Eircom has said it will not voluntarily place barriers to prevent children accessing sex chatlines after a High Court ruling yesterday that a Co Kildare company director can seek leave to compel Eircom to do so.
The court ruled that the printing of this year's Eircom PhoneBook containing the chatline numbers could go ahead on July 9th as planned. However, Mr Justice Kearns said Mr Patrick O'Connor, of Castlewarden, Straffan, Co Kildare, who had sought to restrain publication of the chatline numbers, could seek a mandatory injunction next Thursday compelling Eircom "to install appropriate barriers" to prevent children accessing such lines.
Mr O'Connor, with his partner, Ms Anne Ryan, and her two children, Terri and Eoin Ryan, had sued Eircom plc; Golden Pages Ltd (which produces the PhoneBook on contract); the Censorship of Publications Board, and the State.
Ms Majella Fitzpatrick, the Eircom spokeswoman, said Eircom would not voluntarily place barriers on the phone lines as there was an independent regulator who decided if the telephone services were suitable. She said the company was awaiting the outcome of any proceedings by Mr O'Connor.
Parents could bar the numbers if they wished. "When it comes down to it, whose job is it to be guardians of the children of Ireland?" she said.
In his judgment, Mr Justice Kearns said he suspected 99 per cent of adults had been unaware the sex chatlines had been in the phone directory since 1996. He said Mr O'Connor had performed a valuable service in showing the ease with which children might gain access to such chatlines.
"Some of the chatline services to which Mr O'Connor objects appear on the same page of premium rate services as Team Talk services with leading premier division football clubs, including Manchester United and Liverpool. This greatly enhances the possibility of young persons finding such listings and endeavouring to access them."
Mr Justice Kearns said he had invited Eircom to indicate if it was willing to consider raising the barrier to access to meet Mr O'Connor's concern. Eircom was not prepared to do this despite its obvious ability to do so. Anecdotal evidence abounded of huge phone bills being run up by children accessing these lines without their parents' knowledge. Eircom had said any individual call could last only 15 minutes.
The only barriers to access consisted of a notice at the top of the first page advising customers they could bar access to premium rate services by phoning, free, a given number, he said.