Seven of the world’s largest Big Tech firms have been told to do better in tackling online child sexual exploitation by the Australian government after a report undertaken by the eSafety Commissioner found their response inadequate.
Apple, Meta (Facebook and Instagram), Snap, Microsoft, WhatsApp, Skype, and Omegle were reprimanded by eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, who said in a media release on Dec. 15 that the report’s (pdf) findings were “very disturbing” and firms needed to do more to address the “scourge of online child sexual exploitation.”
“We’re talking about illegal content that depicts the sexual abuse of children—and it is unacceptable that tech giants with long-term knowledge of extensive child sexual exploitation, access to existing technical tools, and significant resources are not doing everything they can to stamp this out on their platforms,” Inman Grant said….