Ms Deirdre O'Keeffe:

I am pleased to be here and I thank the committee for the invitation to give it an account of the important work undertaken by the office for Internet safety. The office operates from within the Department of Justice and Equality. I am accompanied by the head of the office, Mr. Hugh Boyle, and by Ms Siobhán McCabe and Mr. Edward Shortt from the office.

Our work falls under two main headings. First, we encourage respectful behaviour in electronic communications, which includes social media. To put it another way, we are actively involved in counteracting the abuse of communications technology where it involves using phones, e-mail or other electronic means to send messages or images with the intention of harassing or intimidating the recipient or where they are intended to damage someone’s good name and reputation. This is clearly a serious matter. The second major area is to ensure we have robust arrangements to prevent, in so far as possible, the dissemination of illegal Internet content, especially child pornography.

Before I deal further with the two areas I have mentioned, let me emphasise that we regard the growth in electronic communications as an overwhelmingly positive development. Unfortunately, some people’s enjoyment of this great resource is impaired by its misuse in the hands of a few. Our role is to encourage a positive environment where the benefits of the new technology can be enjoyed. We try to counteract the misuse by not only raising awareness about the consequences of misuse but also by giving advice on how to respond. We are always at pains to stress that the response must be moderate and reasonable, but firm, and must not inflame an already dangerous situation.

I would like to give the committee an overview on how we go about our work. First, we identify our target audiences and then we select the messages appropriate to each of these audiences. In this way we can maximise the impact and effect. As an example, victims may need information on simple steps they can take to block access to their online profile or they may need helpline numbers. We aim to meet their needs.

Parents and teachers have responsibility for the persons in their care. Their position also presents many opportunities to spot the danger signs that suggest a young person may be the victim of cyberbullying. The fact that bullying is being done electronically, by stealth, is likely to heighten the distress. Unlike situations where the person being bullied, physically or verbally, may have the opportunity to move away from the bully, in situations of cyberbullying, the victim may never feel removed from the source of the abuse. We work to help parents and teachers to spot and identify the danger signs. We also help them to address their concerns in this regard, particularly any concerns they may have about their own ability to understand the technologies, so enabling them to engage with their children about the use of these technologies.

In recent times, more emphasis has been placed on a third group, often called bystanders. Bystanders are, for example, team mates, work colleagues or fellow students. It is now recognised that bystanders may be able to play a significant role in breaking the isolation and misery of the victim. They may notice changes in the victim’s mood or behaviour. Sometimes they can make sensitive and discreet enquiries or, more often, they can alert another who is in a position to deal with the problem. Our role is to make bystanders aware of the good they can do.

We also give much thought to the means by which we deliver our messages. We rely on print and, increasingly, on the Internet. Our printed materials are in high demand and are popular with parents. Our website is a useful resource with relevant advice. Its value is greatly enhanced by the numerous links to other sites, in particular to the helplines operated by the National Parents Council Primary, the ISPCC, the Professional Development Service for Teachers and the hotline service.

The office for Internet safety co-ordinates the EU-funded safer Internet project for Ireland. We partner with four agencies, the National Parents Council Primary, the ISPCC, the National Council for Technology in Education and the hotline, in channelling funding to initiatives in the Internet safety area. The office has also developed close relations with the Garda schools programme, particularly in the supply of awareness raising materials for visits to schools, including the materials produced for safer Internet day in February each year.

The agencies that participate in the EU programme are heavily focused on young persons still in the education system. This reflects the importance attached to that cohort when it comes to forming good habits in what is already their main means of communication. The emphasis on that section of the population is justified by the evidence. They are high consumers of technology and we want them to be aware of the dangers of misuse. We also want to ensure they carry these messages into their adult years. Collaboration with the five agencies I mentioned means we are getting the messages across in an effective, targeted and cost-effective way.

Before I conclude on this part of our work, I would like to stress that the office is not a law enforcement body, nor does it pursue or investigate individual cases. Instead, our role is to heighten general awareness. I mentioned the hotline a moment ago and this brings me to the second major area of our work. The office for Internet safety supports the work of hotline.ie. The facility is operated by the Internet Service Providers Association of Ireland to receive reports from the public of illegal activities on websites and is part-funded by the EU. The activity can vary but, for the most part, it relates to child pornography. The service has formalised its links with the Garda Síochána. Under agreed arrangements, the hotline service notifies the Garda Síochána where a site is considered to contain illegal material. The Garda Síochána investigates the matter where the site is hosted in Ireland and in other cases it notifies the authorities in the other jurisdiction where a site is hosted outside of Ireland.

The hotline is part of an international network, INHOPE. It has played a major role in reducing incidents of child pornography, including inadvertent viewing on the web. As we know, those who are determined to view and exchange material have developed ways of doing so by using methods which circumvent the web. The Garda and police forces internationally continuously seek out such activity with some very welcome success. As far as the public is concerned, the chances of coming across child pornography on a website have been greatly reduced by the vigilance of members of the public who report the sites to the hotline and by the mechanisms operated by the hotline service and its counterparts abroad for removing the offending material. The work of the office for Internet safety and its partners is subject to annual scrutiny by the European Commission and by experts retained by it. I am pleased to say that our performance so far has always attracted positive comment.

I hope I have given members sufficient information to help them to understand our role. My colleagues and I would be pleased to try to address any questions or comments members may have.