The National Center on Sexual Exploitation once again has released its annual list of businesses and other entities that profit off sexually exploitative products and fail to protect children from sexually abusive material. These are the companies and apps that made this year’s “Dirty Dozen List,” along with the organization’s comments.
Apple app store. The store’s age ratings and descriptions mislead parents about the content, risks and dangers to children on available apps. When caregivers aren’t informed, kids pay the price
Discord. This messaging platform is popular with predators who want to groom children and find and trade child sexual abuse materials, as well as adult image-based sexual abuse.
eBay. “Whatever it is, you can get it on eBay.” Unfortunately, that includes childlike sex abuse dolls and spy cams advertised specifically for filming women without their consent.
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Instagram. Instagram’s slogan is “Capture and Share the World’s Moments.” For countless children and adults, that includes their worst moments. Grooming, child sexual abuse materials, sex trafficking and many other harms continue to fester on Instagram.
Kik. The anonymous messaging app is a “predator’s paradise” for grooming kids and sharing images of their abuse, in addition to hardcore porn and prostitution ads.
Microsoft’s Git-Hub. GitHub is the go-to place to create sexually exploitative technology. Deep fakes, “nudify” apps and AI-generated pornography originate on this collaboration platform for software development.
Only Fans. OnlyFans promotes itself as giving porn performers power, but in reality it empowers sex traffickers, child exploiters and “revenge porn” posters.
Reddit. It takes less than five seconds to find sexual exploitation on Reddit. This “front page of the Internet” is a hub of child sexual abuse materials, sex trafficking and image-based sexual abuse.
Roblox. Roblox isn’t all fun and games. Among the blocks and buildings, kids may be exposed to predators and inappropriate content.
Snapchat. Year after year, Snapchat is named a top spot for sextortion, sexual interactions between minors and adults, and pornography exposure.
Spotify. Porn is too easy to spot on Spotify, and the parental controls are tone deaf.
Twitter. “Twitter was asked to take [child sexual abuse material] down and Twitter said, ‘we’ve looked at it and we’re not taking it down.’” — U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals judge.
–Lee Hartman | Metro Voice
