This governmental provision, ensuing from law n. 38 of 2006, establishes the period of time within which a site that contains child abuse material is to be rendered inaccessible, and in addition places the responsibility for this in the hands of the Internet Service Providers, that is those who provide access to the web, through the use of the appropriate instruments.

The Centre for combating child abuse images on the web, instituted by that same law among others, has the duty of gathering all the reports pertaining to child abuse material and thus also those coming from the hotlines (reminder: in Italy nobody, not even the hotlines’ personnel, can justifiably see the material. All the reports have to be sent directly to the Postal Police, who alone have permission to analyse the contents). The database of sites is to be controlled and updated by Centre. Moreover, the Centre shall interface with the ISPs to point out which sites are to be rendered inaccessible from their own servers.

This measure has generated debate and both approval and criticism. For some it was a first attempt at muffling the network along with being an ineffective measure since whoever wishes to access certain content will access it anyway even if they are not an expert. In any event, we feel that the prompt shutting down of any web-site that contains child abuse images is important, in order to safeguard minors who might be victims of abuse. In fact, the blotting out of a site prevents the images – which are the proof and record of abuse and violence perpetrated on tens of thousands of boys and girls – from being circulated more than once thus not allowing for a reiteration and reproduction of the violence and abuse that was already inflicted on those children.

The impossibility of accessing a site that contains child abuse images further protects children who navigate on the web by denying them the viewing of images that are inappropriate both to their age and sensibilities. Nevertheless, the shutting down and blotting out of paedo-pornographic web-sites represents only a first step in the fight to counteract and combat online child pornography.

Author: Save the Children Italy