White IT is an initiative with the objective to identify adequate actions against child pornography in the internet. In the context of this initiative, the delegates of victims' associations, internet companies, the IT industry and medical associations are co-operating [1] on the basis of a Memorandum of Understanding. [2] The name "White IT" was chosen analogously to Green IT. So far it is only active in Germany, but its long-term scope is international.
Uwe Schünemann, then home secretary of the German state of Lower Saxony, initiated the initiative that was founded November 27, 2009 in Berlin. [3] The objective is to develop concepts in an open minded and holistic approach that are:
These aspects are to be cross-checked continuously. [4] In May 2011 the initiative established White IT Supporters e.V., a registered association (eingetragener Verein) to provide a legal frame for its activities. [5]
An academic study on the means of proliferation of child pornography on the internet is the initial point to start a discussion based on facts and to develop specific counter-measures. The study was realised by Bernd-Dieter Meier, professor at the Kriminalwissenschaftliches Institut (Institute for Criminology) at the Leibniz University Hannover. The study was based on the analysis of court records in Lower Saxony. The study showed that the World Wide Web just plays a minor role in the proliferation of child pornography. Based on this result the initiative focuses on the effective detection of abusive material, especially to facilitate the screening work material seized by the policy. The use of signatures (so to say the digital fingerprints) of already classified abusive material plays a pivotal role the development of further solutions. These signatures are collected at the German Bundeskriminalamt (Federal Criminal Police Office) in the PERKEO-Database and are provided to investigative authorities. The further steps are deriving from the feasibility and the legal and political evaluation of the use of these signatures beyond investigative authorities, e.g. malware detection. [6]
Since 2010 the White IT-Symposium has been established as an interdisciplinary annual conference on the topic child of pornography and measures against it. [7]
With the purpose of strengthening self-assertion of children and of sensitising parents for the topic of sexual abuse, the initiative funded the "Pixi-Books", books for pre-school children and their parents, published by the Carlsen Verlag publishing house. [8] In 2012 a book of the "Pixi-Wissen" series was edited to address older children of 9 to 13 years. [9] In 2013 White IT launched an ideas competition to create other ideas to increase the self-assertion and the awareness of the dangers to children and adolescents. [10]
The first results of the study were presented November 24 and 25 2010 at a symposium in Hannover. [11] [12] [13]
The study itself was presented on May 2 2011 in Berlin. The major results included:
This study is the first empirical academic analysis of the proliferation of child pornography. On the basis of these results, counteractive measures are under development.
DEA Deutsche Erdoel AG was an international oil and gas company headquartered in Hamburg, Germany. It was a subsidiary of L1 Energy. In 2018, DEA owned stakes in oil and gas licenses in various countries and operated natural gas underground storage facilities in Germany. DEA is a derivation from Deutsche Erdöl-Aktiengesellschaft, the original name of the company. On 1 May 2019, DEA merged with Wintershall to form Wintershall Dea.
c't – Magazin für Computertechnik is a German computer magazine, published by the Heinz Heise publishing house.
ProSieben is a German free-to-air television network owned by ProSiebenSat.1 Media.
EBS Universität für Wirtschaft und Recht, more commonly referred to as EBS Universität or simply EBS, is a private, state-approved research university for business and law located in Wiesbaden and Oestrich-Winkel, founded in 1971. The university's activities focus on three core areas: undergraduate degree programs, postgraduate degree programs and executive education. The EBS Universität has the right to award doctorates and habilitations and is the oldest private university in Germany.
Arcor is the former name of the fixed phone line and Internet business of Vodafone D2 GmbH, a German subsidiary of telecommunications company Vodafone. It is the second-largest provider of fixed phone lines in Germany after Deutsche Telekom. Its name changed on 1 August 2009 after Vodafone completed acquisition of the company. Its headquarters were in Eschborn near Frankfurt. It is one of the few telecommunications companies in Germany to operate an ISDN network that is independent of the incumbent provider Deutsche Telekom.
