The Child Pornography Hotline Criticizes European Rules Against Child Abuse Images

This article was last updated on October 12, 2023

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USA: Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart…Offlimits, the organization focused on combating child abuse, including the Child Pornography Reporting Center, is expressing concern over proposed European legislation aimed at tackling the spread of child pornography.

According to Offlimits, the proposed legislation will not make the internet safer but instead will result in a “significant breach” of users’ privacy. The organization emphasizes the importance of protecting children online while also safeguarding individual privacy.

About the Child Pornography Reporting Center

The Child Pornography Reporting Center is a hotline designed for individuals who wish to report instances of online child sexual abuse. The hotline collaborates with law enforcement agencies and technology companies to remove these abusive images from the internet.

Under the proposed legislation, chat applications like WhatsApp would be required to actively filter and identify child abuse images. If the filter detects problematic images, they would be sent to a new EU center for further action.

However, Offlimits Director Robbert Hoving argues that there are potential risks associated with this approach. Hoving raises concerns about the incorrect identification of sexually explicit images exchanged between consenting young individuals. He also highlights the possibility of the filter mistakenly flagging innocent images, such as beach photos. As artificial intelligence can make errors, Hoving warns of the potential unintended consequences of the proposed legislation.

Divided Opinions on the Law

Children’s rights organization Defense for Children supports the proposed legislation, stating that at least two images or videos of child sexual abuse are shared online every second. For Defense of Children, a robust law is essential to combat this issue effectively.

On the other hand, Offlimits emphasizes that accessing private communications would result in a substantial invasion of user privacy. Hoving also questions whether authorities, who are already encountering resource shortages, would have the capacity to evaluate all the reports received.

Potential for Wrongful Convictions

In the worst-case scenario, Offlimits fears that the proposed filter could lead to wrongful convictions. As it is not always clear whether the person distributing sexually explicit images of minors is the owner of the phone, there is a risk of misidentification.

Currently, many communication apps utilize end-to-end encryption, ensuring that messages remain protected and inaccessible to law enforcement and judicial authorities. While this encryption often poses challenges, Offlimits asserts that the issue of access to encrypted messages should not be conflated with combating child pornography.

No Artificial Intelligence for Now

EU member states are presently negotiating the details of the new law. A new proposal put forth by EU President Spain suggests a somewhat less comprehensive version. The proposal, detailed in a document obtained by NOS, aims to address concerns regarding filters and artificial intelligence.

Spain’s revised plan suggests postponing the implementation of artificial intelligence filters until the technology is more advanced. This approach would enable the integration of these filters at a later stage without requiring additional legislative procedures. Spain proposes utilizing filters based on a blacklist immediately.

In addition to the use of filters, Offlimits believes that legislation should focus on holding companies accountable for their contribution to the spread of child pornography. They also suggest that member states allocate more resources to law enforcement, the judiciary, and emergency services to effectively combat this issue.

Privacy regulators in Europe, as well as the National Rapporteur on Human Trafficking, have previously expressed reservations about the proposed rules. The legal department of the European Council of Ministers is also reported to have concerns.

The House of Representatives has voiced its opposition to the EU bill through a motion. However, the motion has been ignored, and there is a call for the partial implementation of the law in Europe. The content of the law is currently being negotiated among member states at a European level.