The Film and Publication Board (FPB) has joined the International Association of Internet Hotlines, also known as Inhope, to boost its fight against child pornography. SA is the 32nd country to sign up.
The FPB says if a member of the public reports a child pornography Web site which is based outside of the country, the organisation can refer it to the authorities in that country through the association.
Inhope's Web site says it represents Internet hotlines all over the world, and supports their efforts in responding to reports of illegal content. The organisation prescribes a number of prerequisites that hotlines must meet in order to qualify for admission.
FPB spokesperson Masilo Modipane says Inhope assessed the board's Internet hotline system, which was opened in July last year, and found it to be in “line with international standards and best practice”.
Inhope also requires members to have the support of government, industry, law enforcement and Internet users in their countries of operation. It expects co-operation with other members in exchanging information about illegal content and use, and that they share their expertise.
Hi-tech tipping
The FPB's Internet hotline system is a confidential facility, developed by the board and ePages.net, allowing members of the public to report, in complete anonymity, any child pornography or sexual abuse images discovered accidentally on the Internet.
The systems development consultancy firm says the Internet hotline system works by logging reports submitted by the public in a report management system. This then automatically creates and assigns the case to a queuing system.
The case is then picked up by an Internet content analyst, who will assess the reported content and take the appropriate action. The offending Web site can then be tagged for removal and/or blocked.
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