A First-of-its-kind Campaign to Combat Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse
April 17, 2024
These latest findings underscore Snap’s ongoing study of digital well-being, which last year included a deeper dive into online sextortion among teens and young adults.
We plan to repeat the study later this year to help gauge the impact of the Know2Protect campaign on teens and young adults across the country.
Snap’s work to combat online sexual abuse
In addition to raising awareness of these potential harms, we are committed to eradicating this content and behavior from our service.
We are determined to make Snapchat a hostile environment for illegal activity and have a zero-tolerance policy for any content or action that involves sexual misconduct toward a minor. We quickly remove violating content, take action against offending accounts, and report them to the U.S. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), irrespective of where in the world the content was found. We use advanced technology to proactively detect violative material, and we encourage members of the Snapchat community, as well as their friends and family members, who might not use the app, to report issues to us and to local law enforcement. Our community members perform a great service when they reach out, protecting others from potential harm. We also participate in NCMEC’s Take It Down initiative and encourage young people to learn more about it and, if needed, to participate in the program. (There’s an equivalent for adults, too, which Snap also joined last year, called StopNCII.)
We engage with other experts across the globe, as well, because no one entity or organization alone can make a material impact on these issues. Snap represents all of industry on the international Policy Board of the WeProtect Global Alliance; we are members of INHOPE’s Advisory Council and the UK Internet Watch Foundation’s Funding Council; and, last year, we concluded a two-year term on the Executive Committee of the Technology Coalition’s Board of Directors. All of these organizations have the eradication of online CSEA at the heart of their missions.
We support legislative solutions like the Kids Online Safety Act, the REPORT Act, and the SHIELD Act in the U.S., and we assist law enforcement agencies in their investigations to bring abusers to justice. We also invest in educational resources both in-app and on our website and last year added four new short-form videos about various sexual risks.
Supporting Know2Protect is an extension of the work Snap has engaged in for many years. We congratulate DHS on today’s launch and applaud its efforts to educate the public about the important role each of us plays in helping to stamp out these vile harms across the entire tech ecosystem.
— Jacqueline Beauchere, Global Head of Platform Safety
