/ Stopline
Stopline is an internet hotline which can be contacted by internet users very simply, quickly and unbureaucraticully – also anonymously – if they find the following content on the Internet:
Stopline: Reporting office against child sexual abuse material and endorsement of National Socialism ideology on the Internet
Stopline is the online reporting centre for people who encounter depictions of sexual abuse involving minors and evidence of endorsement of National Socialist ideology on the internet.
Stopline is operated by the association of Austrian internet service providers, the ISPA. The formal foundation of the so-called 'ISPA-Hotline' took place in November 1998 in consultation with the Federal Ministry of the Interior.
Today Stopline is a publicly authorised and accepted report hotline. Stopline cooperates closely with the Federal Ministry of the Interior (Criminal Intelligence Service Austria and Federal Angency for State Protection and Counter Terrorism), and with the internet service providers through the ISPA. Cooperation with the public authorities requires periodic meetings in order to exchange technical knowledge between agents, especially with regard to new services and possibilities of the internet and mobile communication, which is becoming more and more important.
What is illegal on the Internet?
The general rule is: everything that is illegal on the Internet would also be illegal in the real 'offline world'. Thus, the Internet is by no means an area that is immune from prosecution.
The competence of the Stopline therefore relates to 2 serious criminal offences according to Austrian law:
Report form: Have you found suspicious material?
You can find a report form on the Stopline website. After receipt of your report by Stopline, staff members will verify whether the material really is illegal according to Austrian law. If this is the case, the responsible Austrian executive authority, any Austrian provider affected, and the international partner hotline in the context of INHOPE, a network of hotlines against illegal Internet content, are alerted, in order to have the contents removed as soon as possible.
If you have any other questions regarding the above named topics , Stopline will be happy to help.
Please send an e-mail to office@stopline.at.