WRITTEN QUESTION E-4225/97 by Cristiana Muscardini (NI) to the Commission (21 January 1998)

Subject: The Internet and paedophilia

There are increasingly frequent reports of obscene offences involving minors of both sexes, committed by criminal organizations and groups, often disguised under apparently innocuous and vaguely cultural names. It was recently discovered that the Internet is being used by paedophile organizations to advertise pornographic catalogues and photographs of minors of all nationalities, who can be secretly procured for unspeakable purposes.

In view of the reemergence of these phenomena does the Commission not consider:

1. that steps should be taken in the appropriate fora to prevent the use of the Internet for these purposes;

2. that agreements should be drawn up in the UN or through direct contacts with the United States to prevent anonymous web-sites being incorporated in the Internet, so as to ensure that the perpetrators of these violations of human rights and crimes against minors do not manage to evade responsibility for their odious actions;

3. that the time has come for an ethical reappraisal, followed by practical decisions, making a clear distinction, without any hypocrisy, between freedom of expression, which must be safeguarded at all costs, and the freedom to violate by any means, including technological means, every rule of morality, in particular as regards the fundamental rights of minors, which must not be violated in any way?

Answer given by Mr Bangemann on behalf of the Commission (12 March 1998)

1. The Commission is aware of the problems raised by the Honourable Member, and shares her concern. It has been working actively on these issues for over two years and has recently adopted a proposal for an action plan on promoting safe use of the Internet ((OJ C 48, 13.2.1998. )) and a proposal for a Council recommendation for the protection of minors and human dignity in audiovisual and information services ((COM(97) 570 final. )).

2. The action plan will provide a basis for Community co-funding of a European network of hotlines for reporting illegal content such as child pornography, for European filtering and rating systems and for actions to promote awareness. The action plan will also provide support for action under the Council recommendation for European co-ordination of actions at national level in the field of self-regulation. International co-operation will also be reinforced under these two measures.

3. The Commission has further been actively engaged in the discussions of the Council under the third pillar, and in discussions of the Eight (including Canada, Japan, Russia and the United States, as well as Germany, France, Italy and the United Kingdom) to develop legal and technical mechanisms that allow for timely international law enforcement response to computer-related crimes. The Commission is involved in the implementation of the action plan to combat organised crime endorsed by the European Council in Amsterdam and which includes a recommendation to combat the criminal use of new technologies.

4. These actions will contribute substantially to discouraging the circulation of child pornography on the Internet.