The Digital Services Act regulates online intermediary services and platforms. Its primary purpose is to prevent illegal and harmful online activities and the deliberate spread of fake news. The act ensures user safety, protects consumers, consumers' fundamental rights and creates a fair and open online platform environment.

The Internet Hotline is an online information and assistance service operated by the National Media and Infocommunications Authority since 2011 as a public interest service, where one can report illegal content or content harmful to minors available online.

The Internet Hotline investigates online abuses and provides legal assistance to protect the public interest in the safe use of the internet. An investigation initiated on the basis of a report is not an official procedure, and the Internet Hotline does not exercise official powers or use official means in its activities.

Basic information about the Internet Hotline

Name: Internet Hotline
Registered office: 1015 Budapest, Ostrom u. 23–25.
Number of members: four (one hotline manager and 3 analysts)
E-mail address: internethotline@internethotline.hu

Areas of expertise of the Internet Hotline

The Internet Hotline has expertise and receives reports in the following areas:

• content published without consent,
• child pornography,
• online harassment,
• racist content, incitement against a community,
• content promoting or encouraging the use of illegal psychoactive substances,
• content inciting or promoting illegal acts of violence,
• phishing content,
• other content harmful to minors.

Language of report handling

The Internet Hotline accepts and handles reports in the following languages: English, Hungarian.

Place of operation

The Internet Hotline operates in Hungary.

Basic information on the Internet Hotline’s procedure

The rules governing the operation and procedures of the Internet Hotline are set out in Sections 149/B to D of Act C of 2003 on Electronic Communications and the Internet Hotline Rules of Procedure which forms Annex 4 to the NMHH's Rules of Organisation and Operation.

Users can contact the Internet Hotline via the form (https://e-nmhh.nmhh.hu/enhh/4/urlapok/esf00120/) available on the website (https://nmhh.hu/internethotline/) or by e-mail (internethotline@internethotline.hu). The questions on the Internet Hotline form make it clear to the reporting person what information is required to make a report. When submitting a report by using the form, the reporting person does not have to provide their name and contact details and can submit their report anonymously. In the latter case, the Internet Hotline will also investigate the content of the report, but will not be able to send a response to the reporting person.

As soon as the Internet Hotline receives a report, it investigates its content. The most important thing for the investigation is that the report contains the exact URL (link) to the specific online content, as without this, the analysts will not be able to identify the offending web content.

This is followed by an examination of the URL to see whether the social media site or other website concerned has its own reporting form or complaint management procedure. If so, the Internet Hotline will inform the reporting person and suggest that they should, if possible, first take action themselves, for which it provides the necessary assistance. If the reporting person has previously submitted a report to the social media site, content or hosting provider but has not been successful, has not received a response or the site does not have a reporting form, the Internet Hotline will contact the site and request an investigation into the issue objected to by the reporting person.

In all cases, the Internet Hotline will inform the reporting person of the actions taken and the procedure followed, as well as of the feedback from the social networking site and the content or hosting provider, on condition that the reporting person has provided their e-mail address. If the report raises the possibility of a criminal offence to be prosecuted other than upon a private motion, it will forward the report to the investigating authority within one working day of the detection.

Rules of Procedure

The Rules of Procedure of the Internet Hotline are set out in Annex 4 to the Rules of Organisation and Operation of the National Media and Infocommunications Authority, which can be found at the following link:

Rule of Procedure of the Internet Hotline