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In November 1999 the Internet Service Providers of Ireland set up a hotline service, www.hotline.ie, to combat child pornography on the Internet. This is one of a number of self-regulatory measures that have been taken by the Internet service provider industry. The hotline service works closely with various domestic bodies including An Garda Síochána (the Irish police force), and with the INHOPE Association, an international association of hotlines in twelve countries (http://www.inhope.org/). The www.hotline.ie has just published its First Report, covering the period November 1999 - June 2001....

In January 2002, The Internet Service Providers Association of Ireland (ISPAI) published its first Code of Practice and Ethics. This is part of a largely self-regulatory approach aimed at eliminating and preventing harmful content on the Internet. The Code was drawn up in association with the Internet Advisory Board established by the Irish Government. The Code is aimed at encouraging members of the industry to take responsibility for issues relating to enforcement, obligations and control. It sets out minimum practice guidelines for its members. For example, each member must: have an Acceptable...

The European Commission has decided to accord the Safer Internet Action Plan a two-year extension. This means that the present Action Plan (1999-2002), which has been central to the European Union's efforts against illegal and harmful content on the Internet, will now continue until the end of 2004. In financial terms, the Action Plan will benefit from an additional budget of 13.3 million EUR (i.e., a total budget of 38.3 million EUR). The objectives of the Safer Internet Action Plan are to: create a safer online environment by establishing a network of hotlines in Europe and by promoting self-regulation;...

Under the Broadcasting Act, 2001, the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland has the role of drafting codes on matters of taste and decency, portrayal of violence and of sexual conduct in broadcast programmes (see IRIS 2001-4: 9). It is also required to implement rules governing advertising and sponsorship in accordance with the provisions of the "Television without Frontiers" Directive. The Broadcasting Complaints Commission hears complaints in relation to breaches of the relevant rules and codes. In February 2002, the Broadcasting Complaints Commission upheld a complaint against TV3, the national...

In a ruling of 20 February, the Bundesverwaltungsgericht (Federal Administrative Court - BVerwG) offered an explanation of the ban on the TV broadcasting of pornography set out in para. 3 of the original Rundfunkstaatsvertrag (Inter-State Agreement on Broadcasting - RStV a.F.). The aforementioned paragraph states that TV programmes are unlawful "if they are pornographic (see Penal Code Section 184)". This reference to the Strafgesetzbuch (Penal Code - StGB) formed the background of a legal dispute between a private broadcaster who had shown a series of films on pay-TV and the relevant supervisory...