Joint initiative by technology companies to combat online child sexual exploitation

Facebook today (June 11) announced it was joining Google, Microsoft and 15 other technology companies to launch Project Protect – which they say will “lead to real changes” that keep children safe online.

Barnardo’s chief executive Javed Khan said: “Two thirds of the vulnerable children and young people supported through Barnardo’s sexual exploitation services were groomed online before meeting their abuser in person.

“The internet provides fantastic opportunities for children but we can’t ignore the risks. Online platforms must urgently be made safer so that children can learn, play and socialise free from harm.

“A safe internet requires robust government regulation as well as all partners working together. The Project Protect initiative is a welcome example of tech companies taking action to better protect children on and offline.”

Last week, Internet Watch Foundation chief executive Susie Hargreaves told the Home Affairs Select Committee that new legislation to combat online harms was “desperately needed”.

She said the Government’s proposed Online Harms regulation, which would grant greater penalties for firms who fail to protect users, was vital to improving this response.

Antigone Davis, Facebook’s global head of safety, said child exploitation was a problem across the internet, and it was “our collective responsibility – from social media and messaging services to cloud services and gaming platforms, as well as device makers and internet service providers – to fight this abuse and protect kids online”.

“At Facebook, we use sophisticated technology and behavioral signals not only to prevent, detect and remove images and videos that exploit children, but also to detect and prevent grooming, or potentially inappropriate interactions between a minor and an adult,” she said. “And we use this technology across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp. But any industry-wide problem requires solutions broader than just one company – we need a robust international effort to combat this problem.

“That’s why today, Facebook joined Google, Microsoft and 15 other tech companies to announce the formation of Project Protect: A plan to combat online child sexual abuse – a renewed commitment and investment from the Technology Coalition expanding its scope and impact to protect kids online and guide its work for the next 15 years.”

She said Project Protect would focus on five key areas:

• Technology innovation – accelerating the development and use of groundbreaking technology to support the cross-industry approach powered by a multi-million dollar innovation fund;
• Collective action – convening technology companies, governments and civil society to create a holistic approach to tackle this issue;
• Independent research – funding research with the End Violence Against Children Partnership to advance the collective understanding of the experiences and patterns of child sexual exploitation and abuse online, and learn from effective efforts to prevent, deter and combat it;
• Information and knowledge sharing – continue to facilitate high-impact information, expertise and knowledge sharing among companies to help prevent and disrupt child sexual exploitation and abuse online; and
• Transparency and accountability – increasing accountability and consistency across the industry through meaningful reporting of child sexual exploitation and abuse content across member platforms and services. This will be done in conjunction with WePROTECT Global Alliance.

Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer, said: “Project Protect brings together the brightest minds from across the tech industry to tackle a grave issue that no one company can solve on its own – child exploitation and abuse. Facebook is proud to help lead this initiative that we hope will lead to real changes that keep children safe.”