US Internet firms Microsoft, Yahoo, Earthlink, AOL, and United Online formed a coalition on June 27 to protect children online, pledging a million dollars and their savvy to the mission.
Revelation of the campaign to thwart online child predators was an apparent move to sap momentum from hearings in the US Congress into whether to enact laws forcing Internet companies to keep records of people's online activities. The Technology Coalition would be an alliance with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in Washington, according to the companies.
"Child predators take advantage of Internet technologies not only to help distribute images of child exploitation, but also to attempt to conceal their criminal behaviour," said NCMEC President Ernie Allen. "These leading companies have a wealth of expertise and technological tools that can help protect children and reduce the proliferation of sexually abusive images of children."
Coalition objectives would include using new technologies to detect and disrupt online distribution of child porn as well as to expose those exploiting children online, according to the companies. The companies said they would devote resources to developing tools police could use to track and capture pedophiles prowling the Internet.
"This is an extremely important global issue," said United Online Corporate Counsel Brooke Squire. "We look forward to working closely with our peers and with NCMEC to develop solutions to help protect the children of the world."
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