In a significant US&nbsp;Senate hearing, executives from leading social media companies, including Meta, TikTok, Snap, and Discord, faced rigorous questioning about their efforts to combat online child sexual exploitation.

Senator Dick Durbin, the Democratic chairman of the Judiciary Committee, highlighted disturbing statistics from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, revealing a surge in financial "sextortion" cases where predators manipulate minors into sharing explicit content, as reported by Reuters.&nbsp;

Durbin attributed the alarming growth in child sexual exploitation to technological changes. During the hearing, a video featuring children recounting their victimisation on social media platforms was played, emphasising the gravity of the issue. Parents, holding pictures of their children, anxiously awaited the CEOs' entrance into the hearing room.

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<h2>Accusations and accountability</h2>

Senator Lindsey Graham, addressing Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, accused the company of having "blood on their hands," holding them accountable for the impact of their products. Graham's strong statements reflected concerns about the potential harm caused by social media platforms.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew made his first appearance before US&nbsp;lawmakers since March, addressing concerns about the app's impact on children's mental health.

Chew emphasised TikTok's commitment to safety, detailing careful product design choices to prevent harm to teenagers and strict community guidelines against exploitation.

Chew revealed that over 170 million Americans use TikTok monthly, acknowledging that platforms like TikTok are exploited by offenders to target children or trade child sexual abuse material. Durbin pointed out that such platforms are becoming tools for offenders to exploit and endanger minors.

CEOs, including Zuckerberg, Yaccarino, Spiegel, and Citron, testified about their commitment to protecting young users. Zuckerberg's written testimony acknowledged the ongoing challenge, with criminals adapting tactics necessitating continuous improvement in responses. Spiegel highlighted Snap's parental controls resembling real-world monitoring, balancing privacy and safety.

Also watch |&nbsp;Biden under pressure over death of three US soldiers in Jordan

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/biden-under-pressure-over-death-of-three-us-soldiers-in-jordan-685582/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

While the committee approved bills last year, including one removing tech firms' immunity from child sexual abuse material laws, none have become law. Senator Amy Klobuchar stressed the need for legislative action, citing social media companies' historical neglect of children's safety and their role in facilitating harmful content and illegal activities.

(With inputs from agencies)

In a significant US Senate hearing, executives from leading social media companies, including Meta, TikTok, Snap, and Discord, faced rigorous questioning about their efforts to combat online child sexual exploitation.

In a significant US Senate hearing, executives from leading social media companies, including Meta, TikTok, Snap, and Discord, faced rigorous questioning about their efforts to combat online child sexual exploitation. Senator Dick Durbin, the Democratic chairman of the Judiciary Committee, highlighted disturbing statistics from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, revealing a surge in financial "sextortion" cases where predators manipulate minors into sharing explicit content, as reported by Reuters. Durbin attributed the alarming growth in child sexual exploitation to technological changes. During the hearing, a video featuring children recounting their victimisation on social media platforms was played, emphasising the gravity of the issue. Parents, holding pictures of their children, anxiously awaited the CEOs' entrance into the hearing room. Also read | Elon Musk 'walks with' Tesla’s Optimus robot, excitement erupts online Accusations and accountability Senator Lindsey Graham, addressing Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, accused the company of having "blood on their hands," holding them accountable for the impact of their products. Graham's strong statements reflected concerns about the potential harm caused by social media platforms. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew made his first appearance before US lawmakers since March, addressing concerns about the app's impact on children's mental health. Chew emphasised TikTok's commitment to safety, detailing careful product design choices to prevent harm to teenagers and strict community guidelines against exploitation. Chew revealed that over 170 million Americans use TikTok monthly, acknowledging that platforms like TikTok are exploited by offenders to target children or trade child sexual abuse material. Durbin pointed out that such platforms are becoming tools for offenders to exploit and endanger minors. CEOs, including Zuckerberg, Yaccarino, Spiegel, and Citron, testified about their commitment to protecting young users. Zuckerberg's written testimony acknowledged the ongoing challenge, with criminals adapting tactics necessitating continuous improvement in responses. Spiegel highlighted Snap's parental controls resembling real-world monitoring, balancing privacy and safety. Also watch | Biden under pressure over death of three US soldiers in Jordan While the committee approved bills last year, including one removing tech firms' immunity from child sexual abuse material laws, none have become law. Senator Amy Klobuchar stressed the need for legislative action, citing social media companies' historical neglect of children's safety and their role in facilitating harmful content and illegal activities. (With inputs from agencies)

Meta, TikTok, X CEOs grilled at US Senate hearing on combating online child exploitation

Australian regulator e-Safety Commissioner held Microsoft Corp and Apple Inc responsible for not taking appropriate measures to regulate child exploitation content available on their platform.&nbsp;The Internet Safety watchdog issued a report after it used new powers to get information about the methods being used by the tech giants.

