What is it?
- Regularly publish transparency reports on detection and prevention of CSEA online with meaningful metrics, and ensure data is supported by explainable methodology and reviewed regularly.
- Honest appraisal of responses and prevention techniques to inform future work and efforts.
- Transparency around the innovation of tools and techniques, research, allocation of resources, collaboration with other key stakeholders, staffing and training are also key.
Why is it important?
- Measurable indicators and transparency of progress, as well as challenges, can both prevent and respond to the elimination of online child sexual abuse and exploitation.
- Transparency can respond to online child sexual abuse and exploitation, and help the removal of CSAM, as it can motivate other actors to learn from success and initiate similar methodologies (where relevant) to reach the same end. It can also encourage collaboration between like-minded organisations to strengthen areas where there may be challenges or gaps.
- Transparency can prevent online child sexual abuse and exploitation, and help the reduction of CSAM, as it can highlight successes of collaboration and industry-wide, principled action and create doubt, increase risks or reduce potential action of offenders.
How can it be implemented?
- Organisations can share general successes and challenges in various formats and locations so as to reach all core audiences, including children and parents. Sharing channels can include their organisational websites, across various information-sharing fora with other actors working to eliminate online child sexual abuse and exploitation, in formats and spaces that are accessible to children and in formats and spaces that may be accessed by potential offenders.
- In some instances, the sharing of detailed methodologies to reduce CSAM may need to be kept private between collaborating organisations to prevent groups of offenders working together to identify techniques to overcome the successful methodologies.
- Protocols for sharing detailed methodologies across organisations and countries, with agreed data protection, security and confidentiality agreements, can be developed to ensure sharing of detailed methodologies. For example, this could be done between vetted organisations or between organisations who are members of WePROTECT Global Alliance.
Further resources:
Technology Coalition, Project Protect.