T-Mobile helps to combat child abuse by blocking illegal content

• T-Mobile has begun blocking child-pornography websites
• Customers can report questionable content

Prague, 6 May 2010 - Beginning today, T-Mobile is putting its pledge of responsibility with respect to the provision of internet access into practice by blocking child-pornography websites listed in the database of the renowned UK organization Internet Watch Foundation. It is also commencing cooperation with the Czech Hotline (Horká linka) operated by the National Centre for Safer Internet (Národní centrum bezpečnějšího internetu). T-Mobile is thus building on its previous activities in the area of child protection, e.g. the Child Lock service introduced last year, which allows parents to block inappropriate content on their children's mobile phones free of charge, and the "jaXmobilem bezpečně" project aimed at drawing attention to the issue of cyber-bullying.

"Introducing the service consisting in blocking illegal content on websites is another step by which T-Mobile wants to contribute to safer internet usage and to help combat violence against children," explains Jitka Chocová, T‑Mobile's CSR Manager.

What will be blocked
Blocking will apply to websites entered in the database of the Internet Watch Foundation (www.iwf.org.uk) and featuring the following themes: child pornography, child prostitution, child trafficking, paedophilia and other illegal sexual practices involving child abuse.

How the blocking works
Website blocking works on the basis of URL filtering (not domain filtering). The filter will be applied according to a database of URLs with illegal content. The database is administered by the Internet Watch Foundation, currently the most reliable source in this area. If it is found that any website was blocked by mistake, there is a direct connection to IWF, which will evaluate the report and remove the website from the list of illegal websites. The website concerned will then be unblocked.

Cooperation with the Hotline consists mainly in exchanging information about illegal content on websites hosted in the T-Mobile network. Once T-Mobile finds that the websites which it operates (including those to which the public can contribute, e.g. bavse.cz) contain active illegal content, it will block them and provide evidence to the Police of the Czech Republic for further investigation.

Collection of reports by customers
T-Mobile will also start collecting reports from customers pertaining to illegal content on the internet. These reports will be collected by the T-Mobile Customer Centre in the standard way, i.e. by phone at 4603 or by e‑mail at info@t-mobile.cz. Reports submitted in writing or by phone will be forwarded immediately to the Hotline staff, who will evaluate them and, if they suspect illegal content on the Czech internet, they will refer the report to the Police of the Czech Republic; in the case of foreign websites, they will forward the report to the relevant hotline in the foreign country. If the Hotline finds that a report on illegal content in the T-Mobile network was unjustified, it will inform T-Mobile without delay and request that the operator unblock the content. If the server is not administered by T-Mobile but the report was submitted to the Hotline by T-Mobile, the Hotline will proceed in the same manner as in the case of reports submitted by the public.

Partners and their role
IWF (Internet Watch Foundation) - IWF is a UK-based internet hotline established to receive reports of potential illegal internet content from the public and companies operating in the internet sector. For T‑Mobile Czech Republic, it provides a database of websites containing illegal content (relating only to child abuse) based on which T‑Mobile filters internet access to its mobile customers.

Horká linka ("Hotline") - Hotline is the only Czech hotline supported by the European Commission. In cooperation with the Police of the Czech Republic and international hotlines which are members of the INHOPE network, it helps to improve the internet environment within self-regulatory mechanisms. It is T‑Mobile's partner in receiving and processing reports of illegal online content.

For more information, please visit www.t-mobile.cz/ochranadeti and www.horkalinka.cz.

T-Mobile Czech Republic, a member of the international telecommunications group Deutsche Telekom, has almost 6.2 million customers, the number-one operator in the Czech market. T-Mobile is an integrated operator: in addition to telecommunications services, it offers comprehensive ICT solutions not only for companies, but also for other organizations and individuals. It provides outstanding services in the high-speed network, which was proved repeatedly by benchmark testing performed by umlaut (former P3) with Best-in-Test seal.

T-Mobile Czech Republic places emphasis on taking a responsible approach to the environment and society. It adheres to fair business practices, helps beneficial applications and services to see the light of day, supports non-profit organizations, small businesses and individuals, and lends a helping hand whenever crisis situations arise. The company’s employees serve as volunteers in many places across the entire Czech Republic.

More information about the company is available at www.t-mobile.cz, www.t-press.cz (the portal for journalists) and www.t-mobile.cz/pomahame (information on the company’s CSR activities).

Contact details of the press unit: press@t-press.cz.