03.07.24

Durbin Statement on Google Endorsement of Stop CSAM Act, Package of Kids' Online Safety Bills

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement after Google announced its endorsement of the STOP CSAM Act and other bills aimed to protect children online:

“For too long, Big Tech used every trick in the book to halt legislation holding social media companies accountable, while still trying to win the PR game. I’m glad to see that some tech companies are beginning to make good on their word to work with Congress on meaningful solutions to keep children safe online. I encourage other tech companies to follow Google’s move by recognizing that the time for Big Tech to police itself is over and work with Congress to better protect kids.”

Google joins X (formerly known as Twitter) in endorsing theSTOP CSAM Act, SHIELD Act, and the REPORT Act. Additionally, Google endorsed one other bill reported by the Senate Judiciary Committee: the Project Safe Childhood Act.

This Congress, the Committee has unanimously reported multiple bipartisan bills to help stop the exploitation of kids online, including:

  • The STOP CSAM Act, which supports victims and increases accountability and transparency for online platforms;
  • The EARN IT Act, which removes tech’s blanket immunity from civil and criminal liability under child sexual abuse material laws and establishes a National Commission on Online Child Sexual Exploitation Prevention;
  • The SHIELD Act, which ensures that federal prosecutors have appropriate and effective tools to address the nonconsensual distribution of sexual imagery;
  • The Project Safe Childhood Act, which modernizes the investigation and prosecution of online child exploitation crimes; and,
  • The REPORT Act, which combats the rise in online child sexual exploitation by establishing new measures to help strengthen reporting of those crimes to the CyberTipline.

Visit this webpage for an overview of the Committee’s efforts, including descriptions of the pending legislation and a timeline of events.

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