On Dec. 21, 2020, a law in the European Union called the e-Privacy Directive will stop the use of technology that helps identify child sexual exploitation online. 

As a supporter of child safety, you are probably aware that this technology is a critical part of the arsenal to protect and rescue children.

This critical work will end without an “interim regulation” from the European Parliament. This exception to the law will allow tech companies to continue using these critical tools until 2025 when a more permanent solution can be reached, preventing a global catastrophe. 

“I appreciate the dedication to privacy but I also feel the European Parliament should consider my privacy and safety as a survivor of child abuse imagery.  

There are so many tools out there right now that are finally giving hope to myself and other survivors of child sexual exploitation, hope that our content will cease to be traded on the internet and hope that children who are still being abused can be rescued. News like this feels like a step in the wrong direction.   Without the proactive scanning of messages predators will be able to trade images and accept payment without detection.

I plead, as someone who has felt the pain and deals with the lifelong repercussions of this horrendous crime, that you not extinguish what little light we have on the horizon.”

-          Survivor of Online Child Sexual Exploitation

We need to act now! As you read this, more than 17,000 people from all over the world have signed our petition to the European Parliament – and we still need your help to let these lawmakers know that what happens in Europe impacts the world.

Here’s how you can get involved:

• Urge your family, friends and colleagues to add their names to our petition to urge the European Parliament to put child safety first.  
• Share the petition with colleagues, friends and family so they can take action too. The final vote is scheduled for December 7, 2020.
• Make yourself heard on social media. NCMEC has created this easy-to-use toolkit that you can quickly deploy on your channels.

Please act now and join the fight today. Children across the globe are counting on us.