Google Waging War on Child Porn

SUNNYVALE. Calif. — Google is waging war on global child porn by creating a special information database and donating more than $7 million to child-protection groups and to establish a new technology fund.

The Internet giant announced that it is developing a “cross industry database” of encrypted “fingerprints” of child sexual abuse images to enable companies, law enforcement and charities to better collaborate on detecting and removing the images, and to take action against the criminals.

Law enforcement, companies and non-profit watchdogs such as the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and the U.K.’s Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) will be able to share information that includes references to illegal images.

Google is donating $5 million to the organizations and another $2 million for a Child Protection Technology Fund. The company alsao said it is providing additional support to similar "heroic" organizations in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia and Latin America.

Commenting on Google’s initiative, the adult industry’s own Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection (ASACP) executive director Tim Henning told XBIZ, “ASACP supports all initiatives that stem the tide of child exploitation online. It is encouraging news that key Internet players such as Google are stepping up to the plate with technology and funding in order to fight these horrific crimes and protect children from abuse. ASACP, through it's child pornography reporting hotline, has contributed to the building of this database since it was first developed in 2008."

According to the official Google blog, in 2011, NCMEC received 17.3 million images and videos of suspected child abuse — four times more than what their Exploited Children's Division (ECD) saw in 2007. And the number is still growing with more than half of the images and videos originating outside of the U.S.

The search giant said to fight the global problem there needs to be borderless communication between organizations. “NCMEC’s CyberTipline is accessible to 60 countries, helping local law enforcement agencies effectively execute their investigations.”

Henning agreed and said, "To effectively battle child exploitation on the Internet requires international co-operation that brings together a wide range of stakeholders who can contribute new ideas and technologies. This initiative by Google will certainly help in this regard."

Posting on the Google blog, director of Google Giving Jacquelline Fuller said, “Google has been working on fighting child exploitation since as early as 2006 when we joined the Technology Coalition, teaming up with other tech industry companies to develop technical solutions. Since then, we’ve been providing software and hardware to helping organizations all around the world to fight child abuse images on the web and help locate missing children."

The company explained that since 2008, it has used “hashing” technology to tag known child sexual abuse images, allowing it to identify duplicate images that may exist elsewhere. Each image gets a unique I.D. that Google’s computers can recognize without humans having to view them again. Google has also been incorporating encrypted “fingerprints” of child sexual abuse images into a cross-industry database that will enable companies, law enforcement and charities to remove the images and prosecute criminals.

“We’re in the business of making information widely available, but there’s certain ‘information’ that should never be created or found. We can do a lot to ensure it’s not available online — and that when people try to share this disgusting content they are caught and prosecuted,” Google said.

Related:  

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Adult Industry Educational, Networking Platform 'Imperfectly You' Launches

Imperfectly You, an educational and networking platform for adult industry workers, has officially launched.

Segpay to Launch News Network for High-Risk Merchants

Segpay has announced that it will launch the Segpay News Network (SNN) on April 15.

Age Verification Watch: Patching the Holes

This roundup provides an update on the latest news and developments on the age verification front as it impacts the adult industry.

Pineapple Support to Host Autism Spectrum Support Group

Pineapple Support is hosting a free online support group for performers and creators who are, or suspect they may be, on the autism spectrum.

ImLive Launches Revamped Member Loyalty Program

Cam platform ImLive has revamped its member loyalty program.

GoFundMe Set Up for Danny Ferretti's Medical Expenses

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up for Fangear founder Danny Ferretti, who requires extensive lung surgery.

Byborg Acquires Cuties AI

Byborg Enterprises has acquired adult artificial intelligence startup Cuties AI.

Irish Government Releases Report on Sex Work Decriminalization Legislation

The Irish government has released a report reviewing a 2017 law that decriminalized sex work across the country.

Texas Bill Would Require Age Verification for Online Sex Toy Sales

A new bill in the Texas state legislature would require online retailers to implement age verification of purchasers before selling “obscene devices” to anyone in that state.

New York Assemblyman Proposes Banning the Term 'Sex Work'

Republican New York Assembly Member Brian Maher has introduced a bill to prohibit the use of the term "sex work" in government documents.

Show More