In the face of an explosion of child sexual abuse material (CSAM, aka child pornography) being distributed and consumed online, the EARN IT Act holds technology companies accountable if they aid and abet the distribution and/or consumption of child sexual abuse material.
This episode is a chance to listen in to the February 8th, 2022, EARN IT Act virtual congressional briefing.
The EARN IT Act is the most important child protection legislation pending before Congress in 2022. It does four main things:
- Clarifies that there is no immunity for social media and technology companies that knowingly facilitate the distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM)
- Gives victims a path to justice and possibility of restoring their privacy
- Updates existing federal statutes to replace “child pornography” with the more accurate term “child sexual abuse material” (CSAM). This content is crime scene documentation; “child pornography” fails to convey the seriousness of the abuse.
- Establishes a commission of survivors, technology reps, privacy and civil rights experts, and other stakeholders to recommend best practices for tech companies to respond to the astronomical increase in online sexual exploitation of children including grooming for sex trafficking.
Here’s what the bill does not do:
- Does not undermine encryption
- Does not undermine privacy
- Does not give the federal government new power
You can watch a video of the event here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAItN4LicJo
Learn more and take action: https://endsexualexploitation.org/earnit/