Download a free filter software to your home computer

As a result of a legislative amendment that took force on 1 September 2014, the use of Internet filter software for the protection of minors is now mandatory at all educational institutions and public libraries across Hungary. Moreover, as of 1 July, Internet service providers are required to make such software available for free download on their websites. The Internet Round Table for the Protection of Children, established by NMHH President Monika Karas, has made a proposal to define what constitutes a proper filter, thus calling for software to be made available in Hungarian and free of charge, and recommending that filtering by content category should be performed with the use of multilingual dictionaries, and that, in order to prevent fraud on social networking sites, submitting only a limited set of personal information should be an option.

How filters work

The Internet filter software that is mandatory at schools is also perfectly suitable for home use. Parents or guardians using the software can select from various preset profiles, such as according to age, so even those with limited computer knowledge can navigate the functions with ease. It is also possible to fine-tune the software and customise the lists of blocked/allowed search keywords and websites, as well as limit or increase the time spent online per day.

The Hungarian filter software and the Internet Hotline are available on the website www.gyermekbarat.nmhh.hu.

The Internet Hotline service is one of the instruments the NMHH has developed as part of its corporate social responsibility efforts. Visitors to the website www.internethotline.hu can report online content that may be illegal or harmful to minors. Reports can be filed in the following case types:

• content made accessible without permission
• paedophile content
• harassment
• racist or xenophobic content
• content portraying violence
• content promoting drug use
• content promoting, facilitating or inciting acts of terrorism
• data phishing sites, content infected with viruses, spyware or worms
• other content harmful to minors

Once a report is filed, it will be evaluated by Internet Hotline personnel and if the reported content is found to be objectionable — that is, either illegal, or legal but harmful to minors —, the content owner or the affected host is notified to take the questioned content offline. In case of content that, while not illegal, is harmful or dangerous to minors, the NMHH requests the website owner or the affected host to clearly indicate on the site that its content may be harmful to minors.

The reporting process

Via the Hotline, NMHH personnel offer guidance on settings at popular social networking sites and provide further information and assistance on how to avoid online data theft, recognise and protect against online harassment, and what legal remedies are available for online infringements.

In these efforts, the NMHH collaborates with the Hungarian Police and is also an active member of the International Association of Internet Hotlines (INHOPE) that spearheads the fight against Internet paedophilia. Thanks to this international cooperation, measures against paedophile content hosted both in and outside Hungary can be taken faster and with less intricacy.

Reports per case type in 2014

In 2014, the Internet Hotline received approximately 450 reports. In recent years, most reports have been made due to ‘racist or xenophobic content’ (503 cases), ‘content made accessible without permission’ (486 cases), ‘other content harmful to minors’ (318 cases) and ‘paedophile content’ (254 cases).