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Policing of child porn sites 'too slack'

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Written by Cape Argus
Monday, 14 April 2008
Despite provisions in the Film and Publications Act of 1996 aimed at combating the viewing of child pornography online, a shortage of inspectors means the provisions are going unenforced. According to the act, Internet service providers (ISPs) should register with the Film and Publications Board and take "all reasonable steps" to prevent the use of their services for the hosting or distribution of child pornography. The "reasonable steps" include preventing access to child pornography and reporting cases where child pornography is viewed, including the details of people involved, to the police. But Film and Publications Board head of compliance Dumisani Rorwana said that due to officer shortages it had been difficult to check if all ISPs were registered with the board. Rorwana said there were 15 compliance officers countrywide to inspect all ISPs and Internet cafes, which also fell under the regulations. He said 10 officers per province were needed, but in the Western Cape only one officer was available. Rorwana said that in the future the board wanted all service providers to install software that would prevent access to child pornography and store information related to sites visited. "It is important to monitor what the public is viewing, especially if they are watching child pornographic sites," he said. Resources Aimed at Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (Rapcan) advocacy manager Sam Waterhouse said inadequate monitoring of ISPs and Internet cafes meant the continued circulation and viewing of images of child sexual abuse. She said the viewing of child pornography in internet cafes was "disgusting". She called on parents and people who ran Internet cafes to supervise children more closely when they were using the Internet. "It is of the utmost importance that suppliers of the internet take some form of responsibility towards combating child pornography," said Waterhouse. But Internet Service Providers' Association general manager Ant Brooks said compliance officers from the board were only allowed to check for registration and could not force ISPs to keep their browser records because this would be illegal as it would compromise the individual's right to privacy. Brooks said not one of ISPA's 150-strong countrywide membership had been visited by a compliance officer. However, he said he was aware of one Internet cafe, which was not a member of the association, having reported that a compliance officer had instructed them to keep records. Brooks said the board did not have the right to search machines because it would compromise client privacy. Conrad Minnaar, senior systems administrator at ISP eNetworks , said it would be impossible to store all browser records as it would require a great deal of money to implement. - West Cape News o This article was originally published on page 5 of Cape Argus on April 14, 2008
Last Updated ( Thursday, 07 August 2008 )

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