Global crackdown on Internet child pornography

The Australian High-Tech Crime Centre began the investigation earlier this year after a tip-off from US authorities involved in Operation Falcon, which is a major investigation into Internet child pornography that started in the US. All those facing charges appear to have accessed pay-per-view child porn Web sites hosted by organised crime groups in eastern Europe. Agent Mike Phelan of the High-Tech Crime Centre said that what had been uncovered so far appeared to be the tip of the iceberg. Full report in The Australian Also, read an AustralianIT report on the crackdown

South Africa, too, is aiming to make it harder for people to access child pornography on the Internet or harbour illegal images on their computers, thanks to amendments to the Film and Publications Act, as announced in mid-September and covered previously in IT Law & Management. A Pretoria News report notes that companies, as well as their staff, may be prosecuted under an amendment to the Act. If a staff member is caught with child pornography in an e-mail or attachment folder thought to have been deleted the company may be prosecuted. An Internet lawyer told the paper that large companies that provided e-mail and Internet to their staff had a responsibility to educate them about how their systems work. ‘If a staff member received unsolicited child p orn in their e-mails and deleted the message but not the attachment, the individual as well as the company can be prosecuted. The same goes for private e-mail and Internet users.’ Iyavar Chetty, CE of the Film and Publications Board has warned that the board will next be turning its attention to curbing the illegal distribution of p ornographic material via cellphones, reports SABC News. Full report in the Pretoria News Full SABC News report

Still in South Africa, a 46-year-old company manager has appeared in the Springs Magistrates’ Court on the East Rand on charges related to the alleged possession of child pornography. The man allegedly used his work computer to access the illegal sites, reports SABC News. He is due to appear in court again on November 25. Full report on SABC News

Moving to the UK, where until recently IT professionals and managers risked prosecution for viewing child pornographic images on the Internet, even if this was in the course of the routine management of electronic networks and services. However, the recent Sexual Offences Act made an amendment to the Protection of Children Act of 1978 (which prohibits the ‘taking or making’ of an indecent photograph of a child) by creating a defence to a charge of ‘making’. The Act, now protects those IT professionals who may need to download and then store potentially illegal child abuse images as evidence, reports Out-Law.com. Research published by the Internet Watch Foundation found that the overwhelming majority of IT professionals surveyed were not aware of the legal implications, liability and responsibility around Internet use and especially potentially illegal images of children viewed or held on their corporate networks. Full Out-Law.com report