Germany

[DE] Mobile Telephone Companies Undertake to Ensure the Protection of Minors

IRIS 2008-1:1/13

Anne Baranowski

Institute of European Media Law (EMR), Saarbrücken/Brussels

The leading German mobile telephone companies intend to work with the Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle Multimedia-Diensteanbieter e.V. (Association for Voluntary Self-Regulation of Multimedia Service Providers - FSM), which was set up by media associations and online marketing companies in 1997, to take action against violent and pornographic videos sent to the mobile telephones of children and young people. On the initiative of the Rhineland-Palatinate Youth Ministry, the companies have signed a voluntary undertaking according to which the network operators Debitel, E-Plus, Mobilcom, Talkline, T-Mobile, O2 and Vodafone will block internet access on the mobile telephones of children and young people if their parents want this to be done. In this way, it is claimed, it is possible at least to guarantee protection from Internet content liable to corrupt the young. This includes sending and receiving MMS through which, for example, pornographic picture files or images that glorify violence are distributed.

The direct mobile-to-mobile transfer of data via Bluetooth is also to be blocked for minors, but exchanges of content will still be possible via existing memory card slots and USB interfaces.

The mobile telephone companies also want to safeguard against the dangers inherent in using mobile telephones by developing a better advisory service for parents and guardians. The providers intend to set up free hotlines and information portals on the Internet in order to enhance the media competence of parents and inform the latter about potential dangers. Technically, the Internet blocks are to be designed in such a way that they cannot be circumvented by minors without the help of their parents. It is also intended to offer special children’s mobile telephones that feature youth protection options and have no Bluetooth functionality.