On Thursday, the e-Safety Commissioner said that after legal demands were sent to some of the largest internet firms in the world requesting information, the responses received showed that proactive screening was not done by Apple and Microsoft for child abuse material in OneDrive and iCloud, which are their storage services.

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In the information received, it was confirmed that no technology was used by the two firms to detect child sexual abuse’s live-streaming on video services Microsoft Teams and Skype, which fall under the ambit of Microsoft, as well as Apple’s FaceTime, the report published by the commissioner stated.

A spokesperson from Microsoft talked about the commitment of the company to combat the proliferation of abusive material but "as threats to children's safety continue to evolve and bad actors become more sophisticated in their tactics, we continue to challenge ourselves to adapt our response".

As per the commissioner, the information confirms the lack of implementation of child protection measures by the biggest tech firms and increases public pressure on them to be more vigilant.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Information was also sought from Meta Platforms Inc, which is the owner of Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, and from Snap Inc, owner of Snapchat.

In a statement, Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said that the overall responses were "alarming" and expressed her concern about "clearly inadequate and inconsistent use of widely available technology to detect child abuse material and grooming.”

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Microsoft and Apple "do not even attempt to proactively detect previously confirmed child abuse material" on their devices used for storage, although law enforcement agencies use a Microsoft-developed detection product.

Inman Grant said that an announcement recently made by Apple, stating that it won’t be scanning accounts of iCloud for child abuse, was "a major step backwards from their responsibilities to help keep children safe". &nbsp;

Both firms’ failure in detecting live-streamed abuse amounted to "some of the biggest and richest technology companies in the world turning a blind eye and failing to take appropriate steps to protect the most vulnerable from the most predatory," she said.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Australian regulator e-Safety Commissioner held Microsoft Corp and Apple Inc responsible for not taking appropriate measures to regulate child exploitation content available on their platform.

Australian regulator e-Safety Commissioner held Microsoft Corp and Apple Inc responsible for not taking appropriate measures to regulate child exploitation content available on their platform. The Internet Safety watchdog issued a report after it used new powers to get information about the methods being used by the tech giants. On Thursday, the e-Safety Commissioner said that after legal demands were sent to some of the largest internet firms in the world requesting information, the responses received showed that proactive screening was not done by Apple and Microsoft for child abuse material in OneDrive and iCloud, which are their storage services. ALSO READ | Apple to allow third-party app stores in response to new EU laws In the information received, it was confirmed that no technology was used by the two firms to detect child sexual abuse’s live-streaming on video services Microsoft Teams and Skype, which fall under the ambit of Microsoft, as well as Apple’s FaceTime, the report published by the commissioner stated. A spokesperson from Microsoft talked about the commitment of the company to combat the proliferation of abusive material but "as threats to children's safety continue to evolve and bad actors become more sophisticated in their tactics, we continue to challenge ourselves to adapt our response". As per the commissioner, the information confirms the lack of implementation of child protection measures by the biggest tech firms and increases public pressure on them to be more vigilant. Information was also sought from Meta Platforms Inc, which is the owner of Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, and from Snap Inc, owner of Snapchat. In a statement, Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said that the overall responses were "alarming" and expressed her concern about "clearly inadequate and inconsistent use of widely available technology to detect child abuse material and grooming.” WATCH | Apple to lose 6 million iPhone Pros amid China Covid protest Microsoft and Apple "do not even attempt to proactively detect previously confirmed child abuse material" on their devices used for storage, although law enforcement agencies use a Microsoft-developed detection product. Inman Grant said that an announcement recently made by Apple, stating that it won’t be scanning accounts of iCloud for child abuse, was "a major step backwards from their responsibilities to help keep children safe". Both firms’ failure in detecting live-streamed abuse amounted to "some of the biggest and richest technology companies in the world turning a blind eye and failing to take appropriate steps to protect the most vulnerable from the most predatory," she said. (With inputs from agencies)

Australia accuses Apple, Microsoft of not taking measures to keep out child exploitation content

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Meta, TikTok, X CEOs grilled at US Senate hearing on combating online child exploitation

Australia accuses Apple, Microsoft of not taking measures to keep out child exploitation content