Meta probably reports child abuse too rarely

Facebook and the other meta-platforms report millions of images and videos that allegedly show child abuse to the authorities every year. Nevertheless, the company probably reports too rarely and sometimes simply deletes questionable content, reports the New York Times. Moderators would be instructed to assume adults when in doubt if they are unsure about the age of people pictured. One reason for this is the concern that it can be devastating for users to falsely portray them as child porn posters.

Problematic age

Porn only violates the platform guidelines and will be deleted, while child porn is illegal and must therefore be reported to the authorities: so far, so theoretically clear. In practice, however, it is sometimes difficult to correctly assess a person's age in an image or video. If in doubt, meta-moderators should then assume adults. According to the report, this is what a training manual from the consulting company Accenture says, which acts as a subcontractor for content moderation for Meta. In addition, Facebook seems to use the Tanner phases of puberty when estimating age, which are not considered suitable for this purpose.

Although it can be assumed that Meta does not report all cases of child abuse to the authorities, it is difficult to estimate the extent of the problem. “There is a whole population of young people who are not being protected,” says Lianna McDonald, Executive Director of the Canadian Center for Child Protection http://protectchildren.ca, told the NYT. This is also due to the fact that, according to research, children are maturing earlier and earlier and Latinos, for example, generally reach puberty earlier.

Fake news concern

Antigone Davis, Head of Safety at Meta, confirmed the requirements in an interview with the New York Times: “The sexual abuse of children online is abhorrent,” she emphasizes. However, she points out that a false accusation of child abuse can be “life-changing” for those affected. According to Davis, the moderation guidelines are based on privacy concerns for users who are simply attempting to post sexual depictions of adults.

For Meta and other social media, the issue is a legal minefield. U.S. law requires you to report “apparent” child abuse, but what exactly “apparent” means is not clearly defined. Failure to comply with this may result in prosecution by authorities; False reports, on the other hand, open the door to lawsuits by those affected in the USA. McDonald believes that it should be standard practice to opt for more child protection when in doubt. She points out that when it comes to tobacco and alcohol, it is common practice to ask for proof of age if in doubt.

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