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Press
Release
GOOGLE JOINS INDUSTRY-WIDE MOVEMENT TO COMBAT CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
ALEXANDRIA, VA, August 23, 2006 – The National
Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), and its sister agency,
the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (ICMEC),
have announced that Google has joined the Technology Coalition and the
Financial Coalition Against Child Pornography, two critical industry initiatives
to fight commercial child pornography over the Internet.
Google will be joining the Technology Coalition, teaming up with other
major online companies to launch an aggressive new campaign to fight child
exploitation on the Internet. The Technology Coalition will be funded
within NCMEC to develop and deploy technology solutions that disrupt the
ability of predators to use the Internet to exploit children or traffic
in child pornography.
Members of the Technology Coalition are AOL, Yahoo!, Microsoft, EarthLink,
Google, and United Online. The Technology Coalition will work to enhance
knowledge sharing among industry participants, improve law enforcement
tools, and research perpetrators’ technologies in order to enhance
industry efforts and build solutions.
Google will also be joining the Financial Coalition Against Child Pornography,
a group of leading banks, credit card companies, third party payment companies,
and Internet services companies working to stop the flow of funds to child
pornography web sites. The Financial Coalition was formed in 2005 at the
urging of Senator Richard C. Shelby, Chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing
and Urban Affairs Committee.
Members of the Financial Coalition Against Child Pornography are: America
Online, American Express Company, Authorize.Net, Bank of America, Chase,
Citigroup, Discover Financial Services LLC, e-gold, First Data Corporation,
First National Bank of Omaha, Google, MasterCard, Microsoft, North American
Bancard, Nova Information Systems, PayPal, First PREMIER Bank/PREMIER
Bankcard, Standard Chartered Bank, Visa, Wells Fargo, and Yahoo! Inc.
“Both Coalitions exemplify the best spirit of private industry,
as these companies set aside their competitive zeal to work together to
protect the world’s most vulnerable citizens,” said Ernie
Allen, President and Chief Executive Officer of NCMEC and ICMEC. “Google
is to be commended for bringing its considerable expertise to the fight.”
"Google has joined these efforts as part of its zero-tolerance
policy on child pornography and those who would promote it," said
Nicole Wong, Associate General Counsel, Products and Intellectual Property,
of Google Inc. "Participation in these coalitions will be critical
to our efforts to protect children on the Internet, which include actively
supporting law enforcement efforts to track down predators, finding new
technological solutions, and participating in industry-wide initiatives."
In 2001, the CyberTipline operated by NCMEC had received more than 24,400
reports of child pornography. By the beginning of 2006, that number had
climbed to more than 340,000.
If members of the public have knowledge of a child pornography web site,
they are encouraged to report it immediately to the CyberTipline managed
by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (www.cybertipline.com
or 1-800-843-5678). Citizens outside the United States can call the CyberTipline
or can contact any number of hotlines around the world. To learn more
about these hotlines, visit the web site of the International Association
of Internet Hotlines (INHOPE) at www.inhope.org.
About Google Inc.
Google's innovative search technologies connect millions of people around
the world with information every day. Founded in 1998 by Stanford Ph.D.
students Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google today is a top web property
in all major global markets. Google's targeted advertising program provides
businesses of all sizes with measurable results, while enhancing the overall
web experience for users. Google is headquartered in Silicon Valley with
offices throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. For more information,
visit www.google.com.
About the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is a 501(c)(3)
nonprofit organization, that works in cooperation with the U.S. Department
of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. NCMEC's
congressionally mandated CyberTipline, a reporting mechanism for child
sexual exploitation, has handled more than 401,200 leads. Since its establishment
in 1984, NCMEC has assisted law enforcement with more than 122,600 missing
child cases, resulting in the recovery of more than 104,900 children.
For more information about NCMEC, call its toll-free, 24-hour hotline
at 1-800-THE-LOST or visit its web site at www.missingkids.com.
About the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children
The International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children is a private,
nonprofit 501(c) (3) nongovernmental organization. It is the leading agency
working on a global basis to combat child abduction and exploitation.
It is the sister organization of the National Center for Missing&
Exploited Children. For more information visit www.icmec.org.
CONTACT:
NCMEC
Office of Communications
(703) 837-6111
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