The Irish Internet Hotline provides a vital service, part of a wider national ecosystem for combatting child sexual abuse and sexual exploitation, which involves Government, law enforcement, children’s services, child welfare NGOs, the judicial system and online service providers.
The Code of Practice outlines the framework for collaboration between the Irish Internet Hotline, participating online service providers, and An Garda Síochána for the purpose of countering illegal content online, especially child sexual abuse and exploitation. It also sets out Minimum Requirements for participating companies and details the Notice and Takedown procedure, roles and responsibilities.
The Code also details General Good Practice and includes information regarding the Irish Internet Hotline’s expertise and support services. Flexibility in the principles set out in this Code is required with due account of the rapidly evolving nature of the digital world and digital services, and to address stakeholder’s divergent practices, functions, layering of services and products and variety of business models.
By means of collaboration with national and international partners, the Irish Internet Hotline works to remove CSAM at source, to disrupt the cycle of online child sexual exploitation, to prevent repeat-victimisation of children who have suffered from sexual abuse, and to support law enforcement investigations.
Irish Internet Hotline’s Code of Practice can be accessed here.
