CSAM & Child Safety

Last May, the European Commission released proposed legislation aimed at preventing child sexual abuse. The proposed policy has the potential to make a significant difference in childrens’ safety, both online and offline – and in our fight to build a world where every child can be safe, curious, and happy. 

For additional background, read this open letter to the EU, in which Thorn, along with 70+ international organizations, joined in a collective call to action to make the internet a safer place for children. 

Ashton Kutcher Speaks

To help the public – especially those in the EU with a stake in protecting children – better understand the importance of the legislation and rally behind it, Thorn co-founder Ashton Kutcher keynoted a panel which you can watch in full here.

At the event, Ashton spoke passionately about the scale of CSAM and why it is such a unique crime compared to others. “Child sexual abuse is the only crime where capturing the crime is as much of a crime as the abuse itself.” He went on to empathize with how people can still feel hesitant to get involved. “We all have things that we’re afraid of because we don’t understand. We’re all afraid of feeling stupid. I think that’s part of what’s happening here. We’re afraid of approaching this legislation because it’s hard, it’s complicated, and we don’t understand the technology.”

(Pictured L-R: Thorn co-founder Ashton Kutcher, Thorn CEO Julie Cordua, MEP David Lega, Secretary General of the Children’s Intergroup Emilio Puccio, Advisor to MEP Lega Natalie Tegelberg)

Ashton was joined by our CEO, Julie Cordua, and our Director of Policy, Emily Slifer, at the event, which was paired with a number of separate one-on-one meetings with prominent EU officials who have influence in and ability to create and shape the EU policy designed to defend children online and protect them from sexual abuse. 

We All Have a Role to Play

At Thorn, we know that defending children from sexual abuse takes the strong commitment of many players, and we can only make inroads as full ecosystem working together on behalf of children. This includes policymakers who can make positive legislative changes in this space, and it’s why Thorn is lending our expertise to ensure that policy like this not only passes, but that its content is truly designed to work toward a world we all believe in – one in which every child is free to be safe, curious, and happy.

Get Updates

As this legislation moves forward, you can stay informed in several different ways.

First, follow Thorn on LinkedIn and Twitter, as well as our European partner organizations such as Missing Children Europe, ECPAT International, Terre des Hommes, Brave Movement, and Internet Watch Foundation. 

You can also sign up for Thorn emails to stay on top of all of Thorn’s efforts to defend children.