In the first half of this year alone, eco followed up more than 2,500 reports of criminal online content and forwarded around 250 cases involving child sexual abuse material on the internet to the police. Working closely with Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office, the association and its members have repeatedly helped identify numerous offenders through the information they supplied.
Oliver Süme, eco board member responsible for law and regulation, said: “Behind every piece of child sexual abuse material lies a terrible crime and the fate of a child that affects us deeply. Our members find it intolerable that the infrastructure they have built is abused for such purposes. That is why we have worked for years to combat child sexual abuse material, committing substantial personnel, technology and organizational resources.
“Unfortunately, practical experience shows that so-called internet ‘blocks’ produce only superficial successes. They move the activity out of public view, but they do not prevent the suffering of a single child, catch a single offender or remove a single image from the internet. In the opinion of all technical experts, it is not possible to make access to this material impossible in the way the family minister is demanding.
“It is more efficient and effective to tackle the problem at its source. Through our Internet Complaints Office, we collect reports that—through international cooperation and close collaboration between law enforcement and industry—successfully help identify offenders and remove illegal content. We intend to continue this successful cooperation.”