Jörg Tauss is a German politician and former member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). He was born in Stuttgart. From 2000 to 2009, Tauss was the spokesperson of the Education and Research workgroup of the SPD in the Bundestag. He also served within that time as regional party general secretary for Baden-Württemberg.
Although Internet censorship in Germany has traditionally been rated as low, it is practised directly and indirectly through various laws and court decisions. German law provides for freedom of speech and press with several exceptions, including what The Guardian has called "some of the world's toughest laws around acclaimed propaganda". An example of content censored by strict German law are resources meant to enlighten citizens about the Holocaust due to "inaccurate portrayal of history". If caught viewing censored information the German government can punish the viewer up to 15 years in prison as of a court date ruled in early 2000's. According to the Google Transparency Report, the German government is frequently one of the most active in requesting user data after the United States.
RasenBallsport Leipzig e.V., commonly known as RB Leipzig or informally as Red Bull Leipzig, is a German professional football club based in Leipzig, Saxony. The club was founded in 2009 by the initiative of the company Red Bull GmbH, which purchased the playing rights of fifth-tier side SSV Markranstädt with the intent of advancing the new club to the top-flight Bundesliga within eight years. The men's professional football club is run by the spin-off organization RasenBallsport Leipzig GmbH. RB Leipzig plays its home matches at the Red Bull Arena.
MissbrauchsOpfer Gegen InternetSperren (MOGIS) is a German non-profit organization of victims of child abuse.
1&1 Drillisch AG is a German telecommunications service provider headquartered in Maintal and listed on the TecDAX. Since 2017, the majority of the company has belonged to United Internet, and offers both mobile and landline services.
There are eleven metropolitan regions in Germany consisting of the country's most densely populated cities and their catchment areas. They represent Germany's political, commercial and cultural centres. The eleven metropolitan regions in Germany were organised into political units for planning purposes.
Stephanie Freifrau von und zu Guttenberg is a German activist against child abuse, and the former president of the German section of Innocence in Danger, a human rights NGO working to protect the rights of children on the Internet and working to restrict the spread of child pornography, and a co-author of a book about these topics.
Jürgen Klimke is a German politician and member of the conservative party CDU - Christian Democratic Union of Germany. From 1982 to 2002 he was member of the Parliament of the Free and Federal State of Hamburg. Between 2002 and 2017, he represented Hamburg in the German Federal Parliament.
Delticom AG is a listed company based in Hanover. It operates 140 online shops in 42 countries selling car and motor cycle tyres and a range of accessories to both private and corporate customers. Delticom is Europe's largest online tyre retailer with sales of over €500 million per year.
Operation Eikonal is a collaboration between the National Security Agency (NSA) and Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND) for the sharing of telephony and internet data captured in Germany. It is based on an agreement that dates to 2002, and is part of the NSA operation "RAMPART-A". Surveillance started in 2003, telephony data was collected from 2004 onwards, and all internet traffic from the Deutsche Telekom (DT) switching center in Frankfurt was captured starting in 2005.
4Players is a German online magazine that provides news and reviews of video games and related content. Established in August 2000, 4Players is owned by the Hamburg-based company 4Players GmbH, an indirect subsidiary of the Marquard Group conglomerate. 4Players is set to close on 31 October 2021.
Bernd Althusmann is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). Since November 2017, he has been serving as Deputy Minister-President and State Minister for Economic Affairs in the government of Minister-President Stephan Weil.
Stiftung Neue Verantwortung (SNV) is a German non-profit think tank based in Berlin that specializes in public policy related to technology's effect on society.
The Norisbank GmbH is a German bank with headquarters in Bonn. Since 2 November 2006, it has been a subsidiary of Deutsche Bank and since 27 July 2012 purely a direct bank.
The Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) is a publicly funded research institute based in Braunschweig, Germany. HZI is a member of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres, the largest non-university scientific organisation in Germany.