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MTN Briefing to the

Parliamentary Portfolio

Committee on Home Affairs

relating to Access to Adult

Content

15 November 2005

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Briefing by MTN on Porn Adverts

• Introduction• Content on Mobile Networks• Entities involved in content provision value chain• MTN and WASPA• Adult content: What makes it difficult? The complications for mobile operators• What is being done• What can still be done? • Conclusion

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Introduction

Content on Mobile Networks

• There are a variety of means that any content may be accessed by a mobile subscriber, for example

– Content portal of a Mobile Operator – “MTN Loaded”– Third party content providers – Usually by agreement with

Mobile Operator – The internet

• Content can be requested and delivered via– SMS, IVR, WAP, WIG, USSD, MMS

• Content can be requested on one bearer and delivered on another

• There are also many entities involved in the value chain of developing, integrating, making available and delivering various kinds of content, including adult content

• MTN will in this presentation address these means and entities in an effort to explain the complexities involved in the possibility of children accessing adult content

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• As an operator, MTN carries both voice and data traffic on its network

• MTN provides content services through its portal namely

• MTN has made a decision not to provide adult content services through its own content portal “MTN LOADED”

• MTN is both a content provider and a content delivery mechanism

• In terms of section 2 of the REGULATION OF INTERCEPTION OF COMMUNICATIONS AND PROVISION OF COMMUNICATION-RELATED INFORMATION ACT 70 OF 2002 MTN is prohibited from intercepting or any communication in the course of its occurrence or transmission”

Content on Mobile Networks

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MTN Loaded – no adult content

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• These entities can be loosely classified as: • content creators • content distributors • third party content aggregators • portals • network operators; and • Consumers

• All of the abovementioned parties play a role in the development, advertising and delivery of contents services of which adult content provision is a portion

• Graphically the value chain can be represented as follows:

Entities involved in content provision value chain

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Network operator Portal Third party

Content Aggregator Content Distributor Content Creator

The Content value chain

Please note that this traditional value chain oversimplifies the complexity of the management and control of the delivery of content. It assumes the

mobile operator controls and manages the value chain.

Consumer

Broadcast Regulator

WASPA

Various industry bodies

Local, international and public protection agencies

Parents

Telecom Regulator

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• MTN requires all South African content providers wishing to utilise its network as a delivery mechanism to be a member of the Wireless Application Service Providers’ Association (WASPA) and to adhere to its Code of Conduct:

– WASPA is an independent, non-profit organisation representing the interests of those that provide mobile application services in South Africa

– It is in part funded by the three South African mobile networks– The code of conduct includes a framework for the provision of

adult services to ensure adequate protection of children from potentially harmful content

– The Code of Conduct equips consumers with a mechanism for addressing any concerns or complaints relating to services provided by WASPA members

– MTN can withhold payment from any provider that contravenes the WASPA Code of conduct

MTN and WASPA

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• Inherently the internet is the ultimate open network -Any destination is an accessible IP address

• It is the responsibility of the destination to secure the content

• The balance between civil liberties and consumer protection must be managed

• The foundation of SMS, MMS, IM is direct communication between individuals

• Control of adult content is extremely difficult in this scenario and

• MTN may not intercept content

• Operators have an element of control/censure where the customer is billed on our network

• Advertising based model make this difficult – advertisements are not placed by the Mobile Operators

Peer-to-Peer communication External billing models

The Internet as an Open Network

Adult content: What makes it difficult? The complications for mobile operators

Network operator Portal Third party

Content Aggregator Content Distributor Content Creator Consumer

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Challenges

• The provision of adult content is a large and lucrative industry and despite many attempts to control its distribution through regulation, it is fairly freely accessible through a variety of channels

• Distributing adult content via a mobile phone is seen as a natural extension of a well established internet adult content industry and therefore a reality that is only going to become more prominent

• MTN does not provide adult content via MTN LOADED but cannot avoid the use of its network where consumers wishes to use the network for adult services

• MTN can and will however assist with specific initiatives but it must be realised that despite any best endeavours of blocking sites or services, adult content will still be available

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Challenges cont…

• A major challenge in this arena is around the regulation of international content providers as these companies are not subject to South African regulation and their movements are often very hard to track

• The prepaid market poses a particular difficulty in tracking the profile of the subscriber and in providing any kind of relationship between the user and the SIM

• The Content providers can move their sites (name and IP address) in an effort to counter the filtering of their sites

• Minors can purchase additional prepaid SIMS’s to access restricted sites

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Adult Content: Despite complications we are actingWhat additional measures are in place?• When MTN is notified of sites that may carry illegal content, the site can be

blocked immediately from any further access by the MTN user base.– Unfortunately the organisations that operate services that provide illegal

content move their services to new locations once they realise they are being blocked by networks and it is difficult to follow their movements.

• MTN is in the process of implementing a product that will allow users to block access to local and international mobile numbers and URLs

– MTN will make available to consumers filters or other tools that are designed to restrict access to content on the public Internet or other public data networks upon the development of reasonably effective, commercially available tools for mobile handsets

– MTN is busy evaluating systems that will meet the business requirements and plans to have the solution implemented by the end of Q2 next year

– This will allow parents to control and monitor the content that children are allowed access

– A process needs to be put in place whereby an adult can on behalf of a child request for the child’s SIM to be restricted from viewing adult content

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USERS AND DIVICES NETWORK CONTENT CONTENT PROVIDERS

Adult Content: Despite complications we are actingSome current and potential future initiatives

Pull

Push

Local WASP

InternationalWASPWAP

IVR

SMS

MMS

USSD

USERS AND DIVICES NETWORK CONTENT CONTENT PROVIDERS

CU

RR

EN

TF

UR

TH

ER

AC

TIO

NS • Device software

similar to “Net Nanny”

• Default keypad locking of device when not in use

• User Age Verification through various methods

• Blocking of URLs and MSISDNs that is identified as containing illegal content

• Nework capability to allow users to block access to specific URLs and MSISDNs

• All content is rated according to national and/or international rating scale

• Proactively monitor traffic to specific URLs and mobile numbers to ensure that illegal content is made inaccessible

• Informally monitoring the types of content delivered through the MTN network

• No adult content through MTNLoaded

• WASPA Code of Conduct introduced for SA WASPS

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Adult Content: What can still be done?

• MTN will continue to do all that is fair and sustain its efforts to prevent minors from accessing pornography even though the company cannot completely deny access to adult content provision

• Enforce adult verification on all adult services via network controlled measures e.g.

• PIN locking and/or credit card verification before access is allowed to specific content types

• Proactively monitor traffic to specific URLs and mobile numbers to ensure that illegal content is made inaccessible

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Conclusion (1)

• MTN will continue to do all that is fair and reasonable and sustain its efforts to prevent minors from accessing pornography

• MTN will make available to consumers filters or other tools that are designed to restrict access to content on the public Internet or other public data networks upon the development of reasonably effective, commercially available tools for mobile handsets

• MTN will comply with applicable laws regarding the protection of minors and cooperate with appropriate law enforcement agencies as required by law on reported and known illegal content

• MTN offers no adult content on own content portal

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Conclusion (2)

• MTN requires all South African content providers wishing to utilise its network as a delivery mechanism to be a member of the Wireless Application Service Providers’ Association (WASPA) and to adhere to its Code of Conduct

• Adult content will unfortunately always be accessible via the internet

• No amount of technological intervention will completely eliminate the access to adult content

• Parental guidance and monitoring will and still remains the critical success factor to deny children access to adult content