5Rights’ Post

⚖️ My thoughts on yesterday's Full Committee Senate hearing about "Big Tech and the Online Child Sexual Exploitation Crisis" Key Witnesses: - Linda Yaccarino, CEO of X Corp. (San Francisco, CA) - Shou Chew, CEO of TikTok Inc. (Singapore) - Evan Spiegel, Co-founder and CEO of Snap Inc. (Santa Monica, CA) - Mark Zuckerberg, Founder and CEO of Meta (Menlo Park, CA) - Jason Citron, CEO of Discord Inc. (San Francisco, CA) Inbal Goldberger's insightful post about the hearing captures the complexity of the issue, emphasizing the need for a holistic approach. In the following I will try to highlight the main challenges from multiple perspectives: From the Tech Leaders ● the CEOs expressed commitment but acknowledged occasional mistakes, revealing the difficulty of addressing rapidly evolving threats. From the Senators and Public ● Valid concerns raised by senators about biased algorithms, excessive data collection, and the substantial harm caused by a small percentage of errors. ● Calls for accountability escalated to accusations of having "blood on their hands," underscoring the urgency of addressing online harm effectively. Community Responses ● The swift changes and challenges faced by Trust & Safety teams have to be highlighted. ● Acknowledgment that the topic demands nuanced discussions, not binary responses, appreciating valid concerns from both sides. ● Inbal Goldberger stated that despite safety initiatives, concerns arise about the integration of safety into product design and the platforms' responsiveness to feedback and research findings. My Concluding Thoughts: 💡The hearing showcased drama and accusations, but actionable solutions remain missing. 💡Striking a balance between effective legislation and practical implementation is crucial. 💡 While endorsements of acts like STOPCSAM are encouraging, defining terms like "reasonable measures" and fostering genuine dialogue between platforms, regulators, and users is necessary. ❗️ It's crucial to acknowledge that, up until now, every platform implements its own set of Trust and Safety regulations, leading to significant disparities across the industry. ❗️Ensuring the well-being of users, especially children, is a fundamental and critical aspect to define and prioritize. Let's move forward with a commitment to collaborative efforts, bridging gaps between technology, regulation, and user safety. The path to a safer online environment requires a collective commitment to understanding, adaptation, and responsible practices. The entire hearing: https://lnkd.in/eg5afHMS #TrustAndSafety #wellbeing #ChildProtection

Abusers have caught up to the technology. The laws we already have on the books are supposed to protect people from online stalking, harassment, and abuse. So how is it possible that abusers like Dominique Ward's ex are allowed to freely and openly stalk and harass her (to the point of literally paying his "army" of online followers to take pictures of her and her girls wherever she goes) without consequence? The problem is a lack of enforcement. We need to do better. Law enforcement needs to enforce the law. Corporations like Meta need to adhere to their own anti-cyberstalking policies. And we need to believe victims, every time. Yesterday, Ascend Justice and Dominique Ward held a press conference demanding action. Read our press release here: https://lnkd.in/giQzMbry And help us keep the pressure on law enforcement and Meta to take cyberstalking and doxing seriously by sharing Dominique's story and talking to your networks. #TogetherWeAscend

The digital landscape poses new challenges for young people, with a concerning rise in online-fueled sexual assaults on children by other children. This issue demands urgent attention to create safer online environments.

The National Center on Sexual Exploitation published their annual list of mainstream contributors to #SexualExploitation online yesterday. The #DirtyDozen list highlights entities that faciliate, enable, and even profit from #SexualAbuse and exploitation #Online. While some familiar names appear on this years list, there is also some movement and new names. Find the full list via the following link: https://lnkd.in/e75Ry6P4 Here at SafeToNet, we have developed real-time preventative technology that enables platforms providers, app manufacturers and device manufacturers to ensure harmful and illegal sexual content is #blocked in real-time, while preserving #UserPrivacy. We are ready to work with partners, to #EndSexualExploitation online and ensure we create a #SaferInternet for generations to come. #Safeguarding #SafetyTech #StopOSEC

If you read one thing today, let it be this critical The New York Times article by the indomitable Nick Kristof on the massively grown from of sexual violence online known as deepfake harms. Women and girls are tired of being the collateral damage of AI going unchecked by those who create and profit off it. “We are being slut-shamed and the perpetrators are completely running free,” she told me. “It doesn’t make sense.” That quote is from Breeze Liu of Alecto AI , a survivor-created app that helps survivors remove nonconsensual intimate images and take their lives back. Breeze, along with Noelle Martin - a human rights lawyer and survivor of deepfake harms - along with Dorota Mani and her daughter are all featured here and I'm honored to stand with them in my role as the Director of the Reclaim Coalition powered by Panorama Global. Breeze, myself and others have spent the last months in deep conversations with Nick and there are some truths that are important to share: 1. This does NOT have to be this way: it's about Section 230 - a tiny law that has been used by many major tech companies like Google to hide. Look, it seems Yahoo has some ideas to prevent the surfacing of the tools to create the deepfake sexual violence that so many women and girls are experiencing - maybe Google can google them to find out? 2. Survivors can not be left to clean up their own crime scenes. We need big tech - and all tech - to partner with survivors and allies to robustly ensure these images are removed - this is because, as I stated in the article - there are survivors who die from this and we need solutions from all sides - tech, helplines and hotlines (hi Sophie Mortimer), and so much more! 3. There are tools out there - survivor created - where you can find help! Download Alecto AI app and share! Nia Batts Sophie Maddocks Nadia Lee Sigurdur Ragnarsson Jean-Christophe (J-C) Le Toquin Caroline Humer Andrea Ran CSPO® Nkechi "Payton" Iheme Mashilo Boloka Norma Buster Carrie Goldberg Elizabeth Woodward Sophie Tara Compton Sarah Vaill Angelica Serna Bradley Myles Karen Wawrzaszek CFP®, CEPA, CTFA Soyoung Chloe Park Adam R. Dodge Eric Cohen Dr Silvia Semenzin Laila Mickelwait #deepfakes #ai #ibsv #survivors #believesurvivors

New research from Snap Inc. reveals that there is more work to be done on educating the general public about the legalities of AI-generated nudes, particularly of minors. While 24% of teens, young adults & parents of teens across 6 countries said they had seen some sort of AI-generated images or videos that were sexual in nature, 40% were unclear on the legal obligation for platforms to report AI-generated sexual images of minors - even if they were used as a joke or in a meme. Read more: https://lnkd.in/e4yqbp9h

The collaborative efforts of the University of Tasmania, Lucy Faithfull Foundation, Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) and Aylo demonstrate the value of cooperation for achieving positive outcomes. Through this endeavor, there emerges a promising opportunity to proactively prevent potential offenders from committing harmful acts online, thereby significantly mitigating online harm. #onlineharm #preventoffending #crimestoppersinternational

Concerning #ICYMI news out of New Mexico: The state is suing Snapchat, alleging the platform's failure to prevent child sexual exploitation. See the article here: https://lnkd.in/gTeh9hZy This lawsuit raises important questions about social media companies' responsibility to protect vulnerable users. It will be interesting to follow the legal developments and their implications for online safety. #ChildSafety #OnlineSafety #NewMexicoLaw

In this week’s episode of Potential to Powerhouse, Social Media on Trial: Annie McAdams’ Battle Against Child Trafficking in the Digital Age Part 2, I had the pleasure of talking with fierce powerhouse trial lawyer Annie McAdams and the important work she is doing around social media, child exploitation, and sex trafficking. Listen in for informative updates on Annie’s ongoing battle including:  How Annie and her team are tackling the misuse of social media platforms in facilitating the sex trafficking of minors and their efforts to overturn outdated protections like the Communications Decency Act. The latest legal reforms that aim to hold tech companies responsible for their platforms’ abuse. The importance of parental awareness and the false sense of security tech companies provide regarding child safety. During the Part 1 episode, Annie shared how she is at the forefront of a legal battle against the likes of Snapchat, Craigslist, Facebook, and Instagram, challenging their roles in facilitating child exploitation. In this eye-opening second episode, we continue uncovering the role of big tech companies in child sex trafficking. Listen for Part 1 here https://lnkd.in/gq8WFfmY Share this episode with friends, family, educators, and community leaders. Educating ourselves and others is vital for giving us the tools we need to be smarter about how our kids are navigating their way online. Get the latest episode ( part 2 )! Comment "link" for the link in your DM #AnnieMcAdams #PotentialToPowerhouse #ChildExploitation #SexTrafficking #SocialMediaSafety #BigTechAccountability #LegalBattle #ParentalVigilance

Texas has recognized the danger of deep fake and generative AI created child pornography images/videos. It will only get more complicated as the CSAM producers are always one step ahead. Law enforcement needs the tools and laws to prosecute these offenders. ➡ My colleague Matthew S. mentioned in post recently, the tech companies MUST do more. They are the ones that can end this. #lawenforcement #police #ai #deepfakes #icac Wendy L. Patrick, J.D., M.Div., Ph.D.