Members of the Tasmania Police Serious Organised Crime Division have been working with interstate counterparts and Commonwealth agencies to investigate a pornography website that has been the subject of recent media reporting.

Investigations to date have resulted in the website being taken down and further investigations will be conducted to identify any illegal content – as well as to identify and prosecute anyone responsible for posting or accessing illegal content.

“The reference on the website to two Tasmanian schools was limited to one anonymous comment; no images of students were posted,” said Detective Acting Inspector Tony Kay.

“However, investigators identified that there were two images posted to the website of Tasmanian teenagers.  We believe the images were originally provided to another person by consent and unfortunately they were then passed onto other people. One image was taken four years ago and re-posted,” he said.

Detectives are working with representatives of the Education Department to identify any criminal conduct in relation to those images.

“These matters have generated discussion amongst teachers, students and parents about the risks of taking and sharing explicit images.

“There are long term risks of images being distributed without consent or control. In many cases, it’s impossible to control the distribution of images once they appear online – including through social media,” said Detective Acting Inspector Kay.

“Parents play a critical role in the education of young people about the risks associated with sharing intimate photos.

“We also remind young people that creating and sharing of images depicting naked or semi-naked people under the age of 18 years may constitute criminal offences.”

Further information can be obtained from various reputable sources such as http://www.thinkuknow.org.au/ or https://www.esafety.gov.au/.

Kids Helpline can provide advice and support to people aged 5-25 years – on 1800551800 or at https://kidshelpline.com.au/

Parents and students who are concerned about this issue are encouraged to discuss the matter with their school in the first instance. Schools are best placed to provide support and advice to students. Matters amounting to criminal conduct will be referred to police.

Anyone with information about the creation, distribution or accessing of child pornography should contact Tasmania Police on 131444 or report the information to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

If you believe you have been a victim of an online crime please refer to the Australian Government online reporting website – www.cyber.gov.au/report