Safer Internet Day: Encouraging progress made as ISPs continue efforts to create safer online experience

Brussels - 09.02.2016: To mark Safer Internet Day 2016, the European Internet Services Providers Association (EuroISPA) has reiterated the crucial role of Internet Hotlines in sustaining the fight against Child Sexual Abuse Material and other illegal content online.

As representative of close to 2500 service providers along the Internet value chain, EuroISPA members have been at the forefront of efforts to ensure a safe environment where the Internet’s empowering character can be fully realised. Indeed, four EuroISPA member associations actually manage the national Internet Hotlines in their respective countries - processing and acting upon thousands of reports of illegal content each year.

The strength of Europe’s network of Internet Hotlines owes a great deal to the foresight of the European Institutions, which have provided essential public funding to allow Hotlines to deploy the necessary resources to tackle illegal content online.

In recent years, this essential funding has steadily diminished and there is a real risk that the great gains made thus far could be jeopardised if EU co-financing of Hotlines maintains its downward trajectory.

EuroISPA Safer Internet committee co-chair Paul Durrant said: “As the voice of Europe’s Internet Services Providers, EuroISPA abhors the misuse of our members' networks by those users who circulate Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) and other such manifestly illegal content. We will continue to work with policymakers in the European Commission and Parliament to sustain the network of Internet Hotlines and build on the strong results to date”.

EuroISPA Safer Internet committee co-chair Carole Gay said: “Safer Internet Day is an excellent opportunity to reflect on the efforts thus far to develop a safe and empowering online ecosystem. The success of industry-led initiatives in this area – particularly with regard to CSAM – are deeply instructive as EU policymakers continue reflections around illegal content online”.