Reports of illegal online child sexual abuse material more than double – The Irish Times

In 2023, there were a record number of reports of suspected illegal online material, most of which related to child sexual abuse.

Hotline.ie, the national reporting platform for illegal content online, said on Thursday it received 40,543 reports of suspected illegal content in 2023. This is the highest number of reports in its history and an increase of 30 percent compared to 2022.

Of these reports, 29,906 reports were confirmed to contain illegal material. The majority of these reports – 29,044 – related to child sexual abuse material (CSAM). This represented a 110 percent increase in CSAM detected by the platform compared to 2022. The report noted an increase in self-created CSAM content as a “worrying trend.”

Hotline.ie also identified 470 reports of sensitive image misuse and was able to remove 95 percent of this content from the internet, despite it being hosted outside Ireland. Intimate image abuse is sharing an intimate image without consent and is a criminal offense.

The platform’s success rate in removing illegal content online was 99 percent.

Hotline.ie boss and former Garda detective Mick Moran said the platform’s mission had always been to “break the cycle of child sexual abuse online, prevent re-victimization and support law enforcement to to bring criminals to justice.”

“This important work is made possible by the unwavering support of our partners, including founding member Eir, and the growing engagement of the public, who continue to report illegal content in increasing numbers,” he said.

Justice Minister Helen McEntee said while the report’s figures were difficult to read, “it is important to recognize that behind every case there is a vulnerable victim, often a child”.

“The increase in public reporting shows that engagement is increasing, which is critical as we continue to adapt to new and complex threats in the digital world. This Government remains true to its commitment to ensuring online safety.”