International Justice Mission Media Release

International Justice Mission (IJM) Australia) welcomes move by eSafety Commissioner to hold big tech companies to account for tackling online child sexual abuse.

The legal notices require big tech companies to explain how they address the child abuse material that is being promoted and distributed on their platforms. Companies are required to provide an updated report to the regulator every 6 months over the course of 2 years.

IJM Country Director, Mr David Braga, “We commend the eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman-Grant’s legal directive that will mandate big tech companies to report and review what they are doing to mitigate online child sexual abuse.”

“To date, these companies have failed to provide a safe online environment for children.

“We were appalled in 2022, when major online file storage companies disclosed to the Commissioner that there were no proactive measures to detect child abuse materials on their platforms,” said Mr Braga.

“With nearly half a million Filipino children facing online sexual exploitation every year, IJM appreciates the Commissioner’s acknowledgement that in our collective battle against online child sexual abuse – every minute counts.

“IJM has been a staunch advocate for greater action by the tech sector, considering Australia is the third largest consumer of child sexual abuse material from the Philippines. These notices are an important step in addressing the growing global threat of livestreamed child sexual abuse.

“We are hopeful the transparency will hasten big tech companies to review not only the content disseminated on their platforms but also the systems which allow for this content distribution,” Mr Braga said.

Big tech companies have until 15 February 2025, to lodge their first response. Failure to comply may result in penalties up to $782,500 a day for no response.

“This directive from the Commissioner is a strong step to enforce duty of care on tech companies when it comes to protecting children online,” Mr Braga said.