WHAT DO EU CITIZENS THINK ABOUT CHILD PROTECTION ONLINE?

Summary results from a public poll in 8 EU Member States

realized by Defence for Children – ECPAT The Netherlands and ECPAT International under Project Beacon, 2021

                    New survey shows people do not think the internet is safe for children!

73% of adults believe children cannot go online without being approached by adults looking to harm them

On 17 November 2021, ECPAT, the world’s biggest influencing network solely focused on ending the sexual exploitation of children, released a launch on the findings from research in eight countries across the European Union in which they explored public attitudes towards online child protection. The research was carried out in the following countries: France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden and The Netherlands.

ECPAT released  the following findings from research exploring public attitudes towards online child protection:

• Commissioned by ECPAT International in partnership with their member Defence for Children – ECPAT Netherlands, the research delivered by YouGov was based on representative adult populations over 18 years old the 8 EU countries.

• 73% of respondents believed children cannot go online without being approached by adults looking to harm them.

• Nearly 7 out of 10 people feel that there is not much privacy online anyway. Those who believe online privacy does not exist (68%) outnumber those who believe it does (25%) by more than two to one.

• 68% of respondents across all the countries surveyed support plans by the European Union to introduce new legislation to mandate online providers to use automated tools to help keep children safe online.

ECPAT calls on the European Union to bring forward new legislation that will make it mandatory for technology companies to turn on automatic tools to scan and detect for images of child sexual abuse and exploitation materials. Coming from some of the largest countries in the European Union, the message is clear: the public wants action taken to protect children online. They want to see automated tools that can help to keep children safe online to always be used, with online platforms having a legal duty to do so.

Legislation:

• 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.

• These findings follow changes in late 2020 when new regulation in the European Unionplaced 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.

• 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.

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 sexual abuse. 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.

Why was the research conducted?

ECPAT wanted to explore the views of members of the public, in some of the largest countries in the European Union on the issues of child protection, data privacy and the balance, if any, between them.

ECPAT wanted to gather this data to better understand the public’s perceptions on the issues of privacy vs. child protection online.

Messages to the MEPs and the policy makers:

 It is important for policy makers to know what the public finds important when developing legislation. There have been some developments why it is important that Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) know what EU citizens consider important:

• The usage of tools to detect and remove online child sexual abuse has declined since December 2020, when EU Member States needed to have transposed the new EU telecom rules into national law, following the European Electronic Communications Code (EECC) that came into force in December 2018.[1] With internet-based communications services becoming subject to the strict confidentiality requirements, a temporary regulation was adopted in July 2021, permitting providers to use specific technology to combat child sexual abuse online.[2] The temporary regulation is limited until 3 August 2024. Due to the unclarity and the inclusion of extra privacy-preserving points, some ICT companies (such as Facebook) have stopped using the detection software. The number of reports of online child sexual abuse in Europe dropped dramatically after 20 December (58% less reports from Europe in 3 months).[3]

• Commission is working on a long-term legislation to tackle child sexual abuse online. In July 2020, the European Commission published the EU strategy for a more effective fight against child sexual abuse. The strategy provides a comprehensive response to the growing threat of child sexual abuse, both offline and online. The strategy focuses, inter alia, on legislation to effectively tackle child sexual abuse online, including by requiring relevant online service providers to detect, remove and report known child sexual abuse material to authorities. The Commission also wants to develop an European centre to prevent and combat child sexual abuse.

• The European Institutions are currently debating The Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act, which aim to create a safer digital space where the fundamental rights of users are protected and to establish a level playing field for businesses.

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 for sexual purposes; child early and forced marriage, sexual exploitation in travel and tourism, 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 and support the Project Beacon campaign in Bulgaria.

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

For contacts in Bulgaria:

GeorgiVanchev,Communication and advocacy consultant, Project Beacon, gvanchev@yahoo.com, +359 878 400071

Lydia Zagorova,Chairperson, ECPAT Bulgaria – Neglected Children Society; ecpatbulgaria@gmail.com, +359 878 400074
[1] https://www.stibbe.com/en/news/2019/january/the-european-electronic-communications-code-is-now-in-force–10-takeaways

[2] https://www.europarl.europa.eu/legislative-train/theme-promoting-our-european-way-of-life/file-temporary-derogation-from-the-e-privacy-directive-for-ott-services

[3] https://www.missingkids.org/blog/2020/we-are-in-danger-of-losing-the-global-battle-for-child-safety

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 2^nd – 11^th 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 2^nd – 11^th 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.

PRESS RELEASE

WHAT DO EU CITIZENS THINK ABOUT CHILD PROTECTION ONLINE?

Summary results from a public poll in 8 EU Member States

realized by Defence for Children – ECPAT The Netherlands and ECPAT International under Project Beacon, 2021

 New survey shows people do not think the internet is safe for children!

73% of adults believe children cannot go online without being approached by adults looking to harm them

AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS, 17 November 2021 – Today, ECPAT, the world’s biggest influencing network solely focused on ending the sexual exploitation of children, released findings from research in eight countries across the European Union in which they explored public attitudes towards online child protection.

