NCMEC Announces Expanded Partnership with Leading Internet Company, Verisign

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National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

Aug 10, 2023, 11:25 ET

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Aug. 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® (NCMEC) is announcing an expanded partnership with Verisign, a global provider of domain name registry services and internet infrastructure, to help protect children online.

Verisign donated to NCMEC the use of a new software tool, built in-house by Verisign technologists, which will improve the process of acting against domain names that lead to websites that are hosting child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The tool takes a URL, automatically scours publicly available databases, and helps identify the most effective path to get that content removed. The tool will help to automate and accelerate an important part of the process in finding and removing CSAM from the internet.

NCMEC's CyberTipline is the nation's centralized reporting system for the online exploitation of children. In 2022, NCMEC's CyberTipline received more than 32 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation, most of which was CSAM. NCMEC staff review the reported imagery and then a notification is made to the Electronic Service Provider (ESP) where the image or video is located. This new tool from Verisign will help expedite the process to notify ESPs and get that content removed.

"As the nation's leading child protection organization, we're thrilled to have Verisign expand its role in supporting our mission," said Michelle DeLaune, NCMEC president and CEO. "They have a reputation for prioritizing a safe internet and have been proactive in fighting online child sexual exploitation. The donation of this tool enhances our ability to contact hosting providers and request child sexual abuse material be taken down. Speedy removal is critical for survivors who are negatively impacted by the recirculation of images and videos of their abuse. Verisign's contribution of this powerful tool, along with Verisign's multiyear financial commitment, will be valuable in helping us achieve our mission. We also look forward to expanding our continued collaboration with the appointment of a senior Verisign executive to our Board of Directors."

About the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
Since 1984, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children®, a private non-profit organization, has led the fight to protect children by creating vital services for them and the people who keep them safe. NCMEC believes that every child deserves a safe childhood and as part of its work as the clearinghouse and resource center on issues relating to missing and exploited children, NCMEC operates a hotline,
1-800-THE-LOST® (1-800-843-5678), and has assisted in the recovery of more than 400,000 missing children. NCMEC also operates the CyberTipline®, a mechanism for reporting suspected child sexual exploitation, which has received more than 150 million reports. To learn more about NCMEC, visit www.missingkids.org.

About Verisign

Verisign, a global provider of domain name registry services and internet infrastructure, enables internet navigation for many of the world's most recognized domain names. Verisign enables the security, stability, and resiliency of key internet infrastructure and services, including providing root zone maintainer services, operating two of the 13 global internet root servers, and providing registration services and authoritative resolution for the .com and .net top-level domains, which support the majority of global e-commerce. To learn more about what it means to be Powered by Verisign, please visit verisign.com.

SOURCE National Center for Missing & Exploited Children