So you take action in NCOSE’s campaigns … Maybe you’ve donated before … But is any of it really making a difference? Are you actually helping anyone?
If you’ve had these doubts, then doubt no longer! The answer is a resounding YES.
In fact, you are helping billions of people around the globe!
Here are just a few highlights of your impact this year, by the numbers.
Snapchat: 90% of young people in 20+ countries protected
After you took action through the 2023 Dirty Dozen List, Snapchat improved detection and removal of sexually explicit/exploitative content, protecting the 90% of young people in 20+ countries that use this app!
In a public statement, Snapchat thanked NCOSE for influencing these improvements, stating: “Several of our new product safeguards were informed by feedback from the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE).”
Google: 5.3 billion searches per day made safe
After a decade of you joining us in pressing on Google to automatically blur sexually explicit images, they have finally agreed! Now, 5.3 billion Google searches per day no longer expose unsuspecting children or adults to pornography.
In announcing the new policy, Google wrote, “We appreciate the feedback from survivors and subject matter experts like the National Center on Sexual Exploitation that help improve practices around online safety.”
Bringing down Pornhub—a site with more traffic than Amazon and Netflix
Pornhub carries incredible influence in the pornography industry and the world. They receive 2.6 billion monthly visitors—more than Amazon and Netflix! We are tackling this pornography giant and bringing them to their knees.
This year saw some incredible progress in both the NCOSE Law Center’s lawsuits against Pornhub.
In Doe #1 et al v. MG Freesites LTD et al, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama certified a class and permitted a young survivor of child sexual abuse material to serve as its representative. Certifying a class means that the court found enough evidence of numerous victims who have been harmed in a common way—in other words, evidence of systemic abuse.
Further, Pornhub’s motion to dismiss was denied in our lawsuit Does 1-9 v. Murphy et al. This lawsuit represents a girls’ field hockey team who were surreptitiously videotaped while showering. Footage was then uploaded to and monetized by Pornhub.
The lawsuits against Pornhub don’t only help the survivor plaintiffs—they also have a ripple effect across the entire pornography industry, sending a message that they can no longer get away with their crimes!
Mass-scale prevention: the highest impact tactics that will ｐｒｅｖｅｎｔ harm for the greatest amount of people.
— National Center on Sexual Exploitation (@NCOSE) September 26, 2023
This is worth fighting for.https://t.co/v2c20hOSpZ
Apple: Up to 40% of 8-12 year-old Americans protected
After two years of you joining us in asking Apple to automatically blur nude images, they have finally agreed to do so for kids 12 and under in iMessage, FaceTime, Air Drop, and Photos picker.
According to Common Sense Media, 43% of American 8-12 years-old have a smart phone. It is not reported how many of these are iPhones, but we do know that 87% of American teens own an iPhone, which is 92% of the total number of teens who have cellphones. If we assume that iPhones dominate the market with children under 12 to a similar extent, then this change may protect up to 40% of American 8-12 year-olds (92% of 43%).
We continue to press on Apple to automatically block nudity for all minors, including teens. Why does Apple think that teens don’t deserve protection?
Kik: 1/3 of American teens protected
Kik, the app which a convicted child molester called “a predator’s paradise,” acquiesced to almost all of the requests you made through the 2023 Dirty Dozen List! These include making the platform 18+, requiring email verification to create accounts, using bots to monitor livestreams for nudity and inappropriate comments, creating an option to block direct messages from strangers, and drastically limited the amount of sexually explicit content.
Prior to changing the age of the platform, Kik was used by over a third of American teens, and 70% of their users were 13 – 24 years old.
Discord: 25% of 11-12 year-old Americans protected
After you took action through the 2023 Dirty Dozen List, Discord activated higher safety settings by default and improved policies on child sexualization. This protects the 25% of American children aged 11-12 who use this app!
We hope you feel proud of the incredible impact you’re having on so many people’s lives! THANK YOU for being such a crucial part of this work!
