21st Century Child Abuse: Meeting the Challenge of Online Child Safety. A Conversation with Lloyd Richardson, Director of Technology at The Canadian Centre for Child Protection

The discussion focuses on the intersection of technology and child protection, particularly the risks children face online due to instant access to information, experiences, and people globally through smartphones.  

Richardson, with nearly 20 years at the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, explains their work, which includes operating Canada's national tip line for reporting online sexual exploitation of children (CyberTip.ca) and Project Arachnid, a global tool that aims to remove child sexual abuse material from the internet.  

The conversation draws parallels between the current challenges of regulating the internet and historical struggles with industries like tobacco, alcohol, and automotive, especially regarding seatbelt implementation. Richardson emphasizes that while technology offers benefits like education, it's a "double-edged sword" because society has not adequately mitigated its risks for children by applying lessons learned from other industries.  

A key issue highlighted is age and identity verification (Know Your Customer/Digital Identity) online. Richardson argues that it's not a complex technological problem but rather faces resistance due to disinformation and concerns about "mass surveillance." He explains that digital ID can be more privacy-preserving than physical ID, as it can disclose only the necessary information (e.g., being over 18) without revealing other personal details. While not a complete solution, he believes age verification would significantly mitigate harm to children online, especially in contexts like pornography websites (requiring 18+ verification) and social media platforms (where knowing the age of users can prevent luring). He also notes that platforms often fail to enforce rules against children under 13, despite laws like COPPA.