The Institute of Watch Internet Network’s inbox this month was inundated with complaints from people who clicked on the link on Professional Technology Temple (PTT), the nation’s largest online bulletin board system, institute executive secretary Liu Yu-chun (劉昱均) told reporters in a telephone interview.
It ordered PTT to remove the post, as it had a hyperlink to an animation of female characters engaged in sexual intercourse, Liu said, adding that the first complaints were received in December last year.
The institute, a semi-official task force funded by multiple government agencies, reviews complaints about online content and relays them to the agencies.
Photo: CNA
Complaints about online content involving sexual exploitation of children are forwarded to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, which is in charge of enforcing the Child and Youth Sexual Exploitation Prevention Act (兒童及少年性剝削防制條例).
The PTT incident triggered debate over whether the act, which was amended last year, applies to images based on children, whether they are created by artificial intelligence (AI) or artists.
“The text was about a new online adult game and contained a hyperlink to the game,” Liu said.
“Female characters in the game look like elementary-school students,” she said. “People complained that the images depicted children having sexual intercourse, although the sexual organs were blurred.”
“After consulting child experts and non-governmental organizations, we determined that the content contravened the act and asked PTT and the person who posted the message to take it down,” she said.
PTT voluntarily took down the post, as it knows that the institute does not issues notices arbitrarily, she added.
“We have also ascertained that the act applies even if it involves animated or AI-generated characters that are child-like,” she said.
“The ministry asked Shopee.com to take down AI-generated images of children being sold online, as they contravened the act and the Criminal Code,” she added.
Disseminating pictures of children being sexually exploited is different from disseminating pornographic content, Liu said.
“Even though PTT and the poster have taken down the content, we still have to report the case to the police and prosecutors, as well as to the social welfare agency, as it is a criminal offense,” she said. “Even if prosecutors do not press charges, the social welfare agency might impose a fine.”
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