The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) has created a powerful tool to help children regain control of their images online. The child protection organization has unveiled the Take It Down platform which helps minors remove their nude, partially nude and/or sexual explicit photos and videos from the internet. Meta provided initial funding to build the infrastructure for the program that NCMEC launched at the end of December 2022. Since then, more than 200 cases have been submitted.
“Having explicit content online can be scary and very traumatizing, especially for young people,” said Gavin Portnoy, VP, communications & brand, NCMEC. “The adage of ‘you can’t take back what is already out there’ is something we want to change. The past doesn’t define the future and help is available.”
This PSA, created by ad agency VCCP, focuses on the theme of moving forward. Directed by Jeremiah Mayhew, this spot will appear on platforms that kids frequent to ensure they are receiving the message directly. We can’t go back and change what happened, but we can help you move forward. The tool was created to fight against exploitation and sextortion of minors.
Take It Down, which is a free service, works by assigning a unique digital fingerprint, called a hash value, to specific images or videos. When tech platforms sign up to participate, they are provided these hash values so they can detect and remove the imagery on their public or unencrypted sites and apps. This all happens without the image or video ever leaving a device or anyone viewing it.
“We created this system because many children are facing these desperate situations,” said Michelle DeLaune, president and CEO, NCMEC. “Our hope is that children become aware of this service, and they feel a sense of relief that tools exist to help take the images down. NCMEC is here to help.”
