The GSM Association (GSMA) has been presented with the ITU World Telecommunications and Information Society Award at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) awards ceremony in Geneva. The award is presented each year to distinguished laureates for their contribution towards building an inclusive and more equitable Information Society. The GSMA has received the award for its work in combating the distribution of child sexual abuse content via the mobile phone.
In February last year the GSMA announced the launch of The Mobile Alliance Against Child Sexual Abuse Content at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The members of the Alliance, which includes the worlds biggest and most influential operators, came together to attempt to stop the spread of digital child sexual abuse content.
The aim of the Alliance is to obstruct the use of the mobile environment for the consumption of, or to profit from, child sexual abuse content, and halt any growth of this content. The Alliance has engaged with many other initiatives and coalitions to combat online child sexual abuse. The ITUs Child Online Protection initiative is one of these, and the GSMA has been working with all stakeholders who share the common goal of protecting children.
The GSMA has been promoting the activity across its membership, providing input to operators, and sharing best practice and technical guidance to facilitate the implementation of proactive measures against child sexual abuse content. Toolkits, technical documents and expertise are available to all operators and are also promoted through information sessions held at GSMA regional events and GSMAs Mobile Congresses.