Sen.
Marsha Blackburn has introduced a bill that she says "will lead to monumental changes in identifying and stopping the spread of online child sexual abuse material."
Specifically, the Revising Existing Procedures on Reporting via Technology (REPORT) Act would require social media platforms to report reports of child sex trafficking and enticement crimes to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's CyberTipline, as well as make those reports mandatory for minors and parents who report to the CyberTipline, the Washington Post reports.
The bill would also increase fines for noncompliance.
Currently, voluntary reporting of CSAM is voluntary.
"While current standards allow for voluntary reporting of CSAM and include no reporting requirements for child sex trafficking and enticement crimes, the REPORT Act would make those reports mandatory and would significantly increase the fines imposed for noncompliance," Blackburn writes in a blog post.
"If a mandate to achieve this goal is required, Congress is more than capable of providing one."
The bipartisan bill, which also includes the End Child Exploitation Act and the Kids Online Safety Act, "represents a critical step in catching child predators without depending on Congress' ability to keep up with Big Tech," Blackburn writes.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which runs CyberTip
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