Use of the Internet for Child Pornography

Under the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act 1998, the possession, distribution, import or export or sale of child pornography is illegal. Distribution of child pornography by film, video or material in written or auditory form including material produced or transmitted via the Internet is illegal. Offences can be punished with penalties of up to 14 years' imprisonment. Possession alone of child pornography is punishable by imprisonment for up to 5 years. In addition, a new offence of meeting a child following sexual grooming, on the Internet or otherwise, has been included in the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) (Amendment) Act 2007.

The Government established a working group in 1997 to examine and report on the whole question of the illegal and harmful use of the Internet, with particular reference to child pornography. The Report of the Working Group on the Illegal and Harmful Use of the Internet (PDF – 1.6MB) was published in July 1998. Its main recommendation was for a system of self-regulation by the Internet Service Provider (ISP) industry. This self-regulatory system has been set up and includes:

  • the Internet Advisory Board (IAB)
  • a public hotline for reporting illegal content on the Internet, particularly child pornography
  • an industry code of practice and ethics setting out the duties and responsibilities of each ISP

The IAB was established in 2000 and oversees the self-regulatory system of the ISP industry. Its responsibilities are:

  • promoting awareness of the dangers of the Internet
  • co-ordinating efforts to combat child pornography on the Internet
  • monitoring the progress of self-regulation by ISPs
  • encouraging best practice procedures
  • providing advice and facilitating research in Internet-related issues including child safety

The Department provides secretarial and other supports for the board's work.

 

ISPAI Hotline.ie Service

The Hotline.ie service is funded by the Internet Service Providers' Association of Ireland with support from the EU Safer Internet Action Plan. It was launched in November 1999 to provide an anonymous reporting service to members of the public who accidentally uncover illegal child pornography on the Internet. The Gardaí and the service co-operate on law enforcement issues so that offences in the area of child pornography can be detected and prosecuted. You can contact the Hotline.ie service by phoning Lo-Call number 1890 610-710 or by visiting the website at www.hotline.ie.

The service works closely with, and is a founding member of, the international INHOPE association, a network of European hotlines which is expanding to all parts of the world. INHOPE develops procedures and shares information on the best practices for the tracing and tracking of illegal child pornography