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Karl Schembri
The police are investigating Valletta-registered porn billing company CCBill EU upon Home Affairs Minister Tonio Borg’s direct request in the wake of a MaltaToday story detailing its portfolio of client porn sites.
Last Sunday, Borg told this newspaper he had requested the police to investigate the business to find out “whether there is any breach of Maltese laws”.
The investigations are being led by Assistant Commissioner Michael Cassar and are focusing on the company’s involvement in the porn industry, which together with online gambling makes up its core business.
Although MaltaToday never suggested any illegalities, the police are investigating to what extent CCBill is disseminating porn, which would be illegal according to Maltese laws.
CCBill insists it is not a porn provider but just collects money on behalf of website owners for the exclusive services.
“Client engagement rules of the firm require us to examine whether the activities of a client are legal,” lawyer Georg Sapiano of Sapiano and Associates told MaltaToday. “We do not examine the business profile of their own clients or suppliers unless there is evidence to suggest that these are in violation of the law. The firm is satisfied that the activities of CCBill EU are legal.”
The company works as a middleman between thousands of professional porn sites and the banks by processing credit card transactions for access to the websites in what is the biggest industry on the internet together with online gambling.
The company has just announced its expansion into Eastern Europe through its base in Malta, from where it will be employing software and IT specialists.
According to CCBill’s ‘acceptable use policy’, its online clients cannot market their sites using language including “Lolita”, “Pedo”, “pre-teen” or “any other descriptions that would lead someone to believe that the models are less than 18 years of age”.
The company also forbids “the posting or display of any image or wording depicting or related to extreme violence, incest, snuff, scat, mutilation, or rape anywhere on the site”.
In 2002, CCBill’s founder and CEO Ron Cadwell said he regretted he could no longer process bestiality sites after VISA pulled out of the bizarre sex industry.
kschembri@mediatoday.com.mt
Links: www.maltatoday.com.mt/2006/03/12/top_story.html |
