NCJ Number
236088
Date Published
2011
Length
131 pages
Annotation
This report existing international legislation and regulations relating to online child sexual abuse content.
Abstract
Key findings from this report include: while online child sexual abuse content has been addressed at the international level, legislation and regulations at the regional and national levels are not substantial enough to guarantee that children who are victims of sexual abuse are not exploited on the Internet; the problems associated with the removal of online child sexual abuse content are varied and need to be addressed at the national level as well as across borders; and the development and effective implementation of an international notice and takedown system would be beneficial in fighting the problem of online child sexual abuse content, as long as certain issues are addressed. These issues include differing national legal standards relating to child sexual abuse content, and the impact of the takedown system on the complex relationships that exist between law enforcement agencies of differing nations. Based on the examination of current international legislation and regulations relating to online child sexual abuse content, this report recommends that laws relating to online child sexual abuse content be harmonized in order to minimize the impact of different national standards, that a consistent and comprehensive international procedure be developed for removing such content, improve the cooperation between organizations that issue international takedown notices, and develop risk management strategies to provide organizations that issue takedown notices with coverage from legal risks associated with their actions. Bibliography and appendix