BEE SECURE Stopline: 2017 trends in Luxembourg

In the June 2018 edition of the BIK bulletin, we look at hotline trends and issues, hearing also from various members of the INHOPE hotline network. Here, we hear from the Luxembourgish hotline on recent trends.

Date 2018-06-27 Author BEE SECURE Stopline, the Luxembourg hotline Section awareness, hotlines
The BEE SECURE Stopline was launched in 2008. Since then, it has served as a secure, anonymous resource for anyone who wishes to report illegal content online. Illegal content is defined here as any representation of sexual abuse of minors, or any content that is deemed racist, revisionist or discriminatory, or related to terrorist activities.
 
BEE SECURE Stopline logo
 
The mission of the BEE SECURE Stopline is to stop the spread of illegal content involving minors on the internet, and to remove such content as quickly as possible. It also contributes to the persecution of those who produce and consume content depicting the sexual abuse of children. The BEE SECURE Stopline works closely with the Luxembourg Police and INHOPE, the international hotline network, which operates 48 hotlines in over 40 different countries.
 
The BEE SECURE Stopline – part of the Luxembourg Safer Internet Centre – allows users to report illegal content without contacting the police directly, and without fear of being reported or prosecuted. The Stopline filters the reported content, sends it to the relevant authorities, and accelerates the exchange of international information.
 
Some recent (2017*) trends include:
  • Sexual abuse of minors: 750 URLs were reported in 2017, of which 591 were classified as illegal and transmitted to the appropriate authorities. This was a significant increase compared to 2016. At the end of 2017, in particular, the hotline noticed a significant rise in the number of reports. Boys are the primary victims of this type of abuse, making up 57 per cent of reported cases, whereas 42 per cent of cases affected girls.
  • Racist, revisionist and discriminatory content: In 2017 there were 110 reported cases, of which 58 were deemed illegal and transmitted to the relevant authorities.
  • Terrorist content: In 2017, BEE SECURE received twice as many reports as in 2016 (17 in total, of which 6 were transmitted to authorities).
These figures alone demonstrate the tremendous need for international and national Stoplines (or hotlines) in every country as a useful tool for making the internet safer. Such a tool is necessary for reducing the amount of illegal content circulating freely on the web and for punishing those who spread and/or consume such content so that everyone (children and adults) can surf the internet safely and responsibly.
 
To report illegal content in Luxembourg, visit the BEE SECURE Stopline website.
 
Find out more about the work of the Luxembourg Safer Internet Centre (SIC) more generally, including its awareness raising, helpline, hotline and youth participation services.
 
* See the full report from which these figures are taken (in French and German) on the Kanner-Jugendtelefon website.

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