Bill to crack down on child sexual abuse material online advances in Senate

The Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously approved a bill to crack down on child sexual abuse material online. The bipartisan legislation now heads to the Senate floor for a vote. 

If passed, the bill  would allow victims of online child sexual abuse material to bring civil suits against tech platforms like social media sites and app stores that promote or facilitate the exploitation. Lawsuits would also be permitted against platforms that host, store or make the material available. Federal law currently protects companies from lawsuits. 

This issue became a bipartisan effort as lawmakers saw the dangers their own children and grandchildren face online. 

“I’ve just become convinced that maybe the only way to get the attention of these platforms is to give individuals the right to get into court and to have their day in court,” Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said. “And frankly that’s just an old fashioned American principle – that you ought to be able to get into court and have your day in court. And I think that’s the way we’re going to achieve real change here and give real power back to the victims.” 

The bill would do more than let victims sue. It would make it easier for victims to report the material to companies, request that they take it down and impose fines for failure to comply with the removal request. The bill would also facilitates restitution and strengthen CyberTipline reporting requirements. 

“In almost every aspect of the real world, child safety is a top priority.  But in the virtual world, criminals and bullies don’t need to pick a lock or wait outside the playground to cause harm.  They can harass, intimidate, addict, or sexually exploit our kids without anyone leaving home,” Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said. “The legislation is a comprehensive approach to close gaps in the law and crack down on the proliferation of child sex abuse material online.”

Online child sexual abuse material proliferated as social media sites became increasingly popular. 

From March 2009 to February 2022, the number of victims identified in abuse material rose from 2,172 to 21,413. From 2012 to 2022, the number of reports to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s CyberTipline concerning child sexual exploitation increased from 415,650 to over 32 million.

The bill is being sponsored by Durbin and the amendment allowing for civil lawsuits was proposed by Hawley.