Meta & Children's Online Safety

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Published hearing exchange

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

Testimony

Questioner: Peter Welch

Narrative: KnowledgeHarm: Child sexual exploitationDesign feature: Direct MessagingInitiative: Encryption
Q. · Question

Peter Welch

A. · Response

Respondent not recorded

QuestionWelch asked how Meta reconciles end-to-end encryption with law enforcement's need to pursue wrongdoers on its platforms.

ResponseMeta says encryption doesn't undermine law-enforcement cooperation, describes expedited NCMEC/law-enforcement reporting and on-device/metadata-based ML detection of predatory behavior, and cites WhatsApp's CSAM removal and NCMEC-report volumes as evidence of continued effectiveness.