Less child porn from Oz

In a way, it's all good news in Australia. The number of complaints in Australia about online child pornography "have soared more than 300%" since 2000, but the number of sites based in that country has "fallen dramatically," Australian IT reports. The growth in complaints to the Australian Broadcasting Authority's Internet Complaints Hotline shows an awareness both of the problem and of a body that apparently can do something about it (the diminishing number of Oz-based sites is obviously good news). "Of 404 investigations completed by the ABA, 293 found prohibited content, including 266 items classified as an 'exploitative/offensive depiction of a child,' or child pornography," according to Australian IT. Only three sites were found to be hosted in Australia and were issued "take-down orders" by the ABA, though they must not have been illegal, because "none warranted referral to police." The bad news for the US is, 75% of the 380 sites deemed illegal by the ABA were based in the US (about 10% in Europe). In the US, complaints about online child porn can go to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's CyberTipline (or 800.843.5678), in Canada to Cybertip.ca (or toll-free by phone to 866.658.9022). Hotlines throughout Europe can be found right on the home page at INHOPE.org.