Important Research Findings about child safety on the internet, how it intersects with privacy and what the EU should be doing
AMSTERDAM, 17 November 2021
ECPAT, the world’s largest NGO network solely focused on ending the sexual exploitation of children, today released findings from new qualitative and quantitative research which was carried out among adults in eight European Union Member States: France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, The Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Sweden.
The research explored public knowledge of and attitudes towards children’s safety online, how this intersects with concerns about privacy.
Key findings of the quantitative research included:
- 73% of adults believe children cannot go online without being approached by
adults looking to harm them.
- This broke down as 77% among female respondents and 69% among males.
- 76% of respondents are willing to give up some of their personal privacy online to allow for automated technology tools to scan and detect images of child sexual abuse and detect other forms of sexual exploitation of children.
- Nearly 7 out of 10 people feel that there is not much, if any, privacy online anyway. Those who believe online privacy does not exist (68%) greatly outnumber those who believe it does (25%).
- 68% of respondents in the eight countries support plans by the European Union to introduce new legislation on the detection of child sexual abuse material by private companies (Italy (75%); Spain (75%); Netherlands (72%)).
The research findings were broadly consistent across all eight countries.
Noteworthy finding in the qualitative research:
- Most respondents in the qualitative research groups did not know that hash detection tools to address online child sexual abuse material existed or that anti-grooming tools had been developed. Once participants learnt about these tools, they were angry that they weren’t being used and turned on at all times. Participants in these groups held to this view even when they were told that their data could be scanned to achieve this.
For your further consideration
- The importance for the EU of ensuring the rights of children in digital environments is clearly reflected in ongoing processes across the EU, including but not limited to the Digital Services Act, proposal for legislation on the detection, removal and reporting of CSAM as part of the EU Strategy for a more effective fight against child sexual abuse, and the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child. However, the Commission itself points out the need to improve coordination and ensure coherence in the protection and combating of child sexual abuse and exploitation.
- In all these processes, listening to and reflecting public opinion remains central to the work of the EU Institutions. However, the complexity and range of processes may not always be accessible to the public. ECPAT offers this research as a contribution to efforts to build more effective fight against child sexual abuse and exploitation.
Background
Commissioned by ECPAT International in partnership with Defence for Children – ECPAT Netherlands, the quantitative research was delivered by YouGov, based on representative adult populations (18+) in the countries listed above. Total sample size was 9,410 adults participated in France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Poland Sweden, Germany, Italy, Hungary, Poland, Spain. Fieldwork was undertaken between 2nd – 11th September 2021. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been given an even weighting for each country to produce an ‘average’ value. The qualitative data was gathered in 7 countries (all the countries above minus Sweden) through online Remesh sessions with 210 people. This was done in the first part of 2021 within 4 months time by Ourageous Company.
For comment or interviews contact:
Celine Verheijen, Project manager, Defence for Children – ECPAT Netherlands
c.verheijen@defenceforchildren-ecpat.nl
+31 (0)642053860
Amy Crocker, Interim Programme Advisor Online Child Sexual Exploitation, ECPAT International
amyc.ecpat.org
+31 (0)621406200
Important Notes
Research Methodology – 8 country datasets are available. A merged EU dataset is available. All figures from the quantitative data, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 9,410 adults participated in France, Germany, Hungary, Italy,Netherlands, Poland Sweden, Germany, Italy, Hungary, Poland, Spain. Fieldwork was undertaken between 2nd – 11th September 2021. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been given an even weighting for each country to produce an ‘average’ value.
Legislation – These findings follow changes in late 2020 when new regulation in the European Union placed technology companies deploying specialised tools to voluntarily detect child sexual abuse material into legal limbo with the e-Privacy Directive. As a result, some technology companies stopped scanning for images of child sexual abuse and exploitation leading to enormous consequences. A temporary agreement was enacted to allow technology companies to resume scanning, but some are yet to do so.
The European Union is currently exploring whether to create new legislation that will mandate online service providers (e.g., social media platforms) to use automated technology tools to detect and flag signs of online sexual exploitation and abuse. These tools will continuously check the personal activity of all users on the platform, looking for signs of online sexual exploitation and abuse. However, this automated technology means users give away some of their personal privacy, because the tools scan images and messages to protect children.
Definitions:
- Hash Detection –Hash-based child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) detection tools compare a user image to known CSAM to see if there is a match. The images are not compared directly but with hash values that are generated for both the user image and individual CSAM. A hash function is an umbrella term for any function that converts input (e.g., text, an image) to a fixed-size output, which is known as the hash value. The hash value is a sequence of alphanumeric characters considered a ‘fingerprint’ of the image. Two hash values that are identical to one another indicate two identical images.
- Grooming detection technologies (GDT) help determine if a child is being groomed for sexualabuse. Typically, these technologies are discussed in relation to text-based conversations as explained grooming often takes place on messaging platforms. GDTs usually take the form of keyword detectors or more advanced ML-based techniques. However, certain metadata analysis can also be used to supplement the grooming detection process.
About ECPAT International:
ECPAT is an international organization with 122 members in 104 countries who coordinate research, advocacy, and action to end the sexual exploitation of children.
ECPAT engages in multi-country and multi-sector collaborations, working with law enforcement, private sector organisations, and governments around the world to prevent future sexual crimes against children. They look at this issue in all its settings, including child sexual exploitation through prostitution; trafficking; child early and forced marriage and child sexual exploitation online.
Since 2020, ECPAT has been implementing Project Beacon, a campaign of information and advocacy focused on technology and children’s rights in the EU.
In November 2021, ECPAT Bulgaria – national member of ECPAT International realizes the Project Beacon campaign in Bulgaria.