Safety and security: O2 Germany

Protection of children and young people
New code of conduct
Law enforcement
Supporting police work
Support when disaster strikes
Rescue drills

Protection of children and young people

O2 Germany has produced an interactive learning programme which teaches children how to use their mobile phones responsibly.

The 'Mobile Phone Course with Polly and Fred' is aimed at 8-12-year olds. It is available on CD-ROM and is currently being used in schools in the states of Hessen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Saxony-Anhalt, Bremen and Bavaria. O2 Germany bought the necessary licenses for the last four of these states.

New code of conduct

In June 2005, O2 Germany signed the new code of conduct for the protection of minors, which was developed jointly with seven other German mobile providers.

The aim of this code of conduct is:

To guarantee the protection of underage mobile phone users.
To ensure compliance with the legal requirements on the protection of minors, and to deliver a clear commitment to the protection of minors.
To increase public awareness of the subject of the protection of minors.

In signing the code, O2 has pledged to abide by the following regulations and to develop appropriate safeguards:

Not to offer any illegal content.
To only make adult content accessible if it is protected by an age-verification system.
To set up a barring option for content which might interfere with a child’s development.
To provide extensive monitoring of chat-rooms.
To highlight any age restrictions on films and games.
To oblige contractual partners to comply with these provisions.

Law enforcement

O2 Germany plays its role in the safety and security of our society by supporting the German law enforcement agencies in their fight against crime where necessary and possible.

In accordance with the Telecommunications Law, we are obliged to make data from our network available in the case of court-ordered tracing or monitoring operations. This allows, for example, mobile phones to be specifically located. In 2005, the authorities set up a pilot project for the electronic exchange of data which, if successful, will result in a quicker response to data requests and enable the provision of vital information during emergencies.

Supporting police work

In the financial year 2005/06, O2 Germany assisted the police authorities by responding to several thousand data requests.

All requests were handled within the context of the strict data protection laws. O2 was also involved in the preparations for the World Cup 2006 in Germany, working closely with all government agencies to create a secure environment for all football fans.

Support when disaster strikes

In accordance with legal requirements, in the event of disasters O2 Germany allows authorised bodies to use its network when their capacity is overloaded.

In Germany, emergency lines can be reached free of charge across all networks through the normal emergency phone numbers 110 and 112.

Rescue drills

The O2 technicians responsible for the maintenance of masts are exposed to a certain risk during their work, despite all safety precautions.

In an emergency, it is then vital that they get help as quickly as possible. In 2005, in addition to the annual training for O2 Germany employees, we organised joint drills with rescue services in which typical accidents were simulated. As a result of the positive feedback from employees and rescue workers, these exercises will continue in the future.