June 2, 2022 - Today the Tech Coalition launched Trust: Voluntary Framework for Industry Transparency at the WeProtect Global Alliance Summit in Brussels. Developed by industry following a consultation process with civil society and governments, the Trust Framework provides flexible guidance to tech companies seeking to build trust and demonstrate accountability by providing transparency reporting concerning their efforts to combat online child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA).
A key pillar of the Tech Coalition is a commitment to greater transparency and accountability as an essential component of industry efforts to combat online CSEA, and the development of this principles-based Framework represents a step forward in this pursuit. By virtue of their unique position, tech companies have important data that can help understand what’s needed to more effectively combat online child sexual exploitation and abuse.
The Trust Framework aims to help companies develop reporting that can explain the specific actions the company has taken to address attempts to violate its policies prohibiting online CSEA; provide critical insights on the specific threats and trends of online CSEA; and create a reliable cadence of opportunities for individual companies to identify potential improvements that will further reduce the prevalence and harm of child exploitation.
“When we launched Project Protect, our Members pledged to increase transparency and accountability in their efforts to combat online sexual exploitation and abuse of children, and this Framework is a critical step in seeing those efforts through”, said Sean Litton, Executive Director of the Tech Coalition. ”Transparency is imperative to both our understanding of how sexual exploitation and abuse is manifested online and to driving effective measures to combat it. I am proud of the work our industry Members have put into the creation of this framework, and grateful to the private sector, civil society, and government leaders whose feedback was crucial to its development.”
The Tech Coalition worked closely with WeProtect Global Alliance to ensure that multi-stakeholder input was received during the development of the Trust Framework, and chose to launch it at the Summit to highlight industry’s continued commitment to turning the tide on child sexual exploitation and abuse online.