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The PROTECH project: AI and technology as allies in the prevention of child sexual abuse material (CSAM)
Thu, September 4, 1:00 to 2:15pm, Deree | Classrooms, DC 609Abstract
The challenges posed by online child sexual abuse material (CSAM) have reached unprecedented levels. In 2023 the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) dealt with 392,665 suspected cases of imagery containing or promoting CSAM (IWF, 2024). In response to the threats posed by ever-evolving technology used to support CSAM creation, viewing, and distribution, a range of tools and techniques, such as automated detection techniques, are increasingly being used by law enforcement and other entities that are mandated to prevent and combat CSAM; however, these methods commonly engage only with those after an offence has been committed . This contrasts with the consensus regarding the management of sexual offending, which emphasises the importance of harm prevention through early evidence-based interventions targeting both at risk and after offending (Scherrer & van Ballegooij, 2017). The PROTECH project aims to anticipate at this by developing a user-centred safety tech prevention tool.
The PROTECH project leveraged multi-disciplinary expertise across four EU therapeutic providers, two academic institutions, one NGO, and one technology company to develop, pilot and evaluate the effectiveness of a user-centred, on-device, safety tech prevention tool (‘Salus’) to prevent the viewing of CSAM for both pre- and post-offending individuals. Thirty-eight at-risk adults were recruited through Lucy Faithfull Foundation in the UK, University Forensic Center/Stop if Now! Flanders (UFC-UZA) in Belgium, and the Institute of Sexology and Sexual Medicine, Charité (CUB) in Germany, and piloted Salus on their device/s for between three and nine months. Evaluation data was collected via participant surveys and exit interviews. Focus groups were also conducted with their service providers. This session will describe the findings from the evaluation, focusing on participants’ experiences of using Salus, the therapeutic benefits and challenges of this on-device technology and implications for use in other settings.