Big Tech and the Online Child Sexual Exploitation Crisis (QFR Responses)

QuestionGrassley asks whether Meta's shift to default end-to-end encryption will cut child-safety costs, what CSAM-detection technology Meta is exploring for encrypted messages, whether users can opt out of default encryption, and whether parents can choose to keep their child's messages unencrypted.

ResponseMeta denies encryption is cost-motivated, says it won't build "client-side scanning" for encrypted messages but instead relies on unencrypted-side signals and features like default nudity protection for teens; it will not let users opt out of default encryption at all, but notes Messenger Kids (for under-13s) remains unencrypted specifically so parents can supervise it.