Key findings of the research included: 

• 76 per cent 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. Those who believe online privacy does not exist (68%) outnumber those who believe it does (25%) by more than two to one.
• An average of 73% of adults believe children cannot go online without being approached by adults looking to harm them. 77% of female respondents held this view, as did 69% of male respondents.
• 68 per cent 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.

Commissioned by ECPAT International in partnership with their member Defence for Children – ECPAT Netherlands, the qualitative and quantitative research delivered by YouGov was based on representative adult populations (18+) in France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, The Netherlands, Poland, Spain, and Sweden.

The research shows widespread public support (68%) for the use of technical tools to identify child sexual abuse material and for the European Union to introduce legislative change to help improve child safety (1).

Most respondents in the qualitative research groups did not know that hash detection or anti-grooming tools existed. 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.

Coming from some of the largest countries in the European Union, the message is clear: the public wants action taken to protect children online. They want to see automated tools that can help to keep children safe online to always be used, with online platforms having a legal duty to do so.

For comment or interviews contact:
Kirsten Walkom, Executive Vice President, Smith & Company
kwalkom@smithandcompany.com 
+44 7542013310
Kieran Rumsby, Communications Associate, Smith & Company
krumsby@smithandcompany.com 
+44 7594680497

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 2^nd – 11^th 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.

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 sexual

abuse. 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.

For contacts about campaign in Bulgaria:

GeorgiVanchev, Communication and advocacy consultant, Project Beacon, gvanchev@yahoo.com; +359 878 400071

Lydia Zagorova, Chairperson, ECPAT Bulgaria – Neglected Children Society; ecpatbulgaria@gmail.com; +359 878 400074

KEY MESSAGES

Project Beacon – Public Polling in France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden and The Netherlands

As these findings are being released across Europe in multiple languages, it is important that we include a few key messages consistently in all of the national and EU-wide releases. Please find these messages below.

Key Messages

• ECPAT released findings from research exploring public attitudes towards online child protection. It was carried out in eight countries across the European Union.

• Commissioned by ECPAT International in partnership with their member Defence for Children – ECPAT Netherlands, the research delivered by YouGov was based on representative adult populations (18+) in France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Sweden, and The Netherlands.

• 73% of respondents believed children cannot go online without being approached by adults looking to harm them.

• Nearly 7 out of 10 people feel that there is not much privacy online anyway. Those who believe online privacy does not exist (68%) outnumber those who believe it does (25%) by more than two to one.

• 68% of respondents across all the countries surveyed support plans by the European Union to introduce new legislation to mandate online providers to use automated tools to help keep children safe online.

• ECPAT calls on the European Union to bring forward new legislation that will make it mandatory for technology companies to turn on automatic tools to scan and detect for images of child sexual abuse and exploitation materials.

• Coming from some of the largest countries in the European Union, the message is clear: the public wants action taken to protect children online. They want to see automated tools that can help to keep children safe online to always be used, with online platforms having a legal duty to do so.

FAQ – PROJECT BEACON

Balance between online privacy and child protection online

1. Why was the research conducted?

• ECPAT wanted to explore the views of members of the public, in some of the largest countries in the European Union on the issues of child protection, data privacy and the balance, if any, between them.
• ECPAT wanted to gather this data to better understand the public’s perceptions on the issues of privacy vs. child protection online.

It is important for policy makers to know what the public finds important when developing legislation. There have been some developments why it is important that Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) know what EU citizens consider important:

• The usage of tools to detect and remove online child sexual abuse has declined since December 2020, when EU Member States needed to have transposed the new EU telecom rules into national law, following the European Electronic Communications Code (EECC) that came into force in December 2018.[1] With internet-based communications services becoming subject to the strict confidentiality requirements, a temporary regulation was adopted in July 2021, permitting providers to use specific technology to combat child sexual abuse online.[2] The temporary regulation is limited until 3 August 2024. Due to the unclarity and the inclusion of extra privacy-preserving points, some ICT companies (such as Facebook) have stopped using the detection software. The number of reports of online child sexual abuse in Europe dropped dramatically after 20 December (58% less reports from Europe in 3 months).[3]

• Commission is working on a long-term legislation to tackle child sexual abuse online. In July 2020, the European Commission published the EU strategy for a more effective fight against child sexual abuse. The strategy provides a comprehensive response to the growing threat of child sexual abuse, both offline and online. The strategy focuses, inter alia, on legislation to effectively tackle child sexual abuse online, including by requiring relevant online service providers to detect, remove and report known child sexual abuse material to authorities. The Commission also wants to develop an European centre to prevent and combat child sexual abuse.

• The European Institutions are currently debating The Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act, which aim to create a safer digital space where the fundamental rights of users are protected and to establish a level playing field for businesses.

2. What was the research methodology?

• Research was conducted online in 2021.
• The research was split into two parts – a smaller, non-representative qualitative phase and public opinion polling, quantitative, that was representative.
• The first phase saw groups of 30 x adults being recruited randomly across 7 countries to take part in an online research session to explore the topic. Countries were Poland, Hungary, France, Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Spain.
• The second phase, the public opinion polling, involved more than 9.000 adults (representative of the national adult populations).
• There were at least 1.000 adults per country, with 2.000 in Germany.
• All participants were asked the same 5 x questions.
• The polling was conducted in all of the above countries plus Sweden.
• Polling was undertaken as part of YouGov’s online omnibus polling.
• All research was conducted in the local language.

3. What does phase 1, the qualitative data, tell us about the views of the groups in those 7 countries?

NB – phase 1 is not representative data – it is a snapshot of the views of a group of people.

• Most people in these groups had never heard of hash detection tools or anti-grooming tools, however when they heard about them, they wanted these tools used.
• When participants in these groups heard that these tools were not being used (or might not be used) they were angry.
• Participants saw this topic as complicated, complex and beyond the scope of individuals, families, individual companies or nations to solve – they felt powerless to protect all children, including their own.
• They were not clear who was the best person to act, but saw the EU as the likely best (or least bad) place for the problem to be addressed.

4. What does phase 2, the quantitative data, tell us about the views of the groups in those 7 countries?

NB – This data, from 8 countries, is representative of the adult population.

Looking at the data aggregated across all 8 countries:

• 76% of respondents are willing to give up some of their personal privacy online to allow for automated technology tools to be used to scan and detect images of child sexual abuse and exploitation to protect children online.
• Nearly 7 out of 10 people surveyed feel that there is not much, if any, privacy online.
• Those who believe online privacy does not exist (68%) outnumber those who believe it does (25%) by more than two to one.
• 77% of female respondents believe that children cannot use the internet safely without being approached by adults seeking to harm them online compared to 69 percent of male respondents.
• 68% of respondents in the eight countries support plans by the European Union to introduce new legislation to make it a legal duty for online platforms to always use automated technology tools for the detection of child sexual abuse material.
• The research findings were broadly consistent across all eight countries.

5. What might this quantitative data mean for the EU?

• Among some of the EU’s largest countries, the message is clear; the public want action taken to protect children online.
• There is strong support for proposed EU legislation, among these 8 countries
• Therefore, the EU needs to prioritize the online protection of children and integrate it in its legislation, such as the Digital Service Act, Digital Market Act and the EU strategy for a more effective fight against child sexual abuse.

6. Are EU citizens equipped to respond to these issues? Did they understand the implications of using detection tools?

• In the survey it was explained to the respondents that the tools continuously check the personal activity of all users on the platform, which means that users give away some of their personal privacy, because the tools scan images and messages in order to protect children.
• Three out of four people across the 8 countries in Europe believed protecting children from abuse was as important or more important than the protection of their own privacy.

[1] https://www.stibbe.com/en/news/2019/january/the-european-electronic-communications-code-is-now-in-force–10-takeaways

[2] https://www.europarl.europa.eu/legislative-train/theme-promoting-our-european-way-of-life/file-temporary-derogation-from-the-e-privacy-directive-for-ott-services

[3] https://www.missingkids.org/blog/2020/we-are-in-danger-of-losing-the-global-battle-for-child-safety

Project Beacon

What does the public really think about the issues of policies regarding privacy and child protection online?

Over the last few years, conversations weighing the balance between online privacy and how to keep children safe online have increased, , but the issues are often confusing for non-experts. And while the debate is increasingly relevant for all internet users and the public, there is a risk that interest groups and even policymakers are speaking on behalf of the public without really knowing their views. This led the ECPAT network to ask, ‘what does the public really think about the issues of privacy and child protection online?’

In partnership with our member Defence for Children – ECPAT Netherlands and delivered by the internationally-recognised research company, YouGov, ECPAT conducted research in eight countries, across the European Union, to explore public attitudes towards online child protection and privacy.

The impetus for the study was the heated debate that took place in relation to a new regulation providing a temporary derogation from the Electronic Communications Code as part of the ePrivacy Directive. This regulation authorises technology companies, temporarily and with certain conditions and safeguards, to deploy specialised automated tools to voluntarily identify and detect child sexual abuse material. (You can learn more about the risks and impact of the regulation here.)

Our research was gathered from 9,410 adults in France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, and Spain in September 2021. The research has shown widespread public support for the use of tools to identify child sexual abuse materials, and for the European Union to introduce ensure longer-term changes to legislation that will keep children safe online.
The message from some of the largest countries in the European Union is clear: the public wants action to keep children safe, and they see automated tools as the answer. You can read our summary report of the research here and/or download the full data here.

Join us in calling on EU institutions to mandates that technology companies to always keep the automated tools that can detect, remove, and report images of child sexual abuse and exploitation turned on!

Summary report is here:

https://ecpat.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Summary-Report-Polling-Research-16-November-21.pdf