An open letter from NCMEC to the technology industry

News provided by

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

Feb 20, 2020, 08:58 ET

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Feb. 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- At the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children we are alarmed by the continued march toward end-to-end encryption without safeguards for children.

We call on you to implement technological solutions that enhance consumer privacy while prioritizing child safety. Robust safeguards should transfer to a child's digital experience in
an end-to-end encrypted environment. Without proper protections, children will be even
more susceptible to potential online sexual exploitation. And countless survivors of child
sexual abuse will continue to suffer knowing images depicting their sexual abuse are being shared with impunity.

We appeal to you to adopt the following Principles to Safeguard Children in End-to-End Encrypted Environments:

Do not implement end-to-end encrypted communications for accounts where a user
has indicated they are under 18 years old.
Implement detection technologies, at least as effective or better than those currently available, to prevent offenders from distributing child sexual abuse material.
Adopt technology vetted by the child protection community to identify sexual grooming of children by adults.
Promptly report apparent child sexual exploitation to NCMEC's CyberTipline with actionable information to help rescue child victims and hold offenders accountable.
Ensure that law enforcement can use existing legal process to effectively investigate
the sexual exploitation of children.

It is our collective responsibility as a society to protect our children and only you can take
these steps to better protect children online. We ask you to commit to these principles and
look forward to working with you in our mutual efforts to protect children.

John F. Clark
President and CEO
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

About the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
Since 1984, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® has served as the leading private, nonprofit organization helping to find missing children, reduce child sexual exploitation and prevent future victimization. As part of its work as the clearinghouse and resource center on issues relating to missing and exploited children, NCMEC operates a hot-line, 1-800-THE-LOST® (1-800-843-5678), and has assisted in the recovery of more than 311,000 missing children. NCMEC also operates the CyberTipline®, a mechanism for reporting suspected child sexual exploitation, which has received more than 63 million reports. To learn more about NCMEC, visit www.missingkids.org.

SOURCE The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children