members of the public to ensure that they provide as much information as possible to the hotline so that their concerns can be fully addressed. In case there is any apprehension that the reporting person’s details will be traced I can assure the public that anonymity is guaranteed. The only interest that Hotline.ie and in turn the Gardaí have is to trace the source of illegal material and to remove it.
I cannot over-emphasise that the co-operation of the internet service providers is an essential part of the concept of an effective Hotline. In Ireland the self-regulatory system was the key recommendation of the Working Group on the Illegal and Harmful Use of the Internet in 1998. I believe that no other EU country has had a formal Working Group who reported with recommendations on self-regulation in the formal way that Ireland did. I note that the EU Commission adopted on 25 May 2016 a Communication on Online Platforms and the Digital Single Market and the Commission endorses the self-regulatory approach to deal with issues such as illegal and harmful content online. The Commission will also regularly review the effectiveness and comprehensiveness of such systems.
Any responsible ISP or hosting company should contribute to the financing of the Hotline and join in the development and running of awareness programmes. It is essential that the industry that supplies the internet service, while promoting all its positive uses and benefits, continues to contribute in a meaningful and proactive way.
It is also vitally important that the general public who encounter peer-to-peer files with filenames suggesting child pornography or a download, unexpectedly provides a file with content they suspect to be illegal, they should report them anonymously in the same way they report content encountered on the World Wide Web. Public reporting is an essential element in making the Internet a safer environment for all users, particularly children, not just here in Ireland but around the world.
In this regard, I commend those Irish internet service providers, who are members of ISPAI, and 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.
I congratulate ISPAI members for their responsible approach to playing their part in addressing internet safety, as evidenced by their practical and financial support for the work of the Hotline. Adherence to that Code of Practice and Ethics and support for the Hotline by the members of the ISPAI has been good for the industry and good for all users. The Government values this input and will continue to be supportive of it.
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, from teachers, to legislators, and above all parents, must be ever vigilant and ready to take necessary action.
Finally, it only remains for me to commend this Annual Report and the work of Hotline.ie for another year and to wish you every success in your work in 2016.
Thank you.