A forthcoming change of legislation in the European Union may allow pedophiles to gain freedom of action on the Internet

PRESS RELEASE

Athens, 3 December 2020

A forthcoming change of legislation in the European Union may allow pedophiles to gain freedom of action on the Internet

● It will be impossible to detect and report incidents of cyberbullying if the “European Electronic Communication Code” (E-Privacy) is implemented.

● It is necessary that Members of the European Parliament adopt Interim Legislation to allow the use of technological tools that detect malicious access of children on the Internet and remove child sexual abuse material.

On December 21, 2020 a new law called the “European Electronic Communication Code” (E-Privacy)  will come into force in the European Union and will end the use of technology that helps detect child sexual exploitation on the Internet, including images of sexual abuse of minors. The only way to prevent this detrimental development is for the European Parliament to adopt an "Interim Regulation" allowing technology companies to continue using these tools to detect child sexual abuse online and grooming in applications such as Facebook, Messenger or email until 2025, an interim period which will be used to find a permanent solution in the best interest of the children.

This anti-grooming technology is the only tool available that allows authorities to prevent the sexual abuse and exploitation of children before the crime is committed. More than 2/3 of child sexual abuse reports come from messaging / email services. Most of the time, children are ashamed to talk and turn against their parents, relatives or other people in their close environment. In these cases where shame or even fear of imminent punishment prevails, the only way that truth is revealed and children get a chance to be saved, is the reports made by Internet service providers.

It is worth noting that these advanced technological tools search for specific key words and patterns that may suggest potential sexual abuse. They don’t understand the content of an online chat. Moreover, according to Microsoft, it uses photoDNA and other related tools only to detect child sexual abuse online.

To make it perfectly clear, content that can no longer be reported includes the following real messages that were reported, thus enabling authorities to intervene and save children;

• "Have you ever seen anyone naked?"
• "I have already saved it on my phone. If you don't obey, I post it on the web"
• "If you do what I say, I won't spread your photos on the internet."
• "Oh and you can forget about threatening me with the police, I don't care. I will have uploaded your photos 1000 times by the time the hearings end."

In terms of images… it goes far beyond any morbid imagination. However, if our children can bear to experience this incredible pain in their body and soul, then we too must bear to read;

• In Germany, a baby was being brutally sexually abused by his legal guardian… A technology company located and removed photos and videos that had been uploaded more than 1.700 times…
• In Amsterdam, a childcare worker was found to have abused 83 babies and videos were uploaded about 12,000 times.
• In America, 11 children aged 6 to 10 were rescued after being tortured for 5 years… Pictures and videos of their sexual abuse were uploaded by thousands on the internet …
• In Greece, a mother photographed her young daughter naked and displayed the pictures on social media. These images repeatedly circulated on the internet until a report was made.

This issue is also related to a very important platform in which "The Smile of the Child" participates. We cannot yet predict the extent of side effects that the change of legislation may allow on it.

The NCMEC CyberTipline is the central reference system for the online exploitation of children. Public and electronic service providers, as well as citizens, may report suspicious Internet content that may tempt children into sexual activity, promote child sexual abuse, market child sexual abuse material, promote child sex tourism, encourage sexual harassment, as well as may contain misleading words or inappropriate digital images.

We need to perceive the magnitude of the problem and face the truth that we cannot stand. The dark world of pedophiles is expressed in the most perverted way in the “dark streets” of the Internet. Deep Web and Dark Web child exploitation sites are not detected by conventional search engines. The worst that comes out of the human mind is put into action against defenceless young souls and gets traded for many thousands of euros. Sick material, such as sexual abuse of babies, is trafficked thousands of times to pedophile communities.

In 2020 "The Smile of the Child" celebrates its 25th Anniversary of active struggle for the realization of the Rights of the Child, both being active at the "front line", as well as with taking the initiative for targeted actions and institutional collaborations with national and international organizations, to create "good practices" and develop child-friendly services.

In this spirit, and at the same time that we cooperate with the Ministry of Justice to create an "Action Plan for the Rights of the Child", it is inconceivable to us that the European Parliament and politicians across Europe would allow such a harmful development to occur. We have already addressed a letter to our MEPs and we are continuing by shedding more light upon the disastrous impact of the upcoming legislation change.

Every child may face this risk of online entrapment.
The protection of personal data should not become an obstacle
to the protection of minors, leaving children exposed to the appetites of pedophiles.

Our children are in danger! Get informed! Act now!

* Source of examples 2019 CYBERTIPLINE REPORTS: TRENDS SEEN IN CHAT AND MESSAGING, Prepared October 2020 by NCMEC, National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children