Over the past decade multi-national service providers deployed technology for the automated detection of child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) that was uploaded or disseminated via their services. Tens of millions of CSAM have been identified and reported in this way, and in many cases have helped rescue victims and identify and prosecute offenders worldwide. At the same time, the use of such techniques have raised rule of law and human rights concerns, for example, that they interfere with the privacy of communications or involve the transborder transfer of personal data or violate due process requirements.
The aim of the workshop is to continue the search for solutions that permit governments to meet their positive obligation to protect children against online sexual violence and enable service providers to use automated technologies to identify and report CSAM with the necessary privacy, data protection and rule of law safeguards.

Discussion with the audience:

• Are all criminal offences necessary to investigate and prosecute sexual abuse of children depicted in CSAM set down in national legislation? (Harmonising legal standards can protect your country from ‘forum shopping’ by offenders seeking lax legislation to facilitate their offending).
• Is there a sufficient legal basis for service providers to use automated detection tools? To report to hotlines and Law enforcement?
• What are the consequences for service providers failing to remove CSAM? Do you know of problematic platforms and providers? Do you need international co-operation to combat these?
• What are the challenges being faced by your country as regards automated detection?
• What solutions have your country/ authority found to overcome challenges? Can these be replicated or scaled up in other countries?