New CSAM Reporting Path in Poland

The Polish hotline, operating within NASK National Research Institute, has implemented a new reporting path – through mObywatel application. mObywatel (which translates to mobile-Citizen) is a Polish governmental e-wallet app, allowing its users to have digital versions of documents on their phone: ID, driving license and many more as well as offering access to digital official services. Recently it also has gained a new, very important module – “Network safety” which enables reporting illegal content connected to child exploitation and abuse on the internet directly to Dyżurnet.pl.

Poland-hosted URL shortening services used to redirect to CSAM content have been taken down

In recent months, Dyżurnet.pl has received around 200 reports coming from other hotlines, which included URL addresses generated on sites hosted in Poland, where shortened links to websites could be generated. These links redirected to sites containing CSAM, but the link itself did not point to any known domain, only to the service where the link was generated (shortened). The reports concerned links generated on sites hosted in Poland under the domains: xy2.eu, zip.lu, tinyurl.mobi. Terms of use placed on the site’s pages stated that the use of the site for illegal purposes is prohibited and may result in the inability to use the site’s services for those who violate this prohibition

Unfortunately, the owner of the service did not respond to our requests to curb these actions, so Dyżurnet.pl analysts made arrangements to remove the service from Polish hosting. Cooperation with the hosting provider resulted in the take down of the service.

We would like to appeal to other hotline teams in countries where there are also similar services aimed at shortening links posted on various forums. Some of them do not require users to create accounts, which unfortunately provides anonymity for those sharing CSAM content and abuse of that service. There is also an issue with reporting those URLs, as ICCAM usually saves them with the geolocation of the shortening service instead of the final site to which the link points.

Combined Training: Central Bureau for Combating Cybercrime and Dyżurnet.pl

At the end of November Dyżurnet.pl prepared a training together with Polish Police Officers from the Central Bureau for Combating Cybercrime (CBZC). This event, aiming at strengthening the cooperation between the hotline and LEA, took place in CBZC office and lasted three days. Experts from Dyżurnet.pl had a pleasure to share knowledge with more than 50 Officers from all over Poland on important topics, among others: topics related to everyday operations of the hotline, international cooperation in the field of fighting CSAM, classification of content according to the Schema and solutions offered by the CPORT Project.