Householders and computer users will now have another weapon to limit the spread illegal child pornography sites on the internet.
Ecpat Child Alert, an anti child prostitution and pornography organisation, has developed new software that lets users report suspected illegal sites to the authorities, with just a click of the mouse.
Millions of images of shocking and graphic child sex abuse are spread by the internet to users everyday.
Alan Bell, Ecpat director, says the images of real children.
"Every time those images are viewed by different people the abuse happens all over again," says Bell.
He says while people think such images are highly unlikely to enter their computers at home, they are very mistaken.
"There'd be tens of thousands of clicks not people but clicks every day here in New Zealand trying to access illegal child sex abuse images. It's a startling figure," says Bell.
Now internet users in New Zealand can do something about it thanks to new software that is both free and simple to use.
Once installed, if a user gets a pop up or visit a site they suspect contains child pornography, a click on the child alert icon will send details of the site to Ecpat Child Alert and they in turn will send it through to the Department of Internal Affairs.
"If it does contain illegal child sex images, they can block access to it so nobody else can see that particular site," says Bell.
And the whole process is completely anonymous and nothing is traced back to the user.
Minister of Internal Affairs Nathan Guy says there is no silver bullet in fighting child porn.
He says parents' needs to keep an eye on their children's use of the internet and be ever vigilant.
In the first half of this year, more than 25 people have been convicted for watching, storing or distributing child pornography in New Zealand.
Bell says child pornography is very much an issue in New Zealand and that is why the company opened up the hotline.
Free software will be available at all body shops and on the child alert website from next week.
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http://tvnz.co.nz/technology-news/new-software-battle-web-child-porn-2882253
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