Yes, you can report anonymously by using the web form. No IP addresses or other data will be recorded.

Any data that is voluntarily submitted by the sender is kept strictly confidential and not shared with any third parties.

Stopline does not inform the sender of a report whether illegal content was actually found, as this is in accordance with instructions from the Austrian executive. A standardised reply would also be problematic as Internet content can change within a short time, and Stopline would risk having classified content as “not illegal” that turns out to be illegal later.

Furthermore, Stopline is not informed by the police about further steps. For this reason, it is also not possible to give any information about actions against illegal content hosted abroad.

All illegal content can be reported, irrespective of a website’s possible connection to a specific country (e.g. language,...). For this purpose, the international union of Internet hotlines (INHOPE) was founded in order to fight illegal content across borders.

If there is no INHOPE partner hotline in the country where the servers hosting the content are located, pursuing the case involves international cooperation between police forces via Interpol which can, in some instances, involve delays.

Actively searching the Inernet for illegal content might be a criminal offence, so the Stopline staff members are not allowed to do that. 

As a result, Stopline’s success in combatting child sexual abuse material and National Socialism online is primarily down to a large number of vigilant internet users and the organisation’s strong networks and partnerships at home and abroad.

The required access data (e.g. URL) is forwarded to the responsible Austrian executive authority and to the INHOPE partner hotline of the corresponding host country. Any necessary steps will be initiated.

You can forward the report to Stopline. If there is no INHOPE partner hotline in the country where the servers hosting the content are located, pursuing the case involves international cooperation between police forces via Interpol which can, in some instances, involve delays.

This content is forwarded to the foreign INHOPE partner hotline and to the proper Austrian executive authority, which will take further steps by contacting Interpol.

If the illegal content is hosted in Austria, the responsible ISP usually removes it from the Internet immediately after being informed unless there is an explicit contrary instruction from the police (e.g. in order to track down consumers of the illegal content).

Stopline has decided to deal with two major offences in Austrian law: Child sexual abuse material and national socialism. Both offences are widespread in the assumed anonymity of the Internet. Therefore, experts at Stopline have chosen the task of removing these criminal elements from the web.

The report will be processed within a work day.

You can report illegal content directly via www.stopline.at/report or by sending an email to office@stopline.at 

To help us to process your report as effectively as possible, please send the following information to Stopline, depending on the

• Websites, e-groups and FTP servers --> the exact URL
• Filesharing programs --> Author, date, subject and/or search terms
• Newsgroups --> Description of posting; specific name of newsgroup, news server, sender, date and subject of posting
• Social media --> URL or name of social media platform, name of author (for comments, postings…) and date

If you know the passwords for accessing the content, please notify us of them. The more precisely you describe the source, the faster Stopline can get to work investigating the report. Reports are acted on within one working day.

Detailed statistics are available here.

In the 20 years it has been active, Stopline has processed more than 68,000 reports. In an average of 22% of cases, the material reported is in fact illegal, the majority of which is hosted on foreign servers (as of April 2018).

The reported content is verified by the Stopline staff members. In case of content that is probably illegal according to Austrian law it is forwarded to

• the responsible Austrian executive authority
• the possibly affected Austrian ISP and
• foreign partner hotlines if the child-pornographic content is hosted abroad.

A graphic representation of report process is available here.

Stopline has committed itself to the fast and unbureaucratic removal of illegal content (child sexual abuse material or national socialism) available in Austria on the Internet. This is quite successful, as Austrian providers, whose systems are used to publish the content, efficiently cooperate with Stopline and immediately react as soon as Stopline informs them about illegal content.

The hotline was set up in 1998 as an initiative of the Internet Service Providers Austria (ISPA) association. Stopline’s foundation was triggered by the discovery of child sexual abuse material on the server of an Austrian provider, which had been put online by one of its customers. The industry responded immediately, taking a stand against illegal content on the internet through Stopline. In addition to following up reports of child sexual abuse images, Stopline was also assigned responsibility for another area for which the internet plays a significant role as a mass medium: edorsement of National Socialism.

There are 2 ways to make a report to Stopline:

• either by using thereport form on the Stopline website,
• or by sending an e-mail to office@stopline.at

Important!
If you suspect that you have found illegal material, or have information regarding such content, you should report it to Stopline immediately. However, you should not take any other action. Do not do any detective work on your own initiative! Do not actively set off in search of illegal content and do not send any images to Stopline – this also applies to screenshots! This could be interpreted as an illegal act in itself. All it takes for Stopline to follow up a report is an accurate as possible indication of the source of the suspicious material.

All that are reported to Stopline which include child sexual abuse material or national socialism, and which are actually hosted in Austria. If such websites are hosted abroad, Stopline immediately informs the partner hotlines in the corresponding countries as well as the responsible Austrian executive authority in order to ensure a rapid response.

The activities of Stopline solely target the publication of child sexual abuse material and national socialist content on the Internet. Tracking down the producers or consumers of this content is the exclusive task of the law enforcement authorities.

Basically, things that are liable to prosecution in the so-called “offline world” (which means in the real world), are also considered a criminal offense on the Internet. Thus, the Internet is not an unlegislated area at all.

In contrast to the Austrian legal situation, other countries like the USA, protect such activities to a certain extent by applying the right of freedom of opinion and speech. There is just no legal basis for any countermeasures in these countries.

Blocking: This means making content inaccessible. The content is still there, but no longer visible to, or accessible for certain Internet users (e.g. within a country or for customers of a particular access provider).

Deleting: The content is removed and no longer stored on the host server. Thus, it is no longer available on the Internet.

The internet is the most important medium for distributing information of our time. But it is also a way to disseminate illegal content, which is just as liable for prosecution as it would be offline. The majority of reports of child sexual abuse material subsequently categorised as actionable by Stopline is hosted on foreign servers. As a result, being part of a strong, international network with non-bureaucratic, direct access to overseas counterparts is essential for effectively combating illegal content. The INHOPE international network of internet hotlines comprises around 50 partner hotlines who cooperate with each other to remove illegal content from the internet.

An ISP can only deactivate access to content at a particular address. The actual operators of this content often make it available again at a different address.

According to the Austrian Penal Code (§ 207a StGB), child sexual abuse material is defined as images showing minors involved in sexual activity. Persons under the age of 18 are minors.

Pornographic material is usually presented in the form of photographs, videos or the like. Other images such as drawings, paintings, comics or montages are grey areas. In these cases it is not instantly possible to verify the authenticity of the images. The decisive factor is that the viewer must have the impression that sexual activity with minors is actually taking place. Text describing sexual activity with children is not criminal in terms of child sexual abuse material but possibly with regard to other legal regulations.

Since 1 January 2012 grooming (initiating sexual contact with minors via the internet) and watching performances involving the sexual abuse of minors (live, via webcam) have been criminal offences.

Another important change to the Austrian Criminal Code regards sexting. Consensual sexting (i.e. a person over the age of 14 sending or forwarding erotic images of their own body) has not been a punishable offence since 1 January 2016 (see section 207a para. 5). It is, however, still an offence if images of this nature are produced under duress or transmitted to a third party.

In Austria, the denial of Nazi crimes as well as the endorsement of National Socialist ideology are punishable offences.

Regarding the fight against national socialism, the following legal regulations below are applied: National Socialist prohibition law, law against the wearing of national socialist regaliaand symbols.

Both regulations clearly point out that discussing the ideology of an illegal organisation in an objective, critical or historical way is legal, but not the approval of its ideas.

National Child- and Youth Protection Organisations

• www.saferinternet.at - Supports internet users – particularly children, young people, parents and teachers – regarding the safe use of Internet, mobile phones and computer games
• www.rataufdraht.at - 147 - Rat auf Draht - Telephone hotline for Children and Youth
• www.die-moewe.at - die Möwe - Child protection center for physically, mentally or sexually abused children
• www.tamar.at - Advisory office for maltreated and sexually abused women and girls
• www.kija.at - Advocacy for children and youths
• www.kinderanwalt.at – kija Styria - Hotline for child and youth law
• www.kinderrechte.gv.at - Children's rights in Austria
• www.jugendinfo.at - Austrian youth info
• www.jugendinfo.cc - Austrian youth portal
• www.jugendinfo-noe.at – Youth Info Lower Austria
• www.jugendservice.at – Youth Info Upper Austria
• www.aha.or.at – "aha" Tipps and Information for young people
• www.gemeinsam-gegen-gewalt.at – White Feather - Together for fairness and against violence
• www.sicher-im-internet.at – General security tipps around computer and internet

International Child- and Youth Protection Organisations

• www.saferinternet.org – a network of national nodes that coordinate internet safety awareness in Europe
• www.childnet.com - Childnet International - a non-profit organisation working with others to help make the internet a great and safe place for children
• www.blinde-kuh.de/sicherheit/ - Tipps and information around „Surf the internet“ for childrens and youth

Some more important links

• www.interpol.int – Official international Interpol website
• www.internetombudsmann.at - Information and help around the Internet
• www.bmukk.gv.at - Federal Ministry of Education, Art and Culture - Subsumption from important addresses and drop-in centre
• www.bmi.gv.at – Federal Ministry of the Interior
• www.bmi.gv.at/meldestellen - Report centre of the Law Enforcement Agencies, the Criminal Intelligence Service Austria is responsible for child sexual abuse and the Federal Agency for State Protection and Counter Terrorism is responsible for national socialism 
• www.rtr.at – Austrian Regulatory Authority for broadcasting and telecommunications

One important way for each Internet user is to help to increase the public awareness of the report office. Website operators can place a Stopline logo on their website and create a link to the Stopline website. In addition, handing out the Stopline brochure will support the raising of public awareness.

We also ask you to report any child pornographic or national socialist content that you might accidentally come across. Please do not actively search for illegal material on the Internet, as this might be illegal, even if you do it with the best intentions.

Here you will be forwarded to the download area.

Unfortunately, there is no 100% protection for your child. However, there are different kinds of filter software that you can install on your computer. But there is still the problem that not all problematic content is filtered or that harmless content is not shown.

The most effective way to protect children is giving them knowledge about the safe use of the Internet and all its contents.

On Saferinternet.at, for instance, you will get detailed information.

The Internet is not only used in private and business life, but can also be used by young and old to gain further education and information. Therefore it has also become an indispensable medium for children and young people. Computers govern our professional and private lives because they make many thing easier - from data processing to high-speed communication and the collection of information throughout the world.

Alongside these facilities, problem areas in the Internet should not be ignored and must be examined. Enclosed 10 tips for you:

1. Explore the Internet together with your child.
2. Make rules together with your child regarding the use of the Internet.
3. Tell your child to be careful about providing personal data.
4. Talk to your child about the risks of meeting online acquaintances in real life. 
5. Discuss the reliability of information on the Internet together with your child.
6. Report illegal Internet content to www.stopline.at.
7. Encourage your children to comply with the forms of netiquette.
8. Keep yourself informed about the Internet use of your child.
9. Don't be too critical with regard to your child's exploration of the Internet.
10. Don't forget: the chances and benefits of the Internet significantly outweigh its risks!

Please find further tips for a safe use of the Internet at www.saferinternet.at.

Stopline investigates reports of

• child sexual abuse material within the meaning of section 207a Austrian Criminal Code (StGB) and
• National Socialism within the meaning of the National Socialism Prohibition Act and Insignia Act, inter alia.

As a result, the Stopline website exclusively focuses on these two areas of content. It does not investigate reports relating to any other form of illegal content online. Additional legal texts can be found using the Office of the Federal Chancellor’s online search engine at http://www.ris.bka.gv.at/.

Stopline works hand in hand with prosecutors’ report centres at a national level. Responsibility for prosecuting cases involving sexual abuse of minors and National Socialism on the internet falls on two different bodies:

• the Federal Criminal Police Office (BK) for child sexual abuse material and
• the Federal Office for Protection of the Constitution and Counterterrorism (BVT) for National Socialism.

Both organisations have their own online report centres for the content/activities in question.

Unfortunately, some content that is hosted abroad cannot be accessed, e.g. because the content is not subject to a criminal offence in this country. This is especially the case with national socialist content and, sometimes, also with child sexual abuse material.

In certain cases the technical and, thus, geographical origin of an online service is not verifiable.

If there is no INHOPE partner hotline in the country of the content’s origin, international cooperation between the police and Interpol might in some cases result in a delay.

Another possibility is the intention of the law enforcement authorities to keep certain websites active for a certain time in order to be able to track down as many consumers as possible.

The Internet is great invention. You can find a lot of information about your private interests and for school.

Unfortunately, we all know that there are Internet users that have bad intentions and pretend to be your cyber friends. But if you follow a few tips and pass them on to your friends, you can easily stay out of danger and have lots of fun in and with the Internet.But don?t forget your other leisure-time activities outdoors. 

• Tip 1: The web must also adhere to rules!
  Here the same rules apply as in "real" life.
• Tip 2: Who you are is nobody's business!
  Do not publish prejudicial pictures or texts. Never publish any personal data such as name, address, phone number etc. on the Internet.
• Tip 3: Not everything is true - be suspicious!
  You never know if someone is really the person they pretend they are.
• Tip 4: Rights regarding your own photographs!
  Make sure that the people in the image agree with its publication.
• Tip 5: Nothing is free!
  On the Internet you rarely get something actually for free.
• Tip 6: If something looks strange to you, just report it!
  If you get a bad feeling about what you see on the Internet, talk to a responsible adult about it.
• Tip 7: Never meet online friends alone!
  Take an adult person with you when you meet someone for the first time. They should at least be within sight.
• Tip 8: Adhere to age restrictions!
  There are many amazing websites that have especially been designed for you.
• Tip 9: Protect your computer!
  Use antivirus software and update it regularly.
• Tip 10: Regarding money - ask before!

Don't place online orders without your parents' authorisation. Don't give credit card numbers to anyone and/or ask the owner of the card first.

Please find more tips for the safe use of the Internet at www.saferinternet.at/staysafe.

If you are unsatisfied with the work of Stopline, you can send a complaint with detailed information to beschwerde@stopline.at. 

Responsible for complaints is the Stopline Board.

Change in the use of the terms “child pornography” and “National Socialism” 

Stopline marked its 20th anniversary in 2018 and is taking this milestone as an opportunity to join the international community’s work to eliminate use of the phrase “child pornography”. The former Report Centre against Child Pornography and National Socialism on the Internet is now called the Austrian. Report Centre against Child Sexual Abuse Material and National Socialism on the Internet. Experts who work with the young people affected confirm that the term “child pornography” downplays the seriousness of the depictions of sexual abuse, violence and coercion.