Darknet complicates the fight against child pornography
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In 2022, the Internet reporting agency Stopline, based in Salzburg, recorded 24,000 reports of suspected child pornography across Austria. The number has increased more than tenfold in ten years, they say.
Stopline collects reports and then tries to delete the images and videos depicting abuse by children and young people on the Internet.
Criminals are increasingly using the dark web
The organization must also rely on the willingness of web service providers to cooperate. It’s getting harder and harder, says Barbara Schloßbauer, head of Stopline: “It’s spreading more and more on the Darknet. For a quarter of the reports of illegal depictions, we were no longer able to determine in which country they were posted. It is becoming increasingly difficult to approach the responsible host provider and have the content removed. That is our goal.”
More therapies for pedophiles called for
Schloßbauer demands deterrent penalties for perpetrators – and at the same time “low-threshold therapy offers” for people with pedophilic tendencies. In addition, children and young people need to be better informed so that they do not post sexual pictures and videos of themselves on the Internet.