T-Mobile helps to combat child abuse by blocking illegal content
Public 06.05.2010 in category Press News / CSR and Sponsoring
- T-Mobile has begun blocking child-pornography websites
- Customers can report questionable content
Prague, 6 May 2010 - Beginning today, T-Mobile is putting its pledge of responsibility with respect to the provision of internet access into practice by blocking child-pornography websites listed in the database of the renowned UK organization Internet Watch Foundation. It is also commencing cooperation with the Czech Hotline (Horka linka) operated by the National Centre for Safer Internet (Narodni centrum bezpecnejsiho internetu). T-Mobile is thus building on its previous activities in the area of child protection, e.g. the Child Lock service introduced last year, which allows parents to block inappropriate content on their children's mobile phones free of charge, and the "jaXmobilem bezpecne" project aimed at drawing attention to the issue of cyber-bullying.
"Introducing the service consisting in blocking illegal content on websites is another step by which T-Mobile wants to contribute to safer internet usage and to help combat violence against children," explains Jitka Chocova, T‑Mobile's CSR Manager.
What will be blocked
Blocking will apply to websites entered in the database of the Internet Watch Foundation (www.iwf.org.uk) and featuring the following themes: child pornography, child prostitution, child trafficking, paedophilia and other illegal sexual practices involving child abuse.
How the blocking works
Website blocking works on the basis of URL filtering (not domain filtering). The filter will be applied according to a database of URLs with illegal content. The database is administered by the Internet Watch Foundation, currently the most reliable source in this area. If it is found that any website was blocked by mistake, there is a direct connection to IWF, which will evaluate the report and remove the website from the list of illegal websites. The website concerned will then be unblocked.
Cooperation with the Hotline consists mainly in exchanging information about illegal content on websites hosted in the T-Mobile network. Once T-Mobile finds that the websites which it operates (including those to which the public can contribute, e.g. bavse.cz) contain active illegal content, it will block them and provide evidence to the Police of the Czech Republic for further investigation.
Collection of reports by customers
T-Mobile will also start collecting reports from customers pertaining to illegal content on the internet. These reports will be collected by the T-Mobile Customer Centre in the standard way, i.e. by phone at 4603 or by e‑mail at info@t-mobile.cz. Reports submitted in writing or by phone will be forwarded immediately to the Hotline staff, who will evaluate them and, if they suspect illegal content on the Czech internet, they will refer the report to the Police of the Czech Republic; in the case of foreign websites, they will forward the report to the relevant hotline in the foreign country. If the Hotline finds that a report on illegal content in the T-Mobile network was unjustified, it will inform T-Mobile without delay and request that the operator unblock the content. If the server is not administered by T-Mobile but the report was submitted to the Hotline by T-Mobile, the Hotline will proceed in the same manner as in the case of reports submitted by the public.
Partners and their role
IWF (Internet Watch Foundation) - IWF is a UK-based internet hotline established to receive reports of potential illegal internet content from the public and companies operating in the internet sector. For T‑Mobile Czech Republic, it provides a database of websites containing illegal content (relating only to child abuse) based on which T‑Mobile filters internet access to its mobile customers.
Horka linka ("Hotline") - Hotline is the only Czech hotline supported by the European Commission. In cooperation with the Police of the Czech Republic and international hotlines which are members of the INHOPE network, it helps to improve the internet environment within self-regulatory mechanisms. It is T‑Mobile's partner in receiving and processing reports of illegal online content.
For more information, please visit www.t-mobile.cz/ochranadeti and www.horkalinka.cz.
About the Company
T-Mobile Czech Republic has been operating in the Czech market since 1996. As of 31 March 2012, nearly 5.4 million customers were using T-Mobile’s mobile services; T-Mobile thus remains the number-one operator in the Czech mobile market.
T-Mobile is an integrated operator: in addition to mobile and fixed-line telecommunications services, it offers ICT and T-Mobile TV satellite television services.
T-Mobile has long focused on the quality of its services. Independent tests have repeatedly confirmed that T-Mobile is the quality leader in 2G and 3G (UMTS FDD) data services, as well as in GSM voice services.
Since its establishment, the company has placed emphasis on excellent customer service and proper conduct towards business partners, employees and the environment. T-Mobile has received, among other awards, the VIA Bona 2009 award for the involvement of its employees in philanthropic and volunteer activities.
T-Mobile is a member of the international telecommunications group Deutsche Telekom. Thanks to the group’s international presence, customers can count on the worldwide availability of their favourite services and enjoy uniform, favourable prices of calls when abroad.
For more information about the company, please visit t-press.cz or www.t-mobile.cz.
