
The International Justice Mission (IJM) Australia welcomes the eSafety Commissioner’s decision to hold big tech companies to account in tackling online child sexual abuse.
The legal notices require big tech companies to explain how they handle child sexual abuse material promoted and distributed on their platforms. The companies are required to provide an updated report to the regulator every 6 months for 2 years.
IJM National Director David Braga said: “We welcome the legal directive from eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman-Grant that will require big tech companies to report and review what they are doing to mitigate child sexual abuse online.”
“So far, these companies have failed to provide a safe online environment for children.
“We were dismayed in 2022 when major online file storage companies revealed to the Commissioner that there were no proactive measures to detect child sexual abuse material on their platforms,” said Mr Braga.
“With nearly half a million Filipino children facing online sexual exploitation each year, IJM appreciates the Commissioner’s recognition that in our collective fight against online child sexual abuse, every minute counts.
“IJM is a strong advocate for greater action from the tech industry, with Australia being the third largest consumer of child sexual abuse material from the Philippines. These reviews are an important step in combating the growing global threat of livestreamed child sexual abuse.
“We hope that transparency will prompt big tech companies to examine not only the content that is distributed on their platforms, but also the systems that enable that content distribution,” Braga said.
Major tech companies have until February 15, 2025, to file their first response. Failure to do so could result in penalties of up to $782,500 per day for failure to respond.
“This directive from the Commissioner is an important step towards enforcing technology companies’ duty of care in protecting children online,” said Mr Braga.
Contact details:
Briony Camp bcamp@ijm.org.au 0468 308 696