EU to require tech firms to contribute more in fighting against child abuse!

Home affairs commissioner Ylva Johansson announced that the EU plans to require tech companies to do more in tackling child sexual abuse.

EU commissioner Ylva Johansson (Photo from DW)

A rise in numbers of child sexual abuse during the pandemic

According to Johansson, she will propose legislation in the coming months to push companies to detect, report, and remove child sexual abuse.

The commissioner told Germany’s Welt am Sonntag that internet service providers and social media firms had reported 22 million offenses related to child sexual abuse in 2020. This digit is higher than the 17 million total in 2019. 

Allegedly, when more perpetrators were at home in isolation, the demand for material depicting child sexual abuse increased. Ylva Johansson noted that in some EU member countries even by up to 25 percent. She said that it turns to more abuse as a result.

However, she noted that it was only a fraction of the real number. Under current EU rules, tech companies such as Facebook and Google have a choice whether or not to follow up on child abuse offenses. Johansson added,

A voluntary report will then no longer be sufficient.

Johansson said that she sees the need for a special EU center to prevent and combat child sexual abuse, which would "improve prevention, law enforcement and the support of victims."

She emphasized the need for cooperation across Europe and globally in the fight against child sexual abuse.

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Source